Anna Aden Writes

This was my most prolific year blogging, and as at now I have published 208 blog posts this year and I'll probably do a couple more before the year ends. At first I started writing everything day, hoping it would help me with editing my novel-in-progress, but it didn't. Then I branched out to doing blog features for everyday such as  weekly film/movie post,  places in London,  the state of my desk Editing my novel 52 week money challenge other features  Eventually, I got overwhelmed and decided to cut back, in fact I changed the schedule a few time and in the end due to a busy offline life. Towards the end, I was only doing blog topics and finally  I ended up just doing the 52-week money challenge - which I saved £1,004 in cash from, the rest in IOUs. What I learnt from Blogging To get blog hits or build an audience, a blog needs to be about what people are interested in and you get that by being specific. It's simply that. However h...

Have a specific purpose This really helps in getting hits and views. This blog is mostly for my relaxation and because I like writing but if you are going to be serious, you'd probably need to figure out a particular purpose and stick to it. I've had a number of blogs over the years and in my experience having a singular purpose in a blog makes a different. So my most successful blog to date was blogging about reality shows when I used to watch them but I stopped when I found them boring.  That blog was about popular culture and my hits used to average about 1000 a day, for lesser shows in was in the hundreds, on this site a good post will get about ten hits others just about two or three.  This blog is generally just me doing my thing, for myself and my writing. The review blog was me sharing my opinion about shows which other people watched. I think informational and opinion blogs do very well so blogs like fashion, TV, gaming, politics, travel, hobbies, advice, c...

Holidays! This was taken in Salou which is on the on the Costa Dorada in Spain. Ma and I normally go every year apart from this one because I got a new role, there was a learning curve. We normally go for about seven to ten days. Most of the time we stay in the resort hotel or walk to the beach or go in Tarragona which has a world protected site as an old roman colony. 

It's a long tiring week with deadlines at work, attending creative writing classes and showing Ma a new music app, so I haven't got much to talk about. I also pulled a muscle in the sole of my left foot while jumping on a gifted Rebounder from Sis. Yes, I was in pain, so much pain, I didn't leave the house for three days, and worked from home.  I guess I was over enthusiastic and was on it for longer than I should have been, didn't consider I wasn't used to this sort of exercise. So I had to RICE -  R est, , I ce pack- C ompressed - I used bandages and have my foot E levated. So next time, I think I'd wear proper gym shoes, I just wore grip socks and do a warm up and then just stay on it for about three to five minutes rather than thirty minutes just merrily jumping along.

My sister is one of the most generous people I know, and she tends to buy things in twos - one for her and another for me. So these are five of her gifts. My MacBook Air This is was a present a few years ago and has been excellent for me. Light, hardwearing and durable. Neals Yard Aromatherapy Diffuser  She got me this for Christmas and I use it regularly to unwind and relax. Chinese Quilted Jacket Sis gifts me lots of clothes and this was one she brought back from her trip to China. NutRi Bullet - smoothie maker She's really into healthy eating, detox and all that stuff so she got me smoothie maker when she got hers. I use it once in a while, normally for fruit or veggie smoothies. It's quick and easy to clean.  Fit bounce Pro Rebounder (trampoline) The trampoline is the latest gift. She got herself one, and was super excited and impressed with it so got me one too. This is it all set up in my front room. Thank you, Sis!

This is a hard one for me because I tend to have a list and then go do it. Typical bucket list things are getting professional qualifications, sky driving, sailing, scuba driving, white water rafting etc, and I've done these things before bucket lists became trendy. I take a bucket list to mean a wishlist rather than goals. Learning to drive I need to find the time for this, I don't typically need a car in my city since there is a good transport system, parking and owning a car is expensive and I walk to most places. So this will be on my bucket list.  Complete my novel series It's been slower than I thought but I'm currently working on the first of the series. Go to Vegas I'd love to go there since one of my characters got married here. It would be interesting to see the place I've only ever imagined or seen on a movie/film. Visit LA Another place where one of my characters relocates to. It would be interesting to go on a tour around all the ...

Over the years, I've had many favourite super heroes. Real or fiction, I've been fortunate to come across many - at home, work, play, in newspapers, fiction, non fiction and history books.  One of my  favourite super hero is my mother aka Big Momma or Ma or Mummy. She is super and a hero. It's nice to have accessible real life heroes - you can phone and just natter for hours on end and they will listen. They will help pick up after you, follow you to places, support you, encourage you. At times also pay for you even though they don't need to. Tidy up after you. Be there for you. Help you.  Inspire you. A real hero not a fragment of the imagination. That's why Ma is my super hero, she is super and a hero.  Faber Editing Course I attended the first session last week, and it was very thoughtful and interesting. No editing as such, it was more about thinking about genres. The tutor is extremely good. I went in expecting a whole load of notes and hando...

5 things I do when I'm not writing... Reading This is an obvious one, but I read a lot more when I'm not writing. My most recent books are  Ordinary People by Diana Evans, Milkman by Anna Burns and Normal People by Sally Rooney.  Spend time with family This is either talking on the phone, going out or visiting.  Scribophile This is an online writer's workshop where I hang out, and discussions, debates and just general social conversation take place in the forums. I do the odd critique but not so much since I'm not writing. It is well moderated site and I like it. Watching films/movies I watch DVD films now and again though I haven't been to the cinema in ages.  Unwinding with podcast or a radio talkshow Sometimes after work, I unwind to a podcast show. I plug in my phone into loudspeakers, turn off the main lights and use my lampshade, then listen.  I got my place on the writing course! I'm pleased and excited to say I got a place on...

RARE19 London Once Upon A Time I went to this huge romance authors and readers event on Saturday and I had an excellent time. On a whim and out of curiosity, I bought the tickets about a year ago and luckily my calendar reminded me of the event about two weeks ago. It was fantastic to see all those authors and readers in one place. It was a great buzzing atmosphere. This is just a snapshot but it was bigger and busier than this.  I discovered new authors out of my typical reading genre so I decided to explore beyond the remits of what I normally read. And yes, all my books were signed. I'd probably do a blog on that.   My 5 Favourite  and Most Used Apps Amazon Kindle  I have Kindle Unlimited so I use it to read my books on subscription. I guess another blog would be showing my to be read list. I'll probably end it soon because I don't read much from it.  WhatsApp This is for connecting with family mostly. Spotify I listen mos...

Yes, I'm back, even if it's only a week! A family subscriber told me to continue even if it was just posting pictures because she missed my posts. So I've decided to give it try just doing blog topics. 5 Things I spend my money on Pasties and Cake.  So I tend to get from Gail's (rolls and scones) and Konditor - cake and crumbles. There is a West Indian bakery in Dalston where I get spiced bun and sweet bread. They also do a fantastic vegetable pasty. I also love Marks and Spencers turnovers. The Office Biscuit/Cookie Tin At my new work place, there is an office biscuit/cookie tin (two old plastic sweet bowls) which is occasionally filled with treats. There is no real rota of who buys what or when, it's just something we do. On some occasions I've bought for the office tin. As you can see, it's just random.  On some days we have a lot, other days nothing.  Transport Essential for me getting around. Short breaks and holidays/vacations. ...

Missed entries due to long break I missed my desk because I was on away on a break. I did toy with using the one in the hotel but I forgot Monday was check-out day. Then I forgot the money bit, so I'm lagging behind a week now. I owe a decent sum to the money jar now. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Sadlers Well I was treated to a ticket by Big Momma, and I went to see the show. I'm not into dance per se, and I like performances to have strong narrative directions rather than just dance, otherwise I just get bored. Like really bored. They had some really good dancers in the company and some who could barely sustain positions. Okay, though I don't go to the dance performances, I used to go for classes, and my mother -Big Momma - used to be a professional dancer and then taught ballet  - so I know a bit of the art form. They got a standing ovation from people, lots of cheers and shouts, but I felt the narrative directions of the dances could have been s...

I finally took a little break from work. It's been exhausting so not much to say. I just needed a break.  This is the back of the house. This is the bedroom we are staying in. That's my D&G handbag on the bed. I'm going to be going on a tour so will write more about that next week.

It's been another busy week at work, so I'm glad for the weekend. Saturday Pub lunch with Big Momma It's been a long time since my mother and I have had a pub lunch. At one point it was a regular thing, or just going for a drink at our local pub. Once in a while, Big Momma, Sis and I would go out, normally for a Sunday roast lunch, at a local pub. Normally near me or near Big Momma. The food varies. This is my favourite place to have ham and eggs, the chips crispy and light. Delicious. This is hard to do since a lot of chips can be fried if the oil isn't heated at temperate or isn't fresh. So Big Momma and I come here once in a while. Big Momma had the vegetarian option which was a bean burger. She said it was the best she had had in a very long time. New Clothes from Jigsaw Sale I can't remember the last time I was in Jigsaw, but I was wondering around King Cross station and I found a store so I went in. They had 70% sale items though I got mine...

There isn't much this week because work has been busy and I've also been trying to focus on editing the novel which is finally making some sense. Harvest of Apples and Veg from Big Mama's garden Big Momma (aka my mother aka Ma) harvested some apples from her apple tree. She's really into gardening so I'm going to collect some later on. I'll probably have them in a smoothie.  These are the cucumbers. They won't look like cucumbers in the supermarket because those are graded and sorted for sale. However if you worked on a farm or you garden, you'll know that vegetables comes in all shapes and sizes. However for aesthetic reasons, supermarkets only take certain produce. In fact, there is probably some regulation else where. A long time ago, when the basic and thrift range was trendy, the supermarkets used to sell odd-shaped vegetable and fruit on the cheap. However they don't look aesthetically pleasing and most people thought there was somet...

It's been a busy and tiring week so nothing much has happened. I've just being going to work and coming home. Literally that. I've even cut down my walking because I've been so tired after work.  It's more or less the one of the busy seasons of my job.  August Writing Report There is nothing writerly about the image but I thought it was nice. It was taken on Parliament Hill about a week ago, and it shows a misty view of the London skyline. Let's talk writing... I seem to be treading water and my book still isn't coming together so I'm thinking of a 2020 release date. It's a hard one to say why because the big picture works well, and I even took Holly Lisle's How To Edit Your Novel course but it didn't do what I thought it would. I've also tried using my old editing notes and 'how to write' books but I've got overwhelmed with the different approaches to the same thing. Also as I said, funny enough it all works ...

Cakes and Crumble for Konditor A few days ago, for a family get-together gathering, I got ordered two cakes from Konditor (formerly Konditor and Cook). In my opinion they are one of the best cake shops in London. However just a few days before the family event, it got cancelled because my cousin, the host, was feeling under the weather. But yesterday, I collected them and took them over to my mother. Above is the summer crumble - which is a peach and raspberry crumble - very light and great for hot weather. I have a feeling that it was smaller than the shop pieces. That maybe they bake different measurements for the shop pieces (which is what I eat). Anyway it was a great hit with Sis and Big Momma. Its also what I have when I go past the shop - which is now and again, depending on what route I take. This is the popular Red Velvet, but it didn't taste like how it used to. Saying that, I haven't had a slice for about two years and I guess once in a while, cake shops may...