A break from the norm with this post. I haven’t written a blog post in about two months, and I thought I would talk a little bit about why that is.

The long and short of it is, until yesterday I hadn’t managed to read a book all the way through. For some reason, I have been in a HUGE reading slump since August. If I’m honest with myself, I think it was down to this ridiculous, anxiety inducing year getting on top of me. Things really are just mad at the moment but frankly, its the same for everyone the world over.

My motivation is slowly returning to me, and I have begun a writing project of my own. I’m currently working hard on my first draft of my first manuscript and I’m feeling hopeful. Attempting to write my own novel has given me a new appreciation of the books I read. The amount of work and soul that goes into crafting a readable and enjoyable novel is staggering. It really is no mean feat to even complete a draft, let alone get it to publishing stage. All published authors, self or traditional, I take my hat off to you!

The book that has finally lifted me from my DNF slump was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It was a fantastically atmospheric read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope to incorporate some of her skill in setting mood into my own work. While this isn’t a particularly in depth review of the book, I definitely recommend it if you are looking for an excellent haunted house story. Also, don’t be put off if you (like me) watched the Netflix adaption first. They are completely different and I thoroughly enjoyed both.

This year has been the oddest of my life. We are witnessing societal change on a global scale, and not just due to the pandemic. People are finally beginning to call out systematic racism (although there is a hell of a long way to go here); people are finally becoming aware of our devastating impact on the natural world(again, a long way to go); a virus has changed the way we all life and travel, possibly forever. Historic events are coming at us left, right and centre and its time to start drawing inspiration from it, rather than feeling overwhelmed.

How is everyone else coping with 2020? Has anybody else hit a wall recently?