This post was originally published on 16th October 2018 and updated on 3rd October 2019.

I’ve been carrying a notebook around with me for a while now.

Even pre-blog.

I’ve always loved writing, but I’ve never known what direction to take this ‘hobby’ in.

Travel Writing

Fresh out of university, I dabbled with the idea of becoming a travel writer.

I loved the thought of travelling the world and writing about the places I visited.

However, I quickly discovered that to do this I needed a well paid job (which I didn’t have), and a whole load of confidence (which I definitely didn’t have).

However, I did dabble with it briefly, following a holiday to the French Alps. I came home, wrote about my experiences and sent my work to a Snowboarding Magazine. And heard nothing…

The younger, less confident me, decided to park that idea and focus my energy elsewhere.

Romantic Fiction

I’ve always wondered whether I have a novel in me somewhere.

I’m a sucker for a good romance book.

One of my favourite authors is Freya North. But how could I ever compete with someone as inspiring as Freya? She writes so brilliantly and really brings her characters to life.

I have this romantic image of sitting in an old weather battered cottage by the sea, in front of a roaring open fire, with a couple of four legged friends by my side while I write my bestseller…

Maybe one day…

The Mindful Gingernut

I had never considered writing a blog until August last year. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.

At the time, I was receiving some professional coaching from a lady called Beth. I realised during these sessions, that my head was quite muddled, and I started to wonder whether writing a blog would be a good way to offload some of my thoughts. I also wondered whether it would help me to write about the loss of my friend. I wasn’t able to grieve properly at the time, and started to wonder whether writing down my thoughts and feelings would help me to make sense of things more.

So back to my notebook…

I carry this with me everywhere. It comes to work with me. It travels between my London home and my Northampton home with me. It travels with me to see friends. It also travels with me as I go on new adventures, in London, as well as those that are further afield.

Why?

Because when I’m feeling inspired by something I have seen, something I’m feeling, or something I have experienced, I have to write it down so I can capture the moment.

I might feel happy, or sad, stressed or calm. But whatever I’m feeling, when I get the urge to write, it’s important to get my thoughts onto paper as soon as they appear.

Many of the musings I have written so far, have started from a couple of words jotted on a page during a lunch break, on a walk, in a coffee shop or on a train.

The notes I write change considerably as they go from notepad to blog. The final version of Change (part 2), was quite different to the notes I had made on the train travelling home one weekend. But they do form the backbone of my ideas and help to build the story I want to tell.

And call me old fashioned, but I still prefer putting pen to paper than typing into an iPad, laptop or phone, although ultimately, that’s where my Musings end up.

I still have no idea where my writing will take me, but it’s certainly helping me to reflect and to clear my mind.

In an increasingly stressful world, my writing allows me to escape, providing me with an opportunity to reflect, to clear my mind, and to have my voice heard.