Working With Words

Yesterday I attended my first Working With Words conference at the UEA, more specifically the publishing alumni panel. Having recently admitted to myself that publishing was the industry I wanted to enter into, it was so valuable to hear from three recently graduated UEA students who had already found a home in publishing houses or literary agents - notably Penguin Random House, Blake Friendmann and Orchard Books.

The whole talk served to both excite and terrify me; while their job descriptions sound amazing and working so closely with authors and books sounds just what I want to do, I am so apprehensive that I won't get a job in the industry. I was turned down last week for an internship at Penguin Random House and although I expected it because I am just a first year student with no experience in publishing, it deflated me because how can I have experience without somebody like them giving me a chance? I have since emailed my old sixth form college to request a weeks volunteer week in their marketing department or in the library over the summer, and am sending off letters today to Waterstones for similar experience. It's not a publishing house, but it's a start.

Back to the panel, Emma Healey was the guest speaker who begun the session with an interview. I am 3/4 of the way through her debut novel Elizabeth is Missing so it was really interesting to hear her experience of getting into writing and the process of what happens post publication (she had assumed that being an established author gave her the divine right to live as a hermit until she finished her second book but alas a 100 date bookshop tour called). I think what I found most thought-provoking about her interview was that when she is forming ideas for a story, there are certain questions she asks herself. What gives her the authority to write the story? Why now? What can she offer to the story that no one else could? I never considered the notion of ownership of your novel, and it's something that has really stuck with me.

Overall, I am pleased to say that I did not leave the panel completely put off a career in publishing! If anything, it's motivated me to work harder for relevant experience and put in a lot more research.

Travel Map

Hanging on a wall in my room is a map that my boyfriend got for me two Christmases ago to document every place I've visited and every country we're going to visit together. So far, I have Turkey and Spain ticked off from my childhood (my family and I visited the same resort in Alcudia four times and I'd love to go back some day), and Sweden and Germany from the past two years with Guy.

Looking at the map, the country's I have marked off are in a small cluster in Europe and I love looking at all the great masses of land that I have yet to see. All the opportunities for travel and adventure and memories and I can't help but get excited! We're saving our money to move out this year so no holiday abroad for now but I'd love to go to Copenhagen or Prague for our next European trip, whenever that may be. And of course later on when we have the funds, extend the journey to America, Asia, Canada... Everywhere and anywhere (well, except Australia for obvious reasons).

Instead, we're planning a little trip to London around Christmas this year. I've only been to London twice and Guy used to live there so I have a lot to see and he has a lot to show me! We'd both love to see a show and stay in a hotel for a couple nights and explore the city, but we'll have to see how funds are.

Here's some pictures from our travels over the past couple of years!

FOOD

This admission comes with quite a lot of embarrassment because I, at twenty years old, cannot cook. I mean, I can fry sausages and bacon for a greasy breakfast, scrambled egg for lunch and beans on toast for tea. But beyond that, nothing. 

And with the prospect of moving out soon, I have been my dabbling my timid toe into the world of adulthood by spending some time in the kitchen. My boyfriend and I turned out sights to baking to begin with, and inadvertently aimed rather high with caramel shortbread for our first dish. 

Here's how they turned out:

And here's the recipe,

Next, I decided to make a classic chocolate cake. My first solo mission and although the topping turned out to be a bit of a runny disaster, it still tasted pretty good! 

 Recipe.

Last weekend, for Valentines day, Guy and I decided to make our own pizzas from scratch. They were tasty (although our hunger made us impatient and we took them out too early...)

 

Recipe.

Although we've still got a lot to learn and a lot of culinary confidence to gain, it's not a bad first start. Next stop, cheesecake! 

Flat Hunting

So Beth, you might ask, why haven't you moved out yet? You and Guy still want to move in together, right? You've got boxes in your room filled with frying pans and tin openers, so why haven't you moved yet? You both have more than enough monthly income to cover the rent of a decently sized one bedroom flat. You're both sensible, you don't drink or smoke and you make a good first impression. You can provide references and a guarantor and extra rent/deposit to prove your financial and personal reliability. So, why haven't you moved out yet?

Wait... you're students? Oh no. No no no. We can't have people  running around and putting a down-payment on a flat when they're also striving to get an education! How absurd!

We've been flat hunting for a couple of months now. We've found quite a few flats which were suitable for us, equal distance to our respective universities and we could afford them. But we were turned down from even viewing the places as soon as they found out we were students. It's crushing, it really really is. To be rejected, over the phone, without even a meeting, based purely on the fact that we are in education. It's made me feel unworthy and undeserving and unreliable.

After a few rejections, I decided to change tact. I offered them extra money. Rent up front. An larger deposit. Proof of financial savings. A guarantor. References from employment and education. Whatever they wanted, just to prove that we were worthy. It wasn't good enough, we weren't good enough. And I don't know why. It can't be the financial aspect because we're giving them proof of our financial reliability. So is it the stereotype of the partying student? If they would just have a meeting with us they would see in an instant that we're exceptions from the norm. We are just a young couple looking for our first flat together.

I check the flat listings everyday for newly posted flats. I want to move out with Guy so much, I am so ready for this commitment and to embark on our next adventure together. But I realised today that there's a part of me hoping that when I check, there won't be any new flats that day. So we can't fall in love with another flat. So I won't have to ring up and ask for a viewing. So I won't have to deal with the rejection again.

I like lists

BOOKS

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Recommended to me by my grandad, P&P was the first 'classic' literature novel I read. Austen's wit taught me a great deal about irony and subtlety in novels - particularly the opening paragraph, which I have unashamedly had memorised since I was about ten.  Despite my copy being well thumbed and the BBC adaptation watched many times, I think it will always be my favourite story. 

"She had a lively, playful disposition, that delighted in anything ridiculous" 

Also, my boyfriend got this beautiful Jane Austen collection for my birthday!! 

2. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

TFIOS may seem like a clichéd choice, however, it's not only Green's beautiful narrative that caused it to make the list. I read this book at a time when my enjoyment of life - and consequently of reading - was almost non existent. Reading, and finishing, TFIOS gave me hope and, for that, I will forever think fondly of this book. 

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."

3. Looking for Alaska - John Green

Another magnificent work from John Green, coming a very close second to TFIOS. Don't be deterred by the thirteen-year-old-fangirl hype around young adult novels, LFA is well worth reading. Every page contains at least one beautiful quote.

"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."

4. Atonement - Ian McEwan

McEwan is a favourite author of mine, with Atonement being the best of his work I have read so far. With multiple narratives and the book being split into two halves, there is much to follow and the reader is able to view the situation (the key event of the fountain undressing) from different angles and cringe for naive Briony's mistake. A good film, an even better book. 

"How guilt refined the methods of self-torture, threading the beads of detail into an eternal loop, a rosary to be fingered for a lifetime."

5. About a Boy - Nick Hornby

I saw the film first (mainly because I have a thing for middle aged men with posh British accents and Hugh Grant most definitely falls under that category) and read the book a few years later. A lovely story about grasping life. 

"It happens, and I wish it didn't, but that's life, isn't it?"

6. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

I usually enjoy books far less when I'm obligated to read them. So it's quite unusual that this novel makes the list since it was part of my A Level Literature reading list. A brilliant dysoptian - a favourite genre of mine - centring around Offred's struggle to maintain her identity in a class-driven, patriarchal world where she is known only as a reproductive vessel.

"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don't let the bastards grind you down."

7. It's a Kind of Funny Story - Ned Vizzini 

Another young adult fiction novel, who's storyline follows 16 year old Craig's admittance into a psychiatric ward, after a suicide attempt. The novel is given more poignancy to me since Vizzini's own suicide just a few years ago. Despite the heavy subject matter, Craig's journey is humorous and uplifting - definitely a worthwhile read. 

"People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to explode."

8. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

After reading five consecutive realist novels for university, this thriller was a very welcomed change. Gripping from the very beginning, I loved this book. I also read it on the train during my commute which felt a bit inception-y. 

"I can't do this. I can't just be a wife. I don't understand how anyone does it - there is literally nothing to do but wait. Wait for a man to come home and love you. Either than or look around for something to distract you."

MUSIC

1. Twin Atantic 
Sparkly Touch, Oceans, Crash Land, A Guidance From Colour, The Ones That I Love 

"I'm obsessed with the feeling that I want to fly with you"

2. Lower Than Atlantis
Criminal, Here We Go, Words Don't Come So Easily, Go On Strike, Love Someone Else, Another Sad Song
"Don't cry, we all make mistakes from time to time. Unfortunately, for me, being me, was mine." 

3. Mayday Parade
Terrible Things, Miserable At Best, Walk On Water Or Drown, Kids in Love, Stay, Three Cheers for Five Years 

"Don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose, if you're given the choice then I beg you to choose, to walk away."

4. Ben Howard
Diamonds, Keep Your Head Up, Black Flies, Conrad, I Forget Where We Were, Bones

"Maybe you were the ocean, when I was just a stone."

5. Bon Iver
The Wolves, Skinny Love, re:stacks, Holocene, I Can't Make You Love Me

"And at once I knew I was not magnificent."

6. Go Radio
Goodnight Moon, Go To Hell, I Won't Lie, Any Other Heart, Thanks For Nothing

"Our hearts are heavy burdens, we shouldn't have to bear alone."

Commuter Life

After securing my place at university last summer, I began frantically buying furniture and utensils for my first home away from home. University halls. My flat was to be in Britten House and soon I had everything from linen baskets to tupperware to house in it. I had even spoken to all of my soon-to-be housemates and bought my freshers ticket for my first week. I moved in on a warm Sunday in September. 

Fast forward three days and I am searching from my prison cell window to the car-park below for the familiar Ford. My eyes were brimming with tears as I saw my mum and my Grandad pull up beside me, a boot filled with the same cardboard boxes I had used to transport my things just days ago. 

It took me about an hour to realise that university halls were not for me. Looking back, I don't know how I fooled myself into thinking that I could handle living with 11 other people. I enjoy my own company, my own space and the quiet far too much. I was so lucky to be able to move back home and keep my place at university. Thankfully I was accepted into my top choice university (UEA), otherwise the commute to Nottingham would have taken up quite some time...

As it is, my commute is a four hour round trip. If I leave a lecture at 4, I know that if I run for the bus I'll make my train and be home at 6 for dinner. It's tedious and it's tiring and it makes it much harder to attend 9am lectures than rolling out of bed in halls and making the 5 minute walk to the lecture theatre. But, it is a million times better than the alternative. I realise now that I need my own space to keep my sanity. And the train isn't so bad, I can generally read a book - provided it's not the commuter train with the whiney private school kids. 

Five months later, my partner and I are flat-hunting. We both attend universities in Norwich and I can't wait to move out properly this time. To do it with someone I love and trust and to make it the next adventure in our relationship. Hopefully I'll last longer than 3 days this time... 

PUBLISHING

It’s questioned from the minute we’re born. “Ooh I wonder what little Johnny will be when he grows up?” We give our protective casing a kick while we’re in the womb and our soon-to-be father declares with pride “he’s going to be a footballer!” We get full marks on one middle school science test and “look honey, she’s going to be a scientist!”

If they’re not imposing future careers on us, they’re bombarding us with questions on whether we have decided, at six years old, what we want to do for the rest of our lives. They mean well, of course they do. They just want to encourage our aspirations and send us on the right path into adulthood and the world of work. But for the kids who haven’t got a clue what they want to do or be, it’s horrendous. I was one of those kids. 

I have always loved reading; loved the excitement of a trip to Waterstones as a child and cursed my tired eyes when I had to put the book down for another day and return to reality. But it wasn't until very recently when, at the age of twenty, I discovered the possibility of a career in publishing. I undoubtedly greatly admire the work of authors, but lack the creativity and perseverance of their craft, though I love being around words and books. I actually also rather enjoy editing my own, and my peers, work. Thus the notion of a book editor was formed.

After attending a publishing seminar at my university I was able to appreciate just how large the publishing industry is. There are lots more sectors than just editing, there’s marketing, sales, finance, production…  A whole industry dedicated to books!
I don't know how I'm going to feel by the end of my degree, or even by the end of my first year at university, all I know is that right now I'd finally have an answer to the 'what do you want to be when you grow up' question. I think the most important thing that I've learnt from my first semester at uni is that you don't need to know what you want to do yet. University is about discovering what you're passionate about and then finding a career that fits, rather than picking a job and moulding yourself to fit it. 

At the LCR

Having been fans of The Vaccines for several years, my boyfriend and I were quick to purchase tickets when they announced a tour date in our nearest city - Norwich, just a 45 minute drive away. The gig was held at the University of East Anglia's LCR, a venue I am familiar in a musical context, having previously seen Ben Howard and Bowling for Soup there, and on an academic context as the UEA is where I'm currently studying for my degree.

After a leg-numbing two hour wait, The Vaccines opened their set with a particular favourite of mine - Teenage Icon - and had us all head-bopping and foot-tapping along. After the initial excitement of seeing, in the flesh, a band I had listened to for years had worn off, I realised that I couldn't actually hear much of Justin's vocals. At all. The volume of the bands instruments completely drowned out their fantastic lyrics. We stayed long enough to hear Wet Suit and Dream Lover (a track from their new album English Graffiti) and decided to head home, disappointed. 

Alas, it was not a totally wasted journey as The Vaccines' support act, All We Are, were fantastic! With a combination of  their funky, indie pop sound and bassist Guro Gikling's magnetising hip movements, we were sold. Their three piece ensemble made the money, journey and the disappointing set of a long-loved band, absolutely worthwhile. If you're looking for something new to listen to, I thoroughly recommend giving this awesome band a listen!

BOOK REVIEW - Oryx and Crake

The first in Margaret Atwood's dystopian trilogy, Oryx and Crake, centres around the protagonist Snowman (real name: Jimmy, real alias: The Abominable Snowman) and his exploration into the post-apocalyptic world he's found himself inhabiting, with only a dingy bed sheet to protect his modesty. Snowman's sole contact is with the primitive human-like creatures he calls Crakers, who bring him fish once a week, marvel at his 'second skin' and point, awestruck, at his watch. 

After seeing me reading in the library one college lunch time, my English teacher approached me and we spent twenty minutes swapping favourite genres and gushing over our most beloved authors. The next morning, she presented me with the first two novels in Atwood's trilogy - her doting squeals for dystopia barely decipherable. Despite the added pressure of holding the spine of someone else's delicate book in my hands, I soon found myself engrossed. 

Although the narrative maintains in Snowman's perspective throughout the novel, it experiences several time-shifts; from young Jimmy's first acquaintances with those who will later determine his fate - the fragile Oryx and the impenetrable brilliance of Crake - to older Jimmy's contemplation of the desolate landscape surrounding him and his realisation that he is quite possibly the last human on Earth. Despite the near-constant switching in perspective, the fast pace and forward momentum of the narrative keeps you absorbed, its secrets slowly revealed. 

The only real criticism I have of the novel is Atwood's lack of explanation of, and research into, the biotechnology that the plot of the novel revolves so heavily around. Science fiction books achieve their credibility from their readers through the plausibility of its science. Despite being a science fiction novel, Oryx and Crake had a significant absence of well-developed science fiction.

Nonetheless, Atwood retained my interest throughout, until I was hungrily demanding answers. Will Snowman fight starvation and injury to prevent an onslaught from the pigoons? Will he reveal how this biological disaster was sp/read to a global scale? And what lies behind the gates of the Pleeblands?