This week I’ve been so excited to write. I found a load of writing competitions I want to enter and so a lot of time this week was spent freewriting micro and flash fiction. Before giving it a go, I’d always wondered how anyone could possibly create something moving and compelling with so few words. As someone who finds it easy to get lost in the planning and scoping out of a project I decided it would be best to dive straight in and I’m so proud of all the little practice stories I’ve created so far.
My newsletter this week was also a heartfelt one. If you haven’t read it yet, it would mean a lot to me for you to check it out. It’s some thoughts on grief in the lead up to what would have been my Dad’s 80th birthday.
I’ve been making my way through The Lagos Wife by Vanessa Walters. For a thriller, it’s quite a slow burn. I’m halfway and the structure differs from other twistier thrillers I’ve read. But what it lacks in suspense it makes up for through the tale of familial love and female camaraderie. I’ve noticed similarities with The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Both are stories that seek to shed light on the experiences of women in separate parts of the world where blatant sexism is rampant and oppressive owing to culture and tradition. Both wish to tell the stories of women who dared to toe against the line of strict societal expectations. Still going with Hera by Jennifer Saint. Audiobooks ebb and flow for me and I haven’t been listening to it that consistently throughout. I listened to a good ol’ chunk on a walk on Thursday and it was nice to listen to a few chapters consecutively, which I think has been hindering my ability to really follow the story. I’m not on a buying book ban per se but I do have plenty enough physical and Kindle books to keep me going for a while, however, I purchased something new this week. I picked up Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto. I saw a recent article about rental people in Japan, hired simply (and innocently) for their company. I’m intrigued by the variety of passive jobs people can hold, and the cultural significance (if any) of rental people in Japan.
Other links:
The hair transplant beauty trend
What is rotting, if not rest? (good further reading within this piece includes references to Netflix and Spotify creating in-house content designed to be ignored).
Remembering to prioritise friendships
The war on diversity, equity and inclusion
Why we need women in the AI revolution
RIP to the one-night stand and other stats showing Gen Z’s move towards conservatism. Follow up with - Gen Z’s fear of abandonment
Bridget Jones and the yearning for 90s nostalgia
This week, a new Buns From Home store popped up in my neighbourhood. Resistance so far has been admirable, but I am prime for caving any day now, delving head-first into the satiating swirl of a cinnamon pastry.
Paris Hilton is the new face of Motorola Razr+ and I have woken up in 2005. Like a swathe of other women of a similar age, I too had the Motorola Razr. In pink, of course. Somewhere far off in the distance I can faintly hear ‘hello moto’. For a long time, my ringtone was ‘Heartbroken’ by t2 ft Jodie. Simpler times. Flip phones have been creeping their way back into public consciousness since their ousting at the end of the Noughties, but has it really been to much avail? I don’t personally know anyone who has one. To get yourself one of the new limited edition Paris Hilton phones it’ll set you back just under $1,200. That’s not hot.
Having studied the relationship between history and memory at university, I am well aware of how top-down structures, government initiatives and the right amount of money can dictate the histories that are selectively decided to be collectively memorialised. Stories are cherry-picked. London has twice as many statues of animals as named women. That’s why it’s exciting to see funding for new projects that explore England’s rural and coastal working-class heritage. An experience almost written entirely out of history. Having diversity in memorialisation is imperative to help shape society allowing future generations to learn from the past and build on it.
I can’t stop picking the skin around the edge of my nails. I find it compulsive. But it’s also annoying, never-ending and the aftermath of gnawing away is painful. If anyone can relate and has advice on how to stop it’ll be gladly welcomed. Writing about it now feels like a mistake given it’s now surged urge. BRB.
The word ‘kindness’ has been chosen as Children's Word of the Year for 2024. The sheer simplicity of it, and of seeing the potential for hope through the eyes of children. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ came second to kindness, but I am going to vehemently ignore that fact. This week, I want to spend more time looking at the world like a child, through the lens of innocence and wonderment.
