Am I completely mad to do this NOW?

There comes a time in every writer’s life where they think about starting a blog. Something will often stop them: life, time, exposure, commitment. I must admit, that even I think I’m barmy for starting this now.

Why?

Because I’m 37 weeks pregnant. I’ve not even officially started maternity leave yet.

But isn’t that also a good reason to start?

I’ve taken the balance of my very generous leave entitement, combined with all the bank holidays this April and May have delivered, to take 2 months off work. I’ve been writing creatively, almost full time, this whole time. I’ve produced more poetry in 2 months than the last 3 years combined and written my first short story in nearly 10 years.

Not only that, but I’ve been reading new books. Books from 2022 and 2023. I even managed to pre-order books because I had time to read book recommendations and the poetry in emails from publishers I follow. I’ve started to write reviews, impulsively, in my notebook. The slow way I handwrite, effective for slowing myself down writing poetry, does not have the same satisfaction as when writing reviews.

And so, the reason for starting this blog.

I need to get writing out of me, and wouldn’t it be totally wonderful if someone read and enjoyed it? What if it sparked someone’s thoughts in a new direction? What if it helped a poet get some sales? Or if my occasional bout of sarcasm or satire drew a wry smile?

There’s another reason. I miss working as a communicator and find myself looking at marketing and communication campaigns and identifying the techniques they’re using, wondering what audiences they’ve identified and how, and if I could have worked on that project. Rather than sitting here musing to myself, I thought it might be more useful to take a deeper look every now and again, and write about it so that others can ponder it too. Who knows, I might have some actual insight.

I’m not planning on publishing poetry here, but the very fact that I’m writing poetry will result in me mentioning that I’ve submitted poetry here and there, and the ultimate result of those. Submitting poetry for publication is a tough job because there are so many other people doing it, it takes a long time for a journal or mag to respond, and most responses are rejections. It’s the life of a writer. How glamorous. I’ve had a few things published in the past, with the last time January 2022 in The York Review, and I have an aim to get more published over the next year. Yes, I have poetry dreams.

And of course, my soon-to-be full time job of being a mother. There are enough baby bloggers in the universe for me to avoid that niche, but it certainly has affected by perspective and writing output over the last 2 months and I’m keen to make sure that’s not hidden from the world. I’m going to have to deal with loss of identity, mama duties and try to keep myself whole. It is daunting to have a baby over 40, with so much of my life built around independence and freedom, so I’ll share my thoughts and worries along the way so that other parents know they’re not going any more bonkers than me.

I will also occasionally take a view on the news, though I have no desire to become a political commentator. There are some things that are important to me. I won’t write about them all, but all views will be personal to me.

So who am I? I’m Justine, I live in South Manchester, I’m a poet, a communications manager (on maternity leave), a landlady, a pagan, wife and (almost) mother.

Welcome to my blog.

Drop me a hello below