New Term

This week I returned to Uni and can safely say the modules I chose were not easy options. I felt nervous about going back because I was due to collect the four assignments I had handed in before Christmas.  Happily, my marks were good which I was pleased with, although of course being a perfectionist, I would have liked higher. 

The first module of the week, Author Study, is based around how established authors began their writing journey and how their experiences influenced what they wrote. Alongside this, we are encouraged to consider why we write and what led us to become writers. A major part of this process is to set up a blog (yes another one) and answer specific questions set by the lecturer. It is a lot of work (five pieces of homework have been set already) but I am interested in the subject so I’m not finding it a hardship (yet).

So, taking this all into consideration, I thought it might be fun to talk about how and why I decided to be a writer. I think the first and most important influence in my life was books, they were always available in our house and I benefitted from a weekly trip to the library with my Dad. We were a particularly creative household and I first remember writing a story at the age of about three or four with my Granddad (I still have it). Before I was a teenager, I read up to 8 books a week and I took a keen interest in the various storylines on TV, which I still maintain are better than in some of the programmes we have to endure nowadays.  But when I was in my teens, my interest in books and writing disappeared. I put this down to the friends I had along with a particularly turbulent relationship. When I met Mr Ball though, it was like a light had been switched on and I found renewed interest in things that I had long since forgotten. He encouraged me to pursue my dream career so I applied for University and got in. It has been one of the best decisions I ever made.

Book Review: Engleby by Sebastian Faulks.

Engleby is a novel about 1970’s loner, Mike Engleby, told from his perspective. It details his experiences in a matter of fact way with dark undertones. The story is principally about his life at Cambridge and in particular his connection to fellow student Jenny.

This book is a difficult one to recommend because I have a suspicion that it is like Marmite! (I like Marmite).

I enjoyed the first half of the book but the rest seemed as though it was cobbled together.  I was interested in the ‘Jenny’ storyline so when Faulks (quite frequently) went off on tangents, I found it quite frustrating.

If you have read Engleby, please do let me know what you think about it.