When done properly, brainstorming can be highly effective so here are four principles and benefits We all have those moments in life when our minds become overwhelmed, cluttered with too many thoughts, and it can be difficult to navigate. Brainstorming is a technique that can help us do this effectively. There are many benefits to brainstorming, and some principles to follow during the process. As a writer, my mind is a crazy maze of ideas that I often get lost in; brainstorming is something I use with my beta reader to express my thoughts and "piggy-back" ideas off each other. I find it incredibly helpful, and so I wanted to share some of the principles of the technique and benefits. Principles of brainstorming: Crazy is welcome – thinking outside the box and generating crazy suggestions can open new doors to more solutions and create new ideas. Quantity over quality – brainstorming is all about what comes to mind; don’t force out ideas because they aren’t “good quality” or logical enough. Get as many ideas/solutions/words down as you can and the quantity will breed quality overtime. Mess is key – when it comes to brainstorming you’re allowed to be messy and frantic. Your notes aren’t supposed to be neat and refined; you want to jot down ideas as they come to you without wasting time on making sure your handwriting is tidy or that all your grammar is correct. But do remember they need to be legible and comprehensible to you. Don’t criticise – as ideas come to you, don’t criticise them; all ideas should be welcome during the process of brainstorming, so keep any criticism for the end to avoid hindering the generating of new ideas. Benefits of brainstorming: Declutters the mind – when your mind is overwhelmed with thoughts and ideas, jotting them down and brainstorming off them, can ease your mind and help you think more clearly as the ideas are written on a page – they’re no longer just floating around in your head. Combined creativity – group brainstorming can be very effective in generating lots of new ideas that you may not have thought of on your own. It allows for you to bounce off one another, quickening the process of creation. Generates a large number of ideas – brainstorming helps you come up with a large number of ideas so that you have lots of different options, but it also allows you to generate these ideas quickly. Combination of ideas – when brainstorming, everyone can generate ideas and whilst they may not be effective separately, they may be the perfect solution together. Brainstorming can help you combine ideas to find a better answer that you may not have come to on your own. Brainstorming is a great technique to generate ideas and expand creativity, so if you are stuck on finding a solution to a problem, or just need lots of ideas for a project, use this technique to help. Until next time…

Are actors the essence of a film, or does it not matter who the stars are? I recently watched the film RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, which had an all-star cast as its line-up. The film was full of action and crime, and follows a group of London’s delinquents – The Wild Bunch – as they try to steal millions up for grabs during a real-estate scam whilst a Russian mobster and London’s notorious gangster, Lenny Cole, try to come out on top. The film was great with some humour added to break up the action, but I don’t think it would’ve been as good if the characters were played by different actors. The main line-up for RocknRolla is: Gerard Butler – One Two Idris Elba – Mumbles Tom Hardy – Handsome Bob Mark Strong – Archy Tom Wilkinson – Lenny Cole Thandie Newton – Stella These actors, in my opinion, made the film. If, for instance, the characters were portrayed by the actors from the Harry Potter franchise, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. So, do actors really define films? There are other films, which work so well because of the cast. For example, the Fast and Furious franchise would not be as enjoyable to watch if Vin Diesel wasn’t the lead. And the same for Harry Potter; if the cast of RocknRolla switched with the cast of the wizarding world, having Gerard Butler as Harry Potter wouldn’t be quite the same. I feel this way about Mamma Mia too; the only actress to play Donna Sheridan, for me, is Meryl Streep. I think she owns the character and brings her to life, much like Julie Walters does to her character Rosie. Now, directors, producers and writers may have absolutely no idea on who they want to play certain characters, so they end up going through hundreds of auditions to find the perfect actor. However, sometimes they do know who they’d like and if they can get their preferred actor, then no other actor could do that character justice. I recently watched the Friends Reunion, and in that the writers had said that when they wrote the infamous character Ross Geller, they actually had David Schwimmers’ voice in mind. If you haven’t seen friends – let’s face it, who hasn’t? – Ross is one of the main six characters, and there is no one else who could play the paleontologist. Absolutely no one! So for me, I know that the greatness of a movie or a TV show does definitely depend on who is in the cast - as well as the script too. What do you think? Does the cast of a show affect its likability? Let me know in the comments of any examples and if you agree with me. Until next time…

10 reasons why reading is all the brain power you need I’m a bookworm, an avid reader, who would buy thousands of books – if my bank balance allowed it – but I know that a lot of people don’t read, or they just read when lounging around a pool in the Spanish sun on holiday. But as we get older, our memory fades and our brains become less active. We realise we don’t know facts that we once did, and we struggle remembering everyday things. We live in an age where you can read a book on your commute to work, on your phone, or buy it off Amazon and have it instantly delivered to your kindle. We can access books far more easily now than ever before, but what do we actually get out of reading? Is reading just for pleasure – to escape the stresses of life? Or can it benefit us for reasons other than enjoyment? Have a read below to see why you should get back into reading: Mental stimulation: Reading stimulates your brain, and as you grow a stronger reading ability, your brain’s networks will become stronger and more sophisticated. Physically reading is an active action – compared to passively watching TV – and it requires you to train your mind to focus on the information you’re given and to actually take it in. Reading stimulates you mentally; it’s a workout for your brain. Stress reduction: Everyone gets stressed at some point in their lives, some are even stressed every day; but reading has been proven to help decrease stress levels in just 30 minutes, by lowering heart rate, blood pressure and psychological distress. It has the same effects as yoga and meditation, but can be more enjoyable – in my opinion anyway – and can transport you to other worlds free of everyday problems. Builds your vocabulary: The more you read, the more words you know. The more words you know, the better you express your thoughts and feelings. The more extensive your vocabulary, the better the chance of a later mental decline. Reading can help you learn a variety of new words, which can in turn aid your ability to communicate with others, and perhaps prove useful in certain situations in life, like job applications. Knowledge: As mentioned above, reading can increase your vocab, but did you know that it can extend your general knowledge? If you read, you will instinctively pick up facts and bits of knowledge about various topics, sometimes without even knowing, and what you read doesn’t need to be hard-hitting non-fiction or prose for this to happen; it can be light-hearted, and you can still pick up tidbits of info. Analytical skills: When you read, you will undoubtedly analyse the words on the page; you’ll notice if there’s an incorrect spelling, or if a word is missing. If you like reading crime novels, you’ll analyse the plot to see if you can figure out who the culprit is – I know I do – and sometimes you’ll even analyse stories to see what events will happen, even when reading romance. All of this helps you use your analytical skills, and inevitably strengthens them. Improved writing skills: Writing is all about grammar, punctuation, syntax and other technical stuff, but those who read often, learn what makes “good” writing. Readers can absorb an author’s writing style and they’re able to imitate and emulate it within their own writing – sometimes even subconsciously. The more often you read, the more you’ll read good quality writing, and the better your own writing will become. Prevention against cognitive decline: Whilst it’s not definitively proven that reading can prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, there is research that shows it can help against them. Reading keeps your brain engaged, and if you read a bit every day – or do some logic puzzles – then you can improve your cognitive functioning and maintain it. Strengthens empathy: Reading about different people and different situations in life can help you understand other people, with different circumstances to you, better. It can open your eyes to issues of the world, and help you see what other people are going through. This is called the ‘theory of the mind’ and it can even help you maintain social relationships. Improved focus: Focus is something that a lot of people struggle with; we flit between our socials, watching TV, and tuning into different conversations. We find it difficult to pay attention to something for a long time, but reading can improve our focus. Reading a substantial piece of writing requires you to focus on it for long periods of time, so that you know what is happening and don’t get confused by losing focus on the story. So if you’ve never picked up a book, or have had a break from your reading, remember these tips. Reading is beneficial for both our enjoyment and our health. Until next time…

Cinemas have finally reopened in England, films are making their way back onto the big screens, and popcorn will be eaten now more than ever. Films are a type of entertainment that people love, and so many films were postponed due to the pandemic, but they are finally being released, along with brand new titles, and I am very excited. I'm a big film buff - with over 100 DVDs and access to streaming services - and have decided to make a list of my top 10 films that I'm looking forward to most this year. I wouldn't say that I only watch one genre of film - quite the contrary actually - but a lot of the films I watch tend to have some sort of action in...or music! So here's my highly anticipated films of 2021: Fast and Furious 9 - June 2nd (UK) The ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise is probably the film I want to watch the most this year. The action never fails to grip me, the comedy has me laughing and the cars are always gorgeous. With the return of a beloved character and the fantastic cast, this movie will be epic! In The Heights - June 18th (UK) A musical written by the fantastic Lin Manuel Miranda, during his sophomore year of college, that has won three Tony Awards and a Grammy, is now making its way to the big screen. The soundtrack of the Broadway show, and the few songs released from the movie, have me looking forward to the film of the summer. I love to watch musicals, and In the Heights is no exception. Top Gun: Maverick - Not sure on release date The sequel to one of Hollywood's classic movies, starring the remarkable Tom Cruise, follows Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as he trains new pilots after more than 30 years of service himself. The cast, the action, the planes, and even the infamous theme tune; it all adds to the film being one that people watch again and again in years to come. Black Widow - July 9th (UK) The 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, before she became an Avenger. The film explores her history with the KGB and the story of Natasha Romanoff. With the film being a Marvel superhero production, you can be sure that the action and graphics of destruction are going to be amazing. Spiderman: No Way Home - December 17th (UK) The third installment in Spiderman films sees the continuation of Marvel's phase 4 as Tom Holland takes to our screens once again as Peter Parker. Spiderman: No Way Home picks up where Spiderman: Far From Home left us...with the world discovering Spiderman is Peter Parker. As well as Zendaya and Marisa Tomei returning as MJ and May Parker, the film sees Benedict Cumberbatch enter Spiderman's world as Doctor Strange. I'm a big fan of Marvel movies, so can't wait to see Tom Holland's new film as Spiderman. Jungle Cruise - 30th July (UK) An adventure and fantasy film that stars two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Johnson plays Frank Wolff who Blunt's character, Dr Lily Houghton, enlists to help her on an adventure down the Amazon. Based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same ñame, the film already promises high expectations, and is one I'm very excited about watching. Venom: Let There Be Carnage - September (UK) Another Marvel superhero film - Marvel just don't stop! Tom Hardy reprises his role as Venom in this sequel that stars Woody Harrelson and Michelle Williams. Having seen the first film, I have high expectations of action and humour for Venom 2. Directed by Andy Serkis, I can already tell that this movie will be a great one to watch. Cruella - May 28th (UK) Disney's live-action film about one of fiction's most infamous villains; Emma Stone plays Cruella in this film that explores the evil exploits of Cruella de Vil. Also starring Emma Thompson, Mark Strong and Emily Beecham, Cruella is a family-friendly comedy/crime movie for all to watch. I for one, can't wait to see Emma Stone killing it as Cruella. Suicide Squad 2 - July 30th (UK) As a fan of DC Comics Suicide Squad, I am anxious to see this sequel. It follows some of the world's most dangerous supervillains - Harley Quinn, King Shark, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and more - take on a mission with only Colonel Rick Flag to keep them in check. If the first film is anything to go by and the cast, Suicide Squad 2 will surely be a film worth watching. Escape Room 2 - July 16th (UK) Horror movies aren't the kind of films I usually watch but I saw Escape Room in the cinema with friends, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So now with the sequel being released, I'm excited to see what happens next. Escape Room 2 picks up from where the first movie left off, and I can assure you, it will have you on the edge of your seats - or hiding behind a cushion! What films are you excited about seeing this year? Let me know in the comments or on my instagram - @writewatchwork https://www.instagram.com/writewatchwork/?hl=en-gb Until next time...

Do you ever pick up a book and can’t put it down? Do you ever just have to know what happens to the characters? Do you ever get attached to the characters in the book? This year I’ve tried to read more, for pleasure and for my degree, and so far I have read 27 books. 14 of these books are all by the amazing author Lexi Ryan. I discovered Lexi Ryan through social media and decided to begin her series, ‘The Boys of Jackson Harbour’, and since then I am obsessed with her stories. The latest book of Ryan’s I read was Every Time I Fall; it can be read as a standalone or part of the ‘Orchid Valley’ series as book three. Every Time I Fall follows the love story of Abbi and Dean, who just so happens to be her brothers’ best mate and her friends’ brother. Having followed Ryan on Instagram, I was already excited about the release of this book before having ever read the ‘Orchid Valley’ series. I knew I would enjoy the book because I like Ryan’s writing style – being a creative writing student, I’m continuously analysing other’s writing – but that wasn’t what initially drew me to this particular book. What caught my attention was the cover. Now I know there’s the saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ and that is completely true. You shouldn’t just look at a book cover and then read it purely based on the image; you should read the blurb, maybe see if you can read the first couple of pages (easier in shops than online) to see if you like it. But for me, the cover was the thing that caught my attention. It featured a big girl. The cover showed the protagonists, Abbi and Dean, but Abbi wasn’t portrayed as being a slim woman with the “perfect” figure. She represented the type of woman who isn’t normally written about or explored in fiction. She doesn’t have perfectly toned arms and a thigh gap; she’s not slim with a flat torso. Ryan created a curvaceous woman. After reading the other books in this series, I started Every Time I Fall. Whilst reading, I had knee-jerk reactions of smiling and laughter. I felt sad when Abbi felt sad (coincidence that our names are the same, just spelt different) and I shipped Dean and Abbi - I read the book as fast as I could just to see their happily ever after. The most captivating aspect of this book was that the characters felt real. They were relatable. Obviously not being a man, I related more to Abbi than I did Dean. There were scenes that were expertly written exploring Abbi’s insecurities as a bigger woman; she had accepted that out of her friends, she’d be the single one, the one who no man wants because of her figure. Ryan showcased all the worries every woman who isn’t slim has, and that was what made me love this book. I would say that the theme of this book is acceptance and the journey that Abbi goes on helps her learn this. There are times when Abbi sabotages her chances with Dean based on insecurities, or external forces plant negativity in Abbi’s mind, but by the end Abbi has accepted that she doesn’t have to change her appearance. She learns that she’s perfect the way she is – yeah, she may not be as slim as her friends but who cares – and that her own fears and worries about herself were getting in the way of having the guy she loves. Every Time I Fall holds such an important message that isn’t explored much in fiction, and because of this, I recommend this book to all you bookworms. Now, I just want Lexi Ryan to write a book about Savvy’s story (one of Abbi’s friends). If you fancy reading a Lexi Ryan story, here's the link to her website: https://lexiryan.com/ Until next time...

This month from the 10th to 16th of May, it is Mental Health Awareness week. During that week, people are encouraged to improve their mental health, take time for themselves and we’re shown the importance of taking care of our mental health. Journaling is one of the many ways mental health can be improved. It’s not just for writers or for those who have always kept journals and diaries full of their deepest darkest secrets. It can be for anyone. Writing thoughts down can really help alleviate stress and pressure that you may feel, so I wanted to share 6 journaling ideas that can help you find peace and tranquility. Gratitude List: Everyone at some point in their lives reflects on what means the most to them, on what they’re most thankful for; writing down a couple of things a day that you’re grateful for can help you realise what is actually important in your life, and what trivial things you can live without and might be causing stress. You may be grateful for completing a task at work or simply having a Starbucks coffee – whatever it is, write it down. Brain Dump: A brain dump is one of the best journaling ideas you can do. Just like Stacey Solomon (a happiness icon), write down everything you’re thinking, every negative thought, every negative emotion you’re feeling. Write it all down, get all your feelings onto the page, take all the baggage and waste out of your mind, and you’ll feel clearer, lighter and happier. Social Media Time Tracker: We live in a world where social media rules our lives. It’s our way of communicating, it’s how we keep in touch; but it’s also how we waste a lot of our time and how we fill our brains with negative thoughts. Hours can go by without us even realising it and we can become attached to social media, which can impact our mental health. Tracking how much time you spend on social media each day can be a real eye-opener and can help you improve your mental health with productivity and more human connection. Inspiring Quotes: Procrastination, self-doubt, insecurity. These are all emotions we all deal with, some of us on a daily basis, and they can be detrimental to our mental health. In your journals, create a page of inspiring quotes, ones that motivate you, make you acknowledge your worth and help you realise that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Having a page full of inspiration can help raise you up on days you’re feeling low. To-Do List: Our mental health can suffer badly when our brains are too active and over-crowded with tasks we need to do. Sometimes we can lose track of what needs doing, and we can find ourselves in a real muddle. Having a to-do list where you add everything to it, even emptying the dishwasher or eating dinner, can help declutter your mind and help you focus on what is important and essential. Greatest Qualities: We’re constantly bombarded with airbrushed photos and pictures of people who are deemed “perfect” and it can make us feel rubbish; it can make us wish we have a different body type, have a certain appearance and have more desirable traits as a person. Whenever faced with insecurity, we follow the yellow brick road to more insecurity, but if you were to list some of your greatest qualities – that you see and feel about yourself, not others – then you will slowly improve your mental health, learn to love yourself and accept that no matter what you look like or how you are, you don’t need to change. If you’re struggling with mental health, you are not alone. There are a lot of charities and people out there ready to help you, and the tips I mentioned above are ways you can help yourself too. Some key mental health charities include: Anxiety UK – www.anxietyuk.org.uk Men’s Health Support – www.menshealthforum.org.uk Mental Health Foundation – www.mentalhealth.org.uk Mind – www.mind.org.uk No Panic – www.nopanic.org.uk Papyrus – www.papyrus-uk.org Samaritans – www.samaritans.org.uk Young Minds – www.youngminds.org.uk Until next time…

This weekend was the second Grand Prix of the 2021 Formula 1 season at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola - where Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger sadly died 27 years ago. Qualifying was held on Saturday and Lewis Hamilton achieved his 99th pole position and was ready to lead the race on Sunday. Perez and Verstappen, both Red Bull drivers, followed behind in P2 and P3 and Ferrari’s Leclerc was fourth on the grid. The race was certainly action-packed, after a good start despite the rain. When the lights went out, Hamilton fell back to P2 as Verstappen took the lead after some contact at Turn 2. On the first lap, Latifi made contact with Haas’ Mazepin, which meant a safety car was deployed. During the safety car deployment, Perez maintained P4 but was later dealt a 10 second time penalty, which ultimately knocked him out of the points, along with a couple of off-road skirmishes. McLaren’s Lando Norris had an excellent time in qualifying with purple sectors, but unfortunately his time was deleted for exceeding track limits; Lando ended up placing seventh on the grid behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo in P6. During lap 18, Ricciardo let Norris go past up into fifth after the team told him, “We need to see Lando’s pace in clean air” based on Norris' radio communication with the team. This turned out to be a great decision as Norris powered through the rest of the race, showing everyone what he can do. Lap 31 saw Hamilton slide off into the gravel and hit his front wing against the wall. Thankfully he managed to reverse back onto the track and made his way to the pits for repairs, meaning he was still in the race. Things for Mercedes weren’t looking good as Valtteri Bottas crashed with George Russell on Turn 2 during lap 33. Both drivers were okay but their race was over. The race was suspended and a red flag was deployed. With the race stopped, the top 10 were: Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, Perez, Sainz, Ricciardo, Stroll, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Tsunoda. When given the green flag, Verstappen held the lead and Norris flew past Leclerc snatching P2! On lap 55 Hamilton managed to fight his way back through the field and took third from Leclerc. This left the top three as Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes. As the race neared its end, the fight for second continued and Hamilton ultimately overtook Norris and achieved P2. The Imola Grand Prix was the first race that had two Brits on the podium since 2012 when it was Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton; with it being in Italy, it was also good to see Ferrari having a great race and being back up there, scoring some points. After qualifying on Saturday and feeling disappointed with P7, Lando Norris had a phenomenal race and did the whole of his team, and his fans, proud with his second F1 podium. His fans showed their support and happiness by voting him ‘Driver of the Day’, which is certainly a well-deserved title. Imola’s top three did exceptionally well and, I think, they could all be in the running to win the world championship this year. The next time the drivers will be racing will be in Portugal on the Algarve International Circuit. That race is on the 2nd May, and it’ll be very exciting to see who lands a podium then. Until next time... Images from Instagram @F1

At some point in our lives, we’re all guilty of being disorganised. Our schedules can get very busy, our minds can be full of ideas and our bodies can feel exhausted. We procrastinate and put jobs off but if we were more organised, and had ways to maintain our organisation, we would complete more jobs each day and feel better at night. Living a messy and chaotic life is unproductive in many ways, but here’s 6 ways that you can make your life more organised. Write a to-do list: Every morning before you start your day, you could write a list of everything you want to achieve and get done. Once you complete a task, tick it off. I use this technique all the time, and even add little things like lunch and dinner to the list, just so I feel even more productive at the end of the day. Have a diary of important dates: We’ve all got that one friend who remembers everyone’s birthdays. I bet you they own a diary that records every important date in their life, whether it be a cousin's birthday, a doctor’s appointment or a deadline for work. Knowing when something is due or needs to be done by, will help you procrastinate less and motivate you to get it done. Plus, it will relieve some stress from your life! Everything needs a home: It’s incredibly easy to get lost without a home, and maintaining an organised life means making sure everything has its own home. You need designated areas for different things; for example, a cup holder for your pens and pencils needs to go somewhere you can access every day. If you have lots of things in your home, group objects together; stationary (I have a lot of that!), produce in the fridge, and cutlery (you could even divide this into smaller groups of forks, spoons, knives, etc.). Knowing where everything is really helps maintain a tidy home. Declutter: Giving everything a home is great, but it isn’t manageable long-term if that space exceeds its limits and becomes untidy. To keep them organised, you need to dedicate some time every month – perhaps every fortnight – to declutter the spaces, and anything you find just lying around the house. As the saying goes, ‘Clutter creates chaos’, so you should declutter as a ‘Tidy space is a tidy mind.’ Always have paper/notes nearby: We often think of things we want to remember during the day, and we tell ourselves that we’ll remember them – there’s no reason why we can’t. But when it gets to the evening and we’re sitting on our sofas, trying to remember what we thought of earlier that day to add to the grocery list, we can’t for the life of us remember what it is. Our minds can’t remember everything – unless you've got a photographic memory, which I don't…unfortunately – and so, if you have paper handy or a notes app on your phone, you can always jot down your thoughts as they come to you. That way you can’t forget them. Work hard: Maintaining an organised life can be hard work. It’s not a breeze. You’ll need to put in the work in order to keep things tidy, and in an orderly fashion, and whilst it may seem tiresome and boring at the time, it will help in the long run. You’ll feel better in yourself and your mental health won’t be smothered by all the inanimate objects crowding your home. So, if you find that your mind and home are a bit cluttered and disorganised, follow these tips and see the difference they make. Until next time…

I’m a sucker for a good musical. There’s just something about when the characters burst into song, belting their hearts out that I love. I have many DVDs in my house (many being an understatement) and several of them are musicals, such as The Sound of Music, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, and Joseph and his Technicolour Coat, just to name a few. I’ve been to the West End and seen some shows – the best way to watch a musical in my opinion – and I have a whole Spotify playlist dedicated to them; 29 hours and 37 minutes of pure musical bliss! But have you ever listened to a soundtrack before seeing the show? I have, and I must say it can sway your opinion quite a bit. For me, the soundtracks and the music are the biggest aspect of any musical – especially Hamilton as the soundtrack is basically the script. You can learn a lot about a character through the music: what they’re feeling, what they’re planning to do and more. Now, I said soundtracks can sway your opinion…and that’s true. This happened to my sister and me – about different musicals but our opinions still changed. Last summer during the first lockdown, I had the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat (literally!) and my sister was, how should I say it, rather displeased. She’s not a big fan of rap music and I forced her to watch the musical when it came out on Disney+. Throughout watching it, we were both miming the lyrics and she actually enjoyed it. So whilst she may not have been a fan of the music before watching it, she certainly is now! I had a similar experience with The Greatest Showman, specifically the song From Now On. I had listened to all the other songs and really liked them, but I could never get into this particular one; the beginning is quite calm and quiet. However, when I finally got around to watching the film, I really liked the song. If I had enough patience and hadn’t made my mind up so quickly, I would have probably like the song long before seeing the musical. The dancing at the end combined with the beat amplifies the music, making it a great song to listen to. The two examples above both include me, or my sister, watching the film; but there is another circumstance where I listened to a couple of songs from one musical and the soundtrack of another – thanks to ‘New Music Friday’ – but I haven’t seen the films. I've listened to some songs from the Broadway version of the musical 'In The Heights' and absolutely love them, despite not really knowing what the musical is about. I can't wait for the day the film version is released, especially as it has Anthony Ramos in the cast; I can only hope that version reaches my expectations. The other film is the Netflix musical ‘A Week Away’ starring Bailee Madison and Kevin Quinn. It’s about a teenage boy, Will Hawkins, played by Quinn, who goes to summer camp and finds love, friendship and a place where he belongs. I saved the album on my phone and listened to it for the first time the other day. Like most albums, especially musicals, there are songs that are favourites and some that you might intentionally skip when played, but most of the songs on this soundtrack had me wanting to dance and sing. The lyrics are meaningful and relatable, and the music is the perfect sound to escape to – plus the beat at the beginning of Best Thing Ever is just so good. Even though I haven’t watched the film yet, I love the soundtrack and have definitely added it to my watch list. Have you ever listened to a musical soundtrack and then seen the show, and had your opinion changed? Let me know what ones you’ve seen, and if you haven’t seen any musicals, I highly recommend doing so. They are the perfect feel good show. If you want to see what's on my musical playlist, here's the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Vb7igczxWbX21JpdN8gEn?si=yZ77pm_PRgWHkVqh8dB9pA Until next time...

Motivation is such a big part of everyone’s lives; we all need it to do the tasks we complete each day but sometimes we all lack motivation (I know I do!). And one thing that people often lack motivation for is fitness and working out – unless you’re a gym bunny…which I'm not! Exercise is such a significant part of our lives, and we need to be active each day, whether it simply be a walk somewhere or a full blown workout routine. When I was younger I was incredibly active. I swam; I played netball; I went for bike rides. But as I got older, I let my studies take over my life, and I always used the excuse of “I’ve got to study, I don’t have enough time.” Although I felt that was true then, I look back now and see how silly of me that was. I never took a break from studying, and in return studying never took a break from me. My mind was constantly active, whilst my body was practically sedentary sitting at a desk for hours on end. I always wanted to workout and do exercise but always found excuses to not do it. I was worried that when I’d do the exercise, I wouldn’t feel motivated enough to keep going. An hour of exercise never seemed appealing when I could spend that hour revising. Now however, I have found the one thing to keep me going during exercising. Without this, I often feel like I couldn’t survive (tad dramatic I know!). The key to my motivation is…MUSIC! I love my music, and I mean LOVE it! I can’t tell you how many songs I have on my phone, or how many hours a day I listen to it, but I can tell you that it helps massively when working out. When you have a song with the perfect beat to run, walk, cycle, crunch, whatever it is you’re doing, time seems to fly so much faster and you can enjoy getting sweaty and all hot and bothered. And I’ve found that my Legends playlist is perfect for me. It’s full of classic rock legends, including Queen, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden and ACDC, and other artists like Three Days Grace, My Chemical Brothers and Imagine Dragons. Songs by these artists have a great beat that just gets you in the mood for working out! If you're not into rock music, then Spotify and YouTube both have playlists dedicated to exercise. Music is sometimes the only motivation you need to focus on completing each rep, each mile, and each stroke. I may be biased when it comes to music, but I can tell you, in all honesty, that if you listen to it whilst exercising, it will help! If you workout and have a favourite playlist or artist, let me know what they are. If you don’t, have a look on Spotify and YouTube, or give some of the artists I mentioned a go. Until next time…

If you read my most recent blog post, you’ll know what I’ve been up to lately, but in case you haven’t, here’s a quick recap. This week I’ve been doing a 7 day writing challenge, where I had to write a short story on the genre of crime and theme of sacrifice, of no more than 2000 words. I started planning the plot, fleshing out the crime and the structure, and then I created my protagonist, and came up with an idea for including sacrifice with the help of my sister. Here's the second part of my planning process. After designing my protagonist, I needed to create an antagonist. For me, this was easier because I tend to find that I can write about the bad guys better than I do the good guys; I find it easy to get into their heads, which is strange…and some what disturbing, aha! I went about the same routine for the antagonist as I did with my investigator, detailing their appearance, motivations and anything important for me to know. Not everything I planned is included into the short story – 2000 words is difficult to stick too – but I found it helpful to know background info in case I got confused. I tended to get a bit confused because I was getting dates and ages muddled up. This then meant I needed to write a timeline – I was even confused trying to write this. But once I’d written it, it cleared everything up and I was able to start writing – the fun part! When writing I tend to have trouble sticking to the word count – I almost always go over – and this time was not different. I wrote the whole story in a day, just free-writing with my notes, and I ended up going 600 words over the word count. I knew I would have to edit and redraft the story but I didn’t think I could cut it down by 600 words. Turns out, I did, thanks to tips from my degree! I was able to cut out ‘that’ a lot, remove adverbs, change the syntax, and use contractions. All of these helped, even when I needed to add another scene, and I managed to finish my piece at 2000 words exactly! And with the word count reached and the story finished, I was ready to submit. If you ever want to challenge yourself, give yourself a short time frame and a theme and produce something. It can be writing, drawing, crafting. It can be anything, and I can guarantee the satisfaction you’ll feel at the end is amazing. Until next time…

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve done a blog post, but I have been very busy plotting a crime - for a story, not real life! I’m a part of Globe Soup’s Facebook group, LOVE-TO-WRITE, and they created this 7 day writing challenge – and what a challenge it was! The task was to write a short story, no more than 2000 words, in 7 days based on a mystery theme and genre. On the day the challenge started, March 1st, all participants were sent an email with their given genre and the theme. There were 12 groups, all of which had the theme of sacrifice; each group was given a different genre from one of these: Chick Lit, Romance, Thriller, Crime, Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Magical Realism and Western, Dystopian and Historical. My group was given the genre of Crime, which was a massive relief. There were a couple of genres I didn’t want – Western and Magical Realism – so when I saw the word ‘Crime’ on my email, I was very happy. The problem was, I'd never written a complete short story before so it was definitely difficult to start writing. However, I am so pleased with what I’ve actually managed to accomplish. Before I started writing, I needed to come up with a plot idea. So, I used my whiteboard and brainstormed about six different story-lines before settling on my favourite. It was hard to choose just one! Once I'd chosen my story-line, and the crime it would include, I needed to flesh it out more, plan the events and the structure. It took a lot of rewriting, messy notes, and imagination to come up with, but what I produced is actually good…I think! When I had got enough information for the plot, including a timeline I had to create to stop my mind from getting confused, I focused on the characters. With my genre being Crime, I obviously needed an investigative protagonist of some sort, whether it be an amateur sleuth, a detective or a private eye. I created mind-maps and smothered my whiteboard in all kinds of aspects of character to create my protagonist, including their appearance, motivations, stakes in the plot, and conflicts. After I’d done the protagonist, I needed to figure out how sacrifice was going to come in to it; I wanted the theme of sacrifice to be shown through my investigator but I hadn’t thought how that would happen. It was then that I started rambling to my sister – someone who isn’t a big fan of the crime genre – and she gave me an idea. After adding the idea to my notes, I had finished designing my main character – woohoo! But that wasn't the end of my planning process. Come back tomorrow to find out what I did next…