So, I really ought to introduce myself. I’m Michelle, I live in Manchester and I’m in my thirties. I started this blog to keep me occupied during the Covid lockdown but also as a way to start writing for fun – I guess?! – and to maintain that habit. I just wanted to summarise my journey to this point, and explain why you’re reading this… You lucky people. 

I enjoy writing. It’s my favourite part of my day job, but something holds me back from writing in my spare time. It’s not for the lack of ideas – I have quite a few of those – but rather my lack of self belief that I can write well, or even be remotely interesting when I do write. This lack of confidence is something that has held me back for (let’s be honest here) years, and not just with writing I suppose, but plenty of other aspects of my life. But let’s save that can of worms for another time.

When lockdown commenced in the UK I was put on furlough from my day job, working in marketing for a small manufacturing company. I had big plans to stay focused, do some training, learn some new things, and to write, but the reality was that I drifted for a couple of months. I learnt to crochet and I’m still in the middle of the first project I started (more in a separate blog for that one). But the promises I kept making to myself, to write and put ideas on paper, just didn’t get fulfilled. 

So, about a month ago, I started to slowly put some ideas onto a page. I tentatively showed some people I trusted what I wrote (the bit I was most afraid to do). They said they liked it. Two of the friends I showed my work to also write, so we set up a fortnightly meeting to show our work and discuss it in a constructive way and gently suggest any improvements. That forced some accountability on myself to write regularly. Another writer friend wanted to work together on a blog, so while she was setting up the WordPress stuff, I realised I could set up my own separate blog too. I did that, made it look vaguely nicer than the WordPress default settings, then left it. 

Just over a week ago, I was having trouble sleeping. After several hours of fidgeting and getting annoyed with myself, I got out of bed, made myself a cup of tea and opened my laptop. I wrote this first blog post in those early hours and eventually made it back into bed, and finally to sleep, at 4am. A week ago, I finally got the courage to publish it, and when I did, it felt really good! I messaged my friends who had previously seen my work and they gave me the encouragement I needed to carry on with my tiny corner of the internet. So here we are.

I’m not sure if this blog will have a theme, per se. I have plans to write about my lockdown coping strategies, and the very vague topic of “things I like”, but I hope that I find some sort of niche as I go. 

I hope you enjoy reading.

M xx