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Monday 28 January 2013

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself Blog Hop








So, this blog hop is all about reintroducing yourself to the blogosphere. There's still time to sign up, just head on over to Stephen Tremp's blog and check out some of the others while you're there too.




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I wish I could say that I wrote my first story when I was four and have been writing off and on all my life. The truth is, I think I did write a story when I was about six or seven, but we were doing it as a class so it kind of takes away the sentimentality of it.

The next venture I had into the world of novel writing was when I was 11 and my English class wrote one together. I only had a couple of pages to write but I found I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately not everyone in the class took to it as enthusiastically and the end product turned out to be rather lacking in anything resembling a readable novel.

Following on from school, I went to college, studied science with The Open University and now work for a recognised Institute doing DNA sequencing. Throughout my studies, every year I would look for what course I was going to do next, and more and more I started to err towards the arts courses. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure why I did science instead of English, particularly as I did better in English at GCSE.

About two years ago I got talking to someone at work about writing stuff, and it turned out we had similar interests, so we started a little writing club and wrote stories to share. We even began the first stages of a collaboration, but work and family commitments inevitably get in the way so we haven't got very far with it.

This is what started my current adventure into the world of writing, and indeed blogging. Ever since then I've tried to work on some kind of writing routine, using various different techniques to practice my skills. My confidence has grown slowly and I'm becoming much more comfortable in this new world.  It may sound crazy, but the whole experience is helping me to find who I am, and I'm finally getting to the point where I'm happy with myself and what I'm doing. It seems to have taken a long time but I'm finally getting there.

I've also started doing the arts courses that I've been looking at so longingly and I've really enjoyed getting into a completely new area of study, although I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been a struggle at times.

And so now here I am, I've had this blog for a little over a year now and I feel I'm growing with it all the time. My productivity is increasing and I'm finding it easier to get motivated to sit down and do the work. I've made so many great friends that seem to be on the same level and understand exactly some of the things I've been going through. You can't put a price on support like that really, and I'm glad to have been accepted into the community.

Hopefully this is the beginnings of a long and successful journey, which I will be more than happy to share with you all as time goes on.

Here's to the future ...


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28 comments:

  1. I too think I grow with my blog. I think with any good thing, growing is a must. To the future *holds my glass* Here! Here!

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    1. Cheers! *clink, clink*. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. My blog has definitely evolved over time. As has my career. I wanted to be a writer when I was 9 years old. It was a long time after that when I finally decided to stop thinking about it and just did it. :)

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    1. I think it's quite a hurdle to go from thinking about it to doing it. It's hard work too but I'm sure it'll pay off.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. In trying to get better, growing is inevitable. Nice to meet you! :)

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    1. Nice to meet you too, thanks for dropping in.

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  4. I remember when I had a few followers and comments and I was so excited. Good luck to you and your blog! Thanks for participating in the Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest!

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  5. Hi, Heather!

    I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who doesn't have a great sentimental story on how I became a writer, unless a bunch of revenge poetry,I wrote as a teen counts, lol. You're life sounds interesting and worthy of envy. I'm glad I stopped by. I look forward to reading more of your posts. :)

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    1. Thanks for dropping in, I'm looking forward to checking out some posts and meeting new people too.

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  6. You know what they say? The best way to become a better writer is to keep writing. You'll get there. And thank God for those little writing experiments in school, or there may not ever be any writers. :-) Nice to meet you.

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    1. Thanks for dropping in. I think the seed was definitely planted all those years ago, and it's finally starting to germinate.

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  7. Nice to meet you. I think all of us are evolving as writers. For me, blogging is having a positive effect on my evolution. Just keep moving forward and one day you'll look back and see how far you've come.

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    1. Do you know, I've never even thought to look at my first few posts. It's been an interesting journey so far. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. I studied in the science field too but I often wonder why I didn't take more writing courses.
    Good luck with your writing.

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    1. Thanks Susan. I'm glad for the science now as it's my proper 'day-job', and I'm finding more time for the writing too.

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  9. Lucky you being gifted in the sciences AND in the arts. I like to think I'm an OK writer but I suck, suck, suck at anything to do with science or math. OH well! Guess you're that one in a million girl!

    So nice to re-meetcha!

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    1. Thanks Cathy, and for stopping by. I enjoy the science but it's nice to learn and move into something new too. It's an interesting and fun journey.

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  10. Hi Heather! I'm a former-lab-scientist-turned-college-professor, so I can relate to trying to combine a career in science with writing. Nice to meet you! [g]

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    1. Nice to meet you too Lara. Science is alright but I'm preferring the writing more and more.

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  11. I know exactly what you mean, I've learnt a lot about myself in the year since I started my blog and started seriously writing. It really has been an amazing journey for me, and I'm still at the beginning! :)

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    1. I still think of myself as at the beginning, I wonder when that will wear off?
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. Great to meet you via the blogfest Heather.
    The DNA sequencing bit caught my attention! Wow, that sounds interesting. You could put that knowledge to use in a story... weave it into the plot line...
    It would make fascinating reading...

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    1. Wow, I'd never thought of that. My mind is buzzing now, thanks for the nudge.
      Glad you stopped by.

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  13. from dna sequencing to writing? wow, that's pretty neat! newest follower hi!!

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    1. Thanks for following Tammy, I hope you enjoy!

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  14. HI, Heather,


    Nice to meet you. I am so happy that you discovered your new path. We all have different journeys to follow, but some day we hope to make it where we'd like to go. The beauty of this journey is our self discovery. I have been on many different paths, and had many different lives, but it seems I never seem to be on the right course. SO I take a different path.

    I have ALWAYS been in the arts:since I was three and picked up my first crayon. But creativity is a very fickle thing... at least for me. For a good part of my life I drew and painted EVERY DAY. Then in my mid twenties when my modeling career took me abroad, I never had a free second. For almost twenty years I hadn't drawn... Yes, after modeling I went into Interior Design, but this kind of drawing is not fine art or illustration. Then the economy crashed in 2009 and I lost all my clients. With WAY TOO MUCH time on my hands I decided to write and illustrate my first m/g fantasy.

    I have been writing and blogging ever since. A new discovery for which I am grateful. This journey is new and exciting and one I had never dreamed of taking. SO it is never too late to discover a new path.

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  15. Hi, it's so nice to get to know more about you! Fantastic that you're doing all those things and seeing your productivity slowly going up. Here's to a great 2013!

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