I Can't Speak French (Or Can I?)

Press play before reading this post. (Vintage Girls Aloud, you can thank me later.)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a total Francophile.

I think it began when I was 12. I told my mum very assuredly that I would marry a Frenchman, live in a châteaux and eat lots of cheese.

Taken in the summer of 2012

Okay so my boyfriend is half French and we don't have enough money for a castle but I do eat more than my fair share of cheese when I get the chance so I've almost achieved my tween dream.

However, one thing I have yet to manage is the language. Me no parle the langue. And I've tried, believe me. I've struggled through CDs and textbooks but I always get bored, fed up and frustrated.

 

On the ferris wheel by Jardin de Tuileries

I realised I had a problem whilst staying in Paris in 2012. Other than ordering 'une crêpe avec beaucoup Nutella' (and believe me I did say that a lot) I had zéro confidence speaking French with other Frenchies. I knew I had to take action but it needed to be a way that would fit in with my life anndddd actually help me remember my être from my avoir.

Enter Duolingo. The app which will save your petite derrière when it comes to learning another language. I first found this app through Buzzfeed, something like 20 ways to improve your life skills and about half way through I'm thinking: 'Oh god, I'll just stick to being bog standard' when I stumbled upon Duolingo. 

After promising to deliver the same results as Rosetta Stone minus the hefty price tag (£379) I immediately headed to the App Store and downloaded it for nada, rein, nichts, niente, NOTHING. Yep. It was completely freeeeeeee. 

Huzzah! 

It works by starting with the basics and building it from there. As you complete each level you are left with a power bar that will decrease over time. To get it back to full power you have to complete a little refresher course. Easy peasy.

It has really similar features to Rosetta Stone, such as voice recognition, listening tests and using images to help things along nicely.

I really want a sandwich now

Of course this alone isn't going to make you fluent. You have to make the time to practise but it does help that they use a cartoon owl as your coach. You can even win new costumes for him/her.

It's the little things!

Download the app here

Now, I've got a weekend trip to Italy coming up, I reckon I could do with brushing up on all things Italiano before we go.

"Un sacco di formaggio sulla mia pizza, per favore!"

*FYI this wasn't a sponsored post, all opinions are my own*

Where the blummin' heck have I been?

*waves sheepishly*

Okay. Well, 2013 went by a lot quicker than I thought.

Pretty sunset from my new home to distract you from a lack of posts...

I have a shameful confession to make. I had actually forgotten my Blogger password because it had been so long since my last post. How embarrassing!

I'm sorry. I honestly don't know where the time went but I do have some valid excuses -ahem- I mean reasons. For starters I moved house which is quite possibly the most stressful thing ever. I always thought people were exaggerating when they said moving was hard work. I mean, it's just plonking your precious possessions into a box, shoving them in a van and then they all slot perfectly into your new abode. Right? 

Wrong. It is a nightmare! But I did have a lot of fun sorting out things from the loft.

Baby Lydi working the big collar and hair ribbons

Not sure if 'Sleeping Barbie' is more terrifying in her tissue wrapping or out of it!

Not happy in my ballet gear (soz about the camera flashback)

At least Barbie had a cool house and car (and horse)

I may have played around with my Sylvanian Families collection once I rediscovered them... #bigkidatheart ... I promise to not hash tag again

And I was really excited to see the display at Peter Jones. There is an ELEPHANT FAMILY

Two words: Hellow agen

(Maybe I should have led with that line?)

And of course, the obligatory old toot. Possibly my new favourite tea vessel

There was also Christmas to think about. 

The dog artfully posing by the very festive fireplace

No Christmas would be complete without the Christmas Log cake, decorated by yours truly.

The cat getting into the spirit of things, she's roughly 18 years old but still appreciates a good tummy rub and Father Christmas hat

With plenty of chocolate eating and present wrapping to be getting on with, this blog was at the bottom of my (extensive) to-do list. Many apologies.

Living out of a suitcase hasn't been my only life change though. If you've read my blog post about Bio Sculpture Nails, you will know that I graduated from university in July last year. After a month of walking my dog, baking calorie-laden delicacies, catching up with my mum and generally enjoying being a young twentysomething, a realisation hit me: I am officially an adult.

Poppyseed Lemon Drizzle Cake makes everything okay - I promise

Cue many nights of panic induced insomnia and obsessively re-writing my CV, sweat dripping from my brow as I try to decide whether 'Dear Sir/Madam' is too formal for my cover letter.

I know I'm not alone in this struggle. Only yesterday I watched a Channel 4 news segment on jobless graduates, which estimates that more than 25% of people aged between 20-34 are living with their parents, which is the highest number since records began. No bueno.

However, after lots of persistence (and quite a few cups of tea) I managed to land a position freelancing at EntertainmentWise. It's a rather snazzy celebrity news/gossip site. I've wanted to be a journalist since I was 13 years old, so to actually be doing it is such an amazing feeling. 

Lydia, meet Lydia.

So far I've gone to a few press events, interviewed Lydia Rose Bright (from The Only Way Is Essex) and attended the Jack Ryan press conference, where I actually made eye contact with KENNETH BRANAGH. Oh yeah, and I spoke to Dappy during the Celebrity Big Brother press call. The 14 year old me was very happy.

Kenneth Branagh, Keira Knightley and Chris Pine all within touching distance

Okay, so enough 'name-dropping', but there we have it. That's where I've been for the past... erm 4 months or so.

I actually have a few ideas for future blog posts which I'll try to get cracking with sooner rather than later.

In the mean time find me tweeting here

Top 10 Tips for Creative Writing + Book Recommendations

Not a very creative title for a post all about creative writing, I know but today’s post is going to be my thoughts on studying creative writing, some tips for writing short stories and - oh why not? I'll even throw in some book recommendations as well!

Yes, my full degree was English and American and Creative Writing. Since that's a bit of a mouthful, I usually just say English and American Lit and all is fine and dandy in the world. Most people find the idea of studying creative writing is the equivalent to a chocolate kettle, and admittedly, it does sounds strange to put a word limit or deadline on writing poetry or short stories.

When I was applying for my degree I didn’t know what to expect from my creative writing modules and if I’m honest, even after three years of studying it I still don’t know if I loved it or hated it!

Of course they are no 'rules' with creative writing. This list is full of contradictions and is by no means a step-by-step guide to writing the next Harry Potter series. If it was that simple, we would all have a successful novel under our belts! These are some tips that I have learnt during my three years of studying the subject...

1. Avoid cliché
   This one is a little ‘pot, kettle, black’ (see what I did there?) because everyone uses clichés.  They exist because they have an immediate resonance with people. If I write ‘heart pounding, palms sweating’ you know that someone is anxious. However, try and think of something a bit more off the wall (another cliché!).  ‘Sally’s mouth felt like a desert’? Try ‘Sally’s felt as though her tongue was in a cracker eating competition which banned the consumption water.’

2. Writing is not therapy
  There is a reason why therapists charge lots of money to hear your life story, because quite honestly, nobody else wants to hear every. gory. detail. Self-indulgent writing is fine for a first draft but that’s where it should stay.

3. Sex
   It isn’t shocking, it isn’t daring and quite frankly it gets a bit boring to read. Same goes for drugs.

4. Write what you know 
   This relates to point number 3. You can always tell immediately when someone is writing about something they have never experienced. If you write about what you know it will always sound more believable and the end result will be something far more enjoyable for the reader.

5. Stuck for ideas?
   Writer’s block. Been there, done that and felt like ripping my hair out. But sometimes you simply don’t have time for writer’s block because you need to hand an assignment in. Like the common cold, there is no known quick fix for writer’s block. But may I suggest ‘object writing’. Think of an object in your room (study/bedroom/kitchen). Describe it. Write a list of associations – words, feelings, places, and people. Where does it take you? Does the object have a story of its own? What is your relationship to the object? Sometimes the exercise can form a plot of its own, other times it is just the kick you needed to carry on writing.

6. “Say what?!”
   I would always try to avoid using dialogue in my short stories because it always felt so forced or unnatural. Then someone told me to start reading plays to get a better understanding of how dialogue should flow.

7. Observe
   If you are stuck for ideas. Go out with your notebook and observe what is around you. Real life is often far more strange than anything you can conjure up in your head. Plus, it is always helpful to have some details noted down which you can use in the future.

8. Show, don’t tell
   This can be hard, especially when developing characters. A lot of popular fiction will introduce characters with a short description with their personality traits. The aim with ‘show, don’t tell’ is to illustrate the personality instead of saying it outright. Don’t tell me Beatrice is sneaky, show me that she is through the choices she makes as a character.

9. Get feedback
   In my first year I was terrified at the prospect of showing another person my writing, never mind a discussion with the entire seminar group! In all honesty, you just have to ignore any feelings of embarrassment and just get on with it. In the second and third year, my seminar groups organized small meet ups where we would discuss material we had posted onto the group Moodle page. Feedback is so important; not only can it help you get a better mark, it also improves your ability as a writer.

10. READ!
   The more you know, right? Try and find writers whose style you love and admire because it will undoubtedly inspire you to keep on at it.

Well this leads me very neatly to my book recommendations!

[L-R, The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath; The Pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman; Less Than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis; Pastoralia, George Saunders; True Tales of American Life, Paul Auster]

These books are brilliant examples if you are planning to write about the self without sounding indulgent. True Tales of American Life, is actually a collection of anecdotes and the perfect example of the how there is something special in the mundane. 

Even if you aren't studying creative writing, I thoroughly recommend that you check these out!