Tag: life

My top 10 writing tips

~ Rachel Marie Writer ~ Leave a comment
  1. Don’t just say your character eyes are blue try adding more descriptive colours such as cornflower blue – it adds more texture and helps the reader build a picture of them in their head.
  2. Think about your characters names examples if you name one of your characters names is Anastasia – it means she will rise again so it will insinuate that your character is born feisty and brave.
  3. Don’t overuse adverbs – it’s lazy writing.
  4. Don’t mix up your tenses – I tend to do this a lot and thank goodness my editor has a lot of patience and will correct all the time I’m wrong.
  5. Try and keep a writing journal you could write down things that inspire you such as; song lyrics or even something you see you when you’re out and about or something in a newspaper article or something in the story someone is telling you.
  6. We’re going to write back to basics here; remember that your story has to have a beginning middle and end. It’s always nice to start your story off in the middle of an action so that way the momentum of the book and storyline gets going so it’s not too slow.
  7. Set yourself writing limits don’t be silly; When it comes to writing my sensible limit is right 1500 words and no more. Otherwise I just start typing rubbish because I’m too tired.
  8. Take inspiration from your favourite authors, for example when I’m writing a comedic story I tend to read Sophie Kinsella or Jenny Colgan.
  9. Start your social media presence now. Join every writers group that you can on Facebook and on Twitter always look for the hashtagwritingcommunity and for people Who are doing the same as you and make friends because writing a novel is not easy on your own. (A computer class may help you grasp the basics if you’re more notepad and pen)
  10. Make sure you plan a basic plot and stick to it but otherwise have fun and let your imagination run wild!

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A simple trip to Asda: Red Milk, Red Button.

~ Rachel Marie Writer ~ Leave a comment

Myself and my carer during my social hours today went over to the local supermarket so I can get my mum some milk. So after we picked up some milk, shower gel, two paperbacks, two lots of feminine products and some melon (and ten cookies, the five were for me and the rest were for the food bank.)

So as we leisurely stroll home I decide I want to go and read in the garden for the afternoon whilst it’s so sunny… Nothing with me is ever simple. I was going down my ramp and it must’ve moved or something because I became wedged and stuck in my wheelchair.. we tried to pull and yank the wheelchair off the ramp and onto the concrete but it’s not having it. So, in the end, I had to press my lifeline and I never thought I’d say this but thank God for them! They managed to put the chair in the Manual Mode and shift it themselves.., I’ve never been so embarrassed in my bloody life I think I need to lay off the cookies and Cake.

They took 20 minutes to come so if you think about it I did have an afternoon in the garden but wedged on the ramp with tea my pink flask. When they came I quickly scurried inside my cheeks red with embarrassment (thank God for the neighbours at work) and I started to read the rest of the afternoon but like me; I slept.

What did I panic or cry when the ramp incident happened like I usually would have? No. As I’m going out now I can feel my anxiety lessening and soon hopefully I’ll be able to go on my own.

I’m just proud of myself that I went to go with the flow and not panic I do not even ring my mum she was actually the first one to ring me this morning to see if I was okay as I was engrossed in the BBC drama years and years!

Great news as well, my new wheelchair is coming Friday so I’m going to be the belle of the ball at the Bublé concert with my new wheels, take that crazy Dave!

Sometimes you Gotta look at the funny of life

Enjoy the sunshine everyone and stay safe. Warning: going to buy red top milk will cause you to become wedged on ramps!! (mind you will has the bloody thing for years I think it’s due a service at least the new one by now.

Health update… read the news about carefree and consequences and don’t forget to buy your copy.

~ Rachel Marie Writer ~ Leave a comment

So the injections that I thought were going to ease my arthritis aren’t going to happen. All this because my arthritis is no longer in my joints but is now in my muscle tissue I asked the doctor about steroids and she wasn’t too nice about it I even asked for diazepam and repeat prescription but all she kept banging on about was addiction.

Meanwhile I’m in daily agony. All that she says was she was going to refer me back to the original department where they can deal with me.She make me sound like a 20-year-old begging for drugs just to get high not to function.

I only found out because I chased up radiology by phone. When I said to the doctor about this she said ‘oh I was going to drop you a line eventually,’how long is eventually?

Myself and my mother are going down there some point this week to sit face-to-face to her and drive home how serious the situation is. She had no empathy even when I was crying on the phone, she did not understand how much this is taken of my life. I’m also reporting her to the general practice board because she was so rude and kept talking of me when I was trying to explain things, making me frustrated.

So whilst the specialists play tennis back and forth With what to do about my health I have a few Diazepam’s left, Naproxen which doesn’t do shit except make me tired and morphine that just turns me into a zombie or an itching, sweating mess.

When I know more I’ll let you guys know as this is the purpose of my blog. By the way my Ami flared up massively today so I couldn’t go on a picnic with my carer, I literally spent the day sleeping with a massive migraine.

But never mind I’m just focusing on selling my book and counting down the days until I see Michael Bublé. You need something positive and keep to going right?

Don’t forget the carefree and consequences is available to buy on Amazon. It even has its own dedicated page on here where you can read peoples comments and reviews. Some people like it because it reminds them of Paul’s Zindels ‘darling my hamburger’ It is set in the 1950s and has a similar storyline to mine. Did I also mention? Carefree consequences, is being turned into a series with the three books?

I’m not done with the Alexander family and their friends just yet.

Read the first one while you can.

Fashion reminder: Handbags are seasonal too.

~ Rachel Marie Writer ~ Leave a comment

It’s time to put away those big bulky brown tote bags and swap it for something like colourful/floral/bamboo/style

My brown Carvella is safely stored away for winter when we carry a whole pharmacy in our bags and at least 1 smashed lipstick and broken compact, two broken umbrellas and if your studying maybe… some class notes/books/first aid kit/school supplies – keys, phone and deodorant and hair brush

Or you are one of these ‘mums never ending always prepared’ bag packers who’s bags are always kath Kidston. (that’s mainly me even though I haven’t got kids)

All I’m saying is you need to downsize your handbag and trim your necessities and brighten up your palate for the summer months ahead

A sunny Monday.

~ Rachel Marie Writer ~ Leave a comment

I‘d woken up in quite a lot of pain as my sciatica kept me up through the night. I even missed my mum going to work and she always pops a head round my bedroom door to say good morning before she goes off, But seeing the weather so sunny outside I definitely wasn’t staying in, The morning seem to scream at me: “wear your yellow lemon dress” so I did. Before my social sit, I managed to read the notes for my next projectband began setting up a document ready to start typing on Friday when I have a day in. Plus swapping over to a smaller handbag I had a quick lunch of a whisper bar and some pretzels, was hoisted in my chair and we went on our way .

As we were walking up to the bus stop (we chose a long walk to the top of where I live so that we can get soaking in the vitamin D) It was a little bit windy so I felt like I gave everyone a bit of the Marilyn Monroe flash but, who cares! Whilst walking we managed to tuck it in so it wouldn’t raise up again. The first bus that came to us drove straight past us as he already had a gentleman in a wheelchair on board, he said there would be another one there in 10 minutes (this turned out to be 30 minutes man time) but he did manage to give us a free ride so I wasn’t complaining! I was struggling to reverse into the designated space for the wheelchair on the bus because some woman refused to collapse her pushchair on an account that it was a disabled buggy and yet the child was running around on the bus not needing it. So after about 70 reverse attempts I finally got in my spot.

Finally we got into town I received a lovely text from my mum saying that she was so proud that I got out today even though I was in pain and that really boosted me because I was with a carer who didn’t know Bridgend town well and I’m crap with directions so I did my special counting method so that I didn’t go into a panic attack. I could’ve punched the air with how proud I was of myself for bringing myself out of another panic attack.

Then we went in to my favourite shop, WH Smith where I bought my woman’s weekly fiction, my trashy take a break and the right kind of writing magazine that usually read (The last time I sent to carer into town to pick up magazines when I wasn’t feeling well she brought back the wrong ones) I then got my sister a birthday card.

Then we ambled up Costa where it was time for afternoon tea and Keira, my carer for the day didn’t care that we went over our allotted time as she had nowhere to be after the day with me so that meant we could relax in the sunshine and enjoy a cup of tea, people watching. She told me she had older daughters similar to my age, that she’d been divorced 11 years and her partner is in the police and that she even worked in a prison and she’s a solitude Sally like me and that she loves Zumba and walks.

ven though I’m dieting there was a lemon cake involved and after the wobbly table spilled the milkI learnt that iPhones are resistant to dairy which was a good thing. Keira even insisted on paying.

We started to make our way back to the bus as I needed to use the toilet to empty my catheter bag but I stopped in to a Thomas Cook travel agency and picked up a brochure of Cyprus and Greece so that my mum and Rich can go on holiday! (As much as I would love to go, I won’t. Because, it won’t be a proper break from my mum because she would still be doing my care and for some reason whenever I go abroad I’m ill or something plays up so it’s not fair on them both.) I’ll save up some social hours and book a three day break in Devon or Cornwall.

I Emptied my catheter and then we got on the bus home and it was much quieter. Our driver gave us a free ride again and this time we stopped at the library and did the short walk home.

Keria even stayed when she knows I can’t reach the intercom button to let the other girls in to make sure they get through the door. The next thing I know I’m being hoisted up into bed. Am I tired? Yes. Did I have a lovely afternoon? Of course I did and I think I found a friend for life with Keira. As I write I am in bed now in my pyjamas, in light pyjamas I might add and have a close my window? Of course I haven’t it’s nice to get the breeze (sunshine can be very addictive) and haven’t even shut my curtains!

I then got my 3:30 girls to tidy up my room a little, and folded away some pyjamas and putting my winter blanket back into our porch as I won’t be needing it for awhile!

I’ve challenged myself to try and do all four of the social calls this week and tomorrow I plan on having a little picnic by the miners memorial where there is benches and lovely flowers. It’ll give me a chance to fill up my new flask I bought today and testing whether it can hold hot tea without leaking.

Now it’s time to read my magazines and take some painkillers. You may think that all sounds easy but when you’ve had a voice in your head that telling you that you can’t go out because the pain will start it’s hard. But today I proved that was utter bullshit and I am one happy little lady that I managed to live a day and not think about the pain all day