Writing
I’ve had a little break from Substack writing this month. There are a couple of ideas bubbling away for future posts though, including the return of the series where I revisit favourite books from my childhood.1
Published elsewhere this month:
O is for Ouse Valley is the latest in a series of posts for CPRE Bedfordshire, helping readers to explore the county via an A-Z of Bedfordshire places, landscapes and history. This one looks at the landscape of the Ouse Valley in the north of the county. (If we can all ignore the fact that it should really be Great Ouse Valley, I’d be very grateful...)
The Book (which I always think of in capital letters for some reason...)
I've now got a very rough first draft. It's too short for commercial non-fiction and some chapters are barely more than sketches but it exists! The next challenge is to leave it alone for a bit and write other things like Substack posts and poetry.
Reading
In non-fiction I really enjoyed In Search of England. Journeys Into the English Past by Michael Wood. It’s a fascinating read exploring the theme of Englishness through myth, manuscripts and landscapes. There’s a particular leaning towards Anglo-Saxon and medieval history which suited me entirely. It was published in 1999 but feels really relevant to the political landscape today. Oliver Smith’s On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage Across Britain (2024) isn’t an in depth look at particular pilgrimage routes but rather an interesting set of reflections on the nature of pilgrimage. It offers plenty to think about in terms of contemporary sacred and secular pilgrimages, but I didn’t find it entirely satisfying, although I can’t quite put my finger on why.
My classic fiction reread was Charlotte Brontë’s novel Shirley. The story is set against the Luddite uprisings in the West Yorkshire textile industry and centres on the characters of Caroline Helstone, Shirley Keeldar and the brothers Robert and Louis Gérard Moore. It’s rather underrated in terms of the Brontë output but I have a soft spot for it, and who could resist this opening?:
In more contemporary fiction I was spellbound by Sarah Perry’s Enlightenment which was longlisted for the Booker Prize last year. It’s a rich story about love, faith and astronomy, with a mystery at its heart. Perry uses the textures of the Essex landscape to good effect as in ‘The Essex Serpent’ and fans of that novel will enjoy spotting a number of references to it. I loved the prose style and the atmosphere created and I’m sure that this will be a book I return to.
I’ve also been reading, highlighting bits of, and making lists from Sian Meades-Williams’ excellent book The Pyjama Myth on the realities of building a career as a freelance writer.
Sian is on Substack and you can find out more about the book here. It’s realistic and practical but also engaging and often funny so I’m very glad I invested in a copy. Which brings me to...
Something I've been doing
Regular readers may remember that back in April I changed my role at my day job slightly, reducing my hours and moving away from hands-on social media management. One of the things I've been doing since (alongside The Book) is planning for a move into more freelance work. I've done bits and pieces for a while but I wanted to work on formalising my offer and making the whole thing a bit less ad hoc. I knew I wanted to do more long form writing but I also had a feeling that part of the offer would be around charity comms as my background is communications and engagement with a range of not for profits. However, I needed some time to think through what kinds of work I actually want and, perhaps more importantly, what I don't want. I've been doing all the things you're meant to do like researching the market and finding a niche, as well as testing my emerging concept on a couple of real life projects. It's all been useful and I've learned a lot. It still feels like a bit of a leap of faith but things are coming together and I hope to launch everything properly in the autumn. Patience isn't always my strong point but I'm really glad I've taken my time over this planning phase.
Some things I've been listening to
Otherwise known as my pick of the Proms so far. I'm no classical music expert so don't expect serious critical reviews here. Arvo Pärt at 90 was lovely. Except for some of the bits that weren't Pärt. The Vivaldi and Bach programme from Théotime Langlois de Swarte and his ensemble Le Consort was incredibly joyful. I loved every minute. Edward Gardener conducts the LPO had a glorious piece from Sibelius ('The Oceanides'), some nice Debussy and Ravel, plus a piece from Michael Tippett that I wasn't that sold on, which was a shame as it was quite long. Le Concert Spirituel delivered a sublime choral concert via a 40 part Mass from Striggio and complementary works by composers including Palestrina.
All the concerts mentioned here are available on BBC Sounds until 30 days after the Last Night of the Proms on 13th September.
A quiet Bank Holiday weekend
The August Bank Holiday is often spent pottering rather than braving the crowds. This year was no exception and we enjoyed a second hand bookshop browse where I picked up an accidently colour coordinated stack, tea and toasted teacakes, a walk in the park, tea and cake, and a hedgehog in the garden.
I’ve just read Enlightenment too and loved it, more than the Essex Serpent, in fact. Wishing you luck with your freelance career.
I love Michael Wood’s writing (and of course, his television programmes); the Smith is on my to-read pile 📚