Writing Life: Welcome to my Blog, and to my Reading and Writing Life
Firstly, welcome! I’m so excited to have finally gotten this project off the ground, and to be able to share my thoughts and ideas on books, reading and writing.
There’s been a lot of change in my life recently; after finishing a writing and editing course this year, I made the decision to quit my full-time job to go travelling for six weeks in Europe. Now that I’ve returned, I’m working as a freelance graphic designer, so I can have the flexibility to fit both more writing and more travel into my life (two of my favourite things!).
This isn’t a travel blog, but I do want to share two amazing places that I visited… A bookshop in Venice, and a bookshop in Paris.
Let’s start with Venice. The Libreria Acqua Alta is a tourist attraction in itself – both new and used books are stacked haphazardly in gondolas, boats and baths, to create a magical atmosphere for booklovers. There is a courtyard out the back with ‘steps’ of books that you can climb up and catch a wonderful view of the Venetian canals (a great photo opp), plus there are two chairs placed by one of the windows in the corner of the shop, where you can sit back and relax with a book while watching gondolas float by.
Left to right: The front of LIbreria Acqua Alta; Books displayed on a gondola; A reading spot with a view.
Almost too lovely to use!
Most books are in Italian, though there is also an English section clearly marked. And don’t skip the beautiful stationery displayed near the front of the store, which makes for the perfect souvenir from Venice. I couldn’t say no to a gorgeous floral notebook and Parisian-themed envelope, and the kind owner threw in a bookmark for free. You may also spot a couple of cats roaming around – these belong to the owner :)
The Paris bookshop is, of course, the famous Shakespeare and Co, located near Notre-Dame. Photographs weren’t allowed inside, for which I was grateful, as it kept the interior feeling like a bookshop and not just a tourist attraction.
To me, Shakespeare and Co is everything a bookstore ought to be – they had a great selection of books, high shelves with sliding ladders for those books out of reach, and little nooks and crannies used to separate genres. I spent almost half an hour in the children’s section, delighted by the small books of Peter Rabbit and Madeline, and beautifully illustrated editions of classics. At the front they have several shelves dedicated to author-signed copies, which I think is simply awesome.
Left to right: The front of Shakespeare and Co; My purchases plus the awesome bag they came in; The shop's stamp.
After almost an hour inside I had made my careful selections: a Nancy Drew novel (for old times’ sake, which I’ve just finished and loved), a literary novel by a French author where the protagonist is a librarian (it seemed appropriate), and a Hemingway novel (how could I not). The sales assistant at the counter asked if I would like each book stamped with their store stamp; I said yes, of course, and walked out with my Shakespeare and Co shopping bag positively beaming.
Before leaving for Europe I had reached the milestone of completing my first ever manuscript – a fantasy/adventure children’s book, aimed at the junior fiction market. I knew it was a very rough first draft and needed a ‘big edit’, but after leaving it for a few weeks and coming back to it, I still wasn’t sure where to start. I decided to pay for a manuscript assessment through Writers Victoria, and just before I left I received the assessment report.
I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t daunting reading through all the suggested changes, along with advice on the market and the need for thorough research to see where my book would fit in. I’m so glad I submitted it, however, as I can already see the book will be so much better for it. If you are considering a manuscript assessment yourself, I highly recommended the Writers Victoria service, which you can learn more about here.
And so that’s where I’m at. Freshly returned from Europe, finally launching my blog, and about to start ‘the big edit’ of my children’s book.
Wish me luck!
