Who am I?

When I first attempted this article, I was in my second year at university and as part of my course, I had to write an article/blog each week for my professional portfolio. At first, I was excited about the idea of doing this because I knew it would present me with a challenge and as well as this, I believed that I would see my writing style change over time and that I would be able to adapt to a bit of spice here and a bit of flare there. I thought that by the end of my second year, I would have a variety of professional articles to choose from, but the truth is... I may have wrote the bare minimum. I'm not saying this to shame myself or to tarnish my writing ability, far from it. I'm just saying this because now that I am in my third year of university, I do not want to accept how I left things in my first blog about myself. Therefore, I would like to take another shot at it.

First off, as a writer, I am somebody who always wants to try and perfect her craft and so, when I fail in doing so, I often set myself back from time to time. In other words, notebooks would stay on the shelves, unopened without a hint or a scribble of new writing and I'd spend more time perusing Instagram, reading posts from other writers, desperately yearning for that kick which would make me pick up my pen and write again. As a student, I am very aware of how much I procrastinate. I am aware of it so much, I know how I will be when I open my laptop. I will stare at my screen for a while, write some unfinished sentences, read some blog posts and not take in a single thing.

So, what have I learnt about myself so far? I am a student and I often procrastinate when I've lost my groove in writing. Hmmm... this is a good start. Let's continue.

The second thing you should know about me, is that I am a big reader and an avid one at that. Not only do I love the stories within books, but I admire every writer's unique voice within the pages and how they are able to hold on to that voice throughout their narratives. My enjoyment for the amount of books I have read, rekindled my love to post my own reviews on social media. Along with my reading interests and appraisals, I soon began to be noticed by others within the literary industry and for a writer, this is definitely a good thing because it helps to build connections with others that share the same interests as myself.

Okay, what else have I learnt about me? I love reading books and writing reviews and in doing so, I have learnt to be analytical, critical and more connected. Great. What's next?

The third thing you should know is a bit of a weird one because I feel like it contradicts quite a lot of what I said in my second paragraph. On one hand, I procrastinate... quite a lot, but on the other, I write for other people and somehow, I have done very well in that. Sure, it is still only something I do on the side as the money I make from it pays for the odd uni textbook, birthday present and food shopping, but it is still something that I am very proud to have as a writing student and I consider it to be a huge stepping stone in my writing career (and something to add to my website, which I will 100% finish).

Right, I'm starting to build up a picture of me, I guess. What else is there to know about me?

You could call it cliché I suppose, but I love spending time in cafes. Especially the cute, quirky ones that stand out. I always find that my words flow a lot better when I am surrounded by chatter, soft music and the mesmerizing aroma of tea, coffee and freshly baked pastries. Is it weird that I often feel like a fictional character when I am in these places? Is it weird that I want all of my fictional characters to experience a good cafe in my stories? I am not so sure, but hey, I'm a writer and if there is one thing I have learnt about being one, is that we're all a bit weird.

Tea, Coffee, pastries... check. What else?

I work in a wonderful bookshop in Hythe, called The Book Den. It is a truly fabulous and magical place to work and is filled to the brim with books. The ambience that is found in this snug little shop is so perfect for anyone who enjoys peace and if you are like me, you'll never want to leave. I am so lucky to have this job because it suits me perfectly well alongside my studies and ambitions and the lovely, kind and supportive lady that I work with is just an added bonus!

This is all coming along so wonderfully now! Let's carry on!

To add to this great collection of things about me, I am also a daughter, a sister to five brothers, a cousin, an auntie, a friend, a colleague, a soon to be graduate and a fiancée to a wonderful, wonderful man. I am also an achiever, a goal setter and a really bad singer and sometimes, you'll often find me with a sketchpad instead of a notebook or with my camera, instead of a novel because I have been taught that there is so much about this world to enjoy and love, that it would be silly to limit myself to just one thing.

Well, that is it from me for now... You are probably wondering why I bothered to write this out again? Or, maybe you are a new reader of mine with absolutely no clue of what's going on. If you are the latter, then I am sorry to say that the old blog post of myself is gone forever and if you are the former, then you get to share my happiness because this new one feels a lot more like me. It was also very therapeutic as well to write this all down again, but maybe that is just the writer in me.

... And we all know what they say about writers, don't we?

Thank you for reading!

The link to my website - which I will 100% finish - will be up on my Instagram soon. In the meantime, feel free to follow me... I share a lot of book posts ;) :

@charlottestorey1995