30 Days Grace: January.
31 January 2017 • 2017, days of Grace, ed sheeran, happn, January, January 2017, la la land, month, monthly, monthly favourites, update
2017
got off to a shaky start for me. Maybe because I was expecting
everything to change – to be better – overnight. I think that's a
classic New Year feel, though. And, well, it's bullshit for the most
part.
What I read in January 2017.
29 January 2017 • 2017, 9-12 fiction, bookish, gracie actually reads, January, January reads, middle grade, middle grade fiction, reading, reading schedule
As
you know, faithful readers, I've adopted a new reading regime for
2017. Each month I'll have a set theme for my reading – this will
hopefully help me write reviews, catch up on what I keep putting off
and just generally get my life more organised!! Let
us pray...
Now,
January was my Middle Grade month. I read 4 books from the 9-12
fiction zone, and they were all rather lovely. One thing I picked up
on was how fantastical and magical a Middle Grade will be – every
character has some kind of power in them, even if it's just a natural
ability to read or run or write...everything sounds more exciting and
sparkly!
Okay,
time now for a quick run through of my January reads.
(More) Musings on the Bookmark Bar.
28 January 2017 • bookmark, bookmarks, bookmarks bar, browser, favourites, internet, musings, websites
Some
years ago, I wrote a little piece about a person's browser bookmark bar, and how it can actually reveal quite a lot about the person it
belongs to.
No,
seriously. Think about it. The things we save on the internet for
easy access, the things we check or use daily, are actually pretty
personal.
(Because a photo of my bookmarks bar would have been boring; here, have Harvey watching Newton Faulkner being beaut.)
My
bookmark bar, for instance, features a few folders. One is
entitled 'blog shit', and contains photo editor site PicMonkey,
colour palettes for editing my template, the Etsy site I got my
design from, and quite often I'll save a post I'm working on or
reflecting on in there as well.
Also DaFont, a site that sells designer
fonts, which is where I got the gorgeous type my blog title
is made from.
Another
folder is entitled 'Clothes', and it's a dumping ground for the many
many beautiful outfits I see and then cry at because lol, my bank
balance tho. I check the pages I save now and again just in case
they are magically on sale for
70% off suddenly. I'll also often go into stores to try certain items
on – so I'll know what size fits me best for when the sales hit,
and I can order without hesitation. Yeah.
Now,
the rest of my bookmark bar is less organised...and more, ermm,
silly. I have my gmail inbox saved on there, for official writing
business, and that's where the professionalism ends. I have the
product page for a print 'Peacock in a Scottish Bonnet' on Alice
Tams' excellent Birds in Hats website that I very happily came across via Emma Gannon's podcast (I'm waiting for a lovely
little windfall and some wall space to allow me to purchase it).
I recently added my Ko-Fi homepage to the bar, please check it out if you fancy helping me with
blogging expenses (e.g. postage for giveaways, £3 tickets to book
events and, well, coffee!). No pressure, but I'm currently
unemployed, so there's that (more details on that situation in time,
guys. Please don't push. I'm laying low for now. Low, and poor af). I've only started it up recently, but the donations so far have shocked me to happy tears, I swear.
And
finally, All4's episode guide page for 'This Is Us', the first show
in forever about love and couples and shit that has actually made me
feel things.
I
recently deleted a folder full of old friends' blogs – because it
had been so long that most of them were inactive, oops – and am now
needing to make another, crammed with the blogs I regularly follow
and will retweet forev. I also would like to start looking at web
comics again; xkcd used to be in my bookmarks, as did this other
really cool one that I cannot remember the title of goddamnit.
Yes,
those are my bookmark bar resolutions. Watch this space.
Also
I feel I should mention the sites that I haven't got saved as
bookmarks but don't need to because they automatically appear when I
type a single letter into the search bar, e.g. YouTube, Netflix,
Blogger, Twitter, y'know the standard stuff.
What's in your bookmarks bar, my friends? Anything weird or...juicy? Do you agree, that it shows a lot about you - or disagree and hate me for suggesting such a thing?! Comment below or tweet me! Happy bookmarking!
What's in your bookmarks bar, my friends? Anything weird or...juicy? Do you agree, that it shows a lot about you - or disagree and hate me for suggesting such a thing?! Comment below or tweet me! Happy bookmarking!
30.
21 January 2017 • about me, facts, Gracie
Hi,
my name's Grace, and/or Gracie.
Sometimes
I really wish I could sing and dance, I've played badminton on and off since I was quite young, snail mail is the way to my heart, I have my eleventh tattoo
booked in, venturing into Planet Organic both thrilled and intimidated me,
Will Smith will always be my dream man, I'm sick of waiting on people, the bookseller's life isn't
for me, 'This Is Us' has thawed out my icy heart, I'll always blog before I vlog, my parents and I recently decided that my car is gender fluid, I hate breakfast tea, updating my blog template has made me squeal with joy, I don't selfie that much, getting my legs waxed gives me life, I hate the texture of onions, my 3rd trip to Berlin is in 3 weeks, 2017 is going to be the year I do everything I keep meaning to, and it's about damn time.
These very irregular posts are popular with followers now, and it's impossibly cute that y'all wanna know me a little better.
A most creative death.
20 January 2017 • 360 protection choices, creatives, death, life
I heard something recently. Something intriguing to say the least... 'Creatives fear death less.' Bold statement, right? I mean, whoa, don't we all
fear death, even just a little?
My
stance on death has always been a little cloudy – until I was kind
of facing my own mortality a couple of years ago. Then I realised,
clear as day, clouds lifted: I don't fear my own death, not at all,
but I hate the idea of anyone close to me dying. Friends,
family...and okay fine, maybe fictional characters too.
(Sketch by the uber-talented Leticia Cronin - see her response below)
So
when I was thinking about this recently, it occurred to me that maybe
it is a creative thing,
but...what about the different types of creatives?! Like, do writers
like myself fear death less than...dancers? Or actors? Maybe abstract
artists are a little more aware of peril, while sculptors are more
brazen in the face of fatality? '
...You
get the idea.
So
I thought I'd test out this theory, and satisfy my own curiosity, by asking some of my creative pals what they think of death. As you do...!
Some of the responses completely stunned me...
Some of the responses completely stunned me...
Ode to the city dwellers.
18 January 2017 • creative writing, grace latter copyright, gracie actually writes, london, Londoners, original piece
Shout-out
to the Londoners.
The
ones who wear suits and carry briefcases stuffed with papers, who have
work phones and read the Evening Standard.
The ones that commute in every day, and never complain about a fatality delaying them as they get their usual trains home to their precious families.
The ones that commute in every day, and never complain about a fatality delaying them as they get their usual trains home to their precious families.
The
ones who make full use of that cafe on the Strand for important
meetings.
The ones who tweet photos of the sunrise from their office windows.
The ones who decorate their desks with photos and bunting, and bring in birthday cake for their colleagues...even though the rule is for them to get their own.
The ones who tweet photos of the sunrise from their office windows.
The ones who decorate their desks with photos and bunting, and bring in birthday cake for their colleagues...even though the rule is for them to get their own.
The
ones who have 7-7 shifts most days but still go to work socials every
other night to network, connect – and get to know the people
they share desks with.
Trying new things on the blog! (and in life...maybe....?)
16 January 2017 • amwriting, blog features, blogging, changes, doing the things, plans
I
really like trying out new things on my beloved blog. Even though at
times it can make me feel like that awkward old pub just down the road, always putting out a freshly-painted blackboard with the
week's many zany events and various new and exotic recipes listed, in
the hopes that they'll draw in more of a crowd...I power through and give things a go.
My
new feature 'Just Some Things' is something I'd been cooking up for
ages, on the slow burner, but then the crucial fundamental idea –
the missing ingredient, if you will – actually hit me quite
suddenly. Then I got a plan together and had sent emails out within 2
days. I love it when that happens; inspiration strikes and shit gets
done. Sometimes shit happens...but mostly, it gets done. The feature
has done insanely well stats-wise, but it's really not about the
number of clicks for me. It's about getting some of my favourite
writers' pieces out into the blogging universe! I am trying to only
post one every week, but with a hefty backlog building up I may have
to make it more regular than that...!
Another
idea I'd entertained not too long ago was the #AskGracie thing. That
went so well too, and had me all warm and fuzzy; helping others with
their problems like an Agony Aunt at times, or just answering the odd
'about me' questions. However, I soon felt that I was indulging
myself a bit too much and surely people wouldn't want to be bothered
with me begging for Q's that I could A...so I have stopped doing
that. At least for a while. I may bring it back sometime, but not
yet.
The
numbered Facts posts, a really old blog feature of mine, were often
used as a space filler in the beginning. A couple of years ago I'd
post a list of facts about me, the girl behind the blog, which really
read like a stream of consciousness, and was always accompanied with
a less-than-flattering photo. I enjoyed writing them. I still do. I
actually enjoy posting them that much more now, as they get such an
awesome response. Having someone tweet me saying 'I worry about this
too', or 'I LOVE crunchy peanut butter as well, smooth is rank'
just...makes my heart burst.
One
thing I've never really properly tried, however, is...life updates. I
actually thought about this when I read one of Debbie's; her posts about what she's been doing, what she's been reading and what
she's been seeing make me smile. It's like Emma Gannon's email newsletter – or Fiona's, or Amy's. And of course several YouTuber
humans do a monthly round-up, often with a cute punny title such as
'Time of the Month' or 'PMS (here meaning Pretentious Monthly Scrapbook, though)'. I often have to set aside chunks of
time to get through those, but I do love them.
One of my favourite YouTube trends is the 'Monthly Favourites' tag, too. I may draw inspiration from those as well.
One of my favourite YouTube trends is the 'Monthly Favourites' tag, too. I may draw inspiration from those as well.
I
love a quick snapshot of others' lives and a chance to see what
they've seen. Y'know?
So,
I thought I'd give that a go next. Also because I really enjoyed doing my 2016: A Year on the Blog post.
I'll
be posting (hopefully) monthly updates on my life; the things I've
seen, done, read and loved. Or hated...
I
said to my lovely pal Kasim, back when we attended the National
Short Story Awards in the BBC Radio Theatre, no big deal (?!), that I
kept going to these events or parties or shows and thinking 'I wanna
blog about this' but worrying that I won't have enough content for an
entire post. Or maybe it's something I'd tweet about, but that would be too...brief? So this updates thing would be perfect, right?! Let's hope so.
Please
let me know in comments or tweets of any blogs you follow that do
this kinda thing. I wanna read them and learn (I promise not to copy
anything, obvs).
My idea for changing the world...
13 January 2017 • Caitlin Moran, changing the world, customer, customer service, gracie's life, Moranifesto
Caitlin
Moran (my hero etc.) said upon the release of her latest hardback
modern classic, Moranifesto, that everyone has 1 idea that could
change the world. So here is mine, Caitlin my darl.
(oh, look, it's us. That time we met. No big deal.)
I
swear I've said a million times, my 1 idea for changing the world
would be: make every human being, at least in our ridiculously
privileged First World, work at least 1 week in customer service. And
not just in one shop. I'm talking a full 7-day stint in the various
branches beneath the Customer Service umbrella: Monday, dive in the
deep end and be a barista in a chain cafe, Tuesday you can run in
heels working in a boutique, Wednesday you're in a restaurant from
coffee time til closing time, Thursday you sell books, Friday you're
in the post office, Saturday you get a lie-in but then you gotta be
in a central London bar from midday til dawn. Sunday? If you've
survived, you can muck in at a garden centre or your local farm shop.
Yep.
That'd do it. That would make everyone appreciate the person serving
them in various places every day and goddamn it
would make everyone a better customer.
Books that give me life.
10 January 2017 • blog tour, bookish, books, books for living, gracie actually reads, John Murray, Two Roads books
Hello, my bookish friends! I
was fortunate enough to receive a copy of a new release from Two Roads: 'Books for Living; A Reader's Guide to Life', by Will Schwalbe.
It's
safe to say I was sold on the title alone, when the beautiful Emma
first mentioned it to me as we sat down for lunch, but upon hearing
more about the idea behind the book and the unique way it's been
written...by the end of our lunch date I was demanding a copy.
Basically
this book is made up of a vast selection of other books; books that
have all aided Will Schwalbe in some way in his lifetime. His sharing
of the titles and their effects on him is perhaps the loveliest gift
to us, the readers, and it could be the best thing to begin the new year with.
So,
each chapter is dedicated to a book. And beneath that book's title at
the head of the page is the word that indicates the purpose it has
served in Will's life. You get me? Like, the opening chapter is
entitled quite simply 'The
Importance of Living'
then under that is 'Slowing Down'. I quite liked that the chapter
'Stuart Little'
had the
word 'Searching' underneath
it. And 'What I
Talk About When I Talk About Running'
had 'Napping' attached to it...
Naturally,
this rather gorgeous book made me reflect on my own life and the many
books that have influenced and indeed helped me in some way during
the more turbulent or just less sure
times;
I've blogged before about the books that changed my life, and the
books that came into my life through school, and the books I'd re-read because I loved them so much...but these books I will be
listing now are the ones that gave me things, big or small, that
have kept me keeping on.
Just Some Things #11: Darran Stobbart.
6 January 2017 • amwriting, Darran Stobbart, Just Some Things, writing, writing prompts
This
is the latest instalment in my feature Just Some Things!
I send a writer an individual email with a series of prompts from the '642 Things to Write About' book – chosen entirely at random most of the time – and then when I get the responses, I dedicate a post to them and their piece. It could be short, long, backwards, in another language, I don't mind. It'll be an adventure whatever happens! And they can use or ignore however many of the prompts they wish.
When
published on the blog, their piece will be put in first and then I'll
add in a little piece beneath it, my response to the same prompt. I
will always ensure mine is shorter and less prominent, obviously.
It's all about featuring my fave writers.
This
post features and celebrates the delightful Darran; blogger, zine editor, Twitter pal of mine, Waterstones
alumnus (of 8 years), hard worker at ED PR....and of course an incred, if somewhat twisted at times, writer.
His
prompt was: The
advert a young couple post looking for a surrogate grandparent.
What I'll be reading in January 2017.
2 January 2017 • 9-12 fiction, bookish, books, fiction, gracie actually reads, middle grade, middle grade fiction, reading, reading schedule
I
will be sticking to a reading schedule this year. That's right, I
said it – or rather, wrote it on the internet – and now I gotta
do it. I won't tell you all what I have planned for each month,
partly because I wanna keep the element of surprise and partly
because I may change my mind now and again hehehe...but it'll be fun
and hopefully shake me up a bit.
So, January is going to be Middle Grade Month. *cue endless excitable squealing*
I
am so thrilled to be dedicating a whole month to this particular
genre, as I feel it is so often overlooked in my reading life. I get
so many gorgeous
MG new releases and ARCs sent to me at work and at home, plus I'm
always eyeing up the newbies in the 9-12 section at work as I shelve,
and without realising I have been saving a lot of them up for this
moment,
this month!
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