Writing: NaNoWriMo!

This year I want to complete the 50,000 word challenge that is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Are you up for the challenge?

My project is a YA/contemporary about a girl called Piper who attempts suicide. I am currently on 2055 words which gives me a little head start but I haven't fully worked out what happens in the novel! I have been thinking about this novel for over a year.

This is just a short introductory post. I will be updating you all on my writing journey throughout the month of November!

Follow me as a writing buddy

That's it for now!

Kazia x

Travelling: Advice for train journeys

On Monday 9th October, I travelled to Peterborough with my Mum for a concert. Mum's favourite singer is Shane Filan from Westlife so we decided to get tickets for her birthday.

Here are my tips for travelling on trains:

1. Book in advance - booking online through comparison sites causes less stress and can allow you to find the cheapest tickets. ALWAYS ask people to move out of your reserved seats because you won't find another one, especially if, like me, you booked forward-facing seats because you can't travel backwards. Also because some of the other trains got cancelled on the way home and those passengers had to come on our train...
2. Pack lightly - Mum bought herself a rucksack similar to this one and I took an old suitcase. Mum only needed her purse, phone, iPad, chargers, clothes and toiletries. I needed the same plus my MacBook Pro and study books as my OU course started on 7th October. I ended up buying a new suitcase from Matalan because the old one just wasn't working and Mum needed to empty her rucksack because it gave her bad back pains after a while (She'd overfilled it with clothes!)
3. Remember headphones - I study with music and travelling to Peterborough takes around 1 hour 30 minutes which a good length for a study session. Mum and I both bought Bluetooth headphones which just need to be charged up beforehand and last up to 8 hours. It would have been a good study session had we sat in our reserved table seats... I fell asleep on the journey home because I had terrible toothache!! and I just didn't have the proper space to study because of the overcrowded train.

That's it for now!

Kazia x

Study Sessions: Freshers Week and Societies!

Being an OU student means that every year we get to attend a live video and chat programme called Student Hub Live. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk to other students, answer polls in the form of widgets and listen to inspirational speakers and tutors!

On Wednesday, I listened to a lovely Literature tutor called David. He was completely on my level and I found myself nodding along to what he was saying. Things like not aiming for 100% on every assignment but rather focusing on the content and enjoying the course, even if this means you get a lower grade, you can use your tutor's feedback to build on your weaknesses. 

As the Open University is almost entirely online there are not many opportunities to interact with your peers face-to-face (especially as a disabled student like myself) so we have lots of forums, Facebook groups and online spaces to get to know each other. 

One of the polls from Student Hub Live was "What societies and clubs would you like to have?" and the responses included Hoodie/Zoodie Club, Cake and Biscuit Club and Lunchbox Club. Lunchbox Club is an inside joke because last year everyone sent in photos of themselves with their lunch boxes - even my Dad sent one in and he won a goodie bag for the best lunch box! 

To support the OUSA (Open University Students Association) which every student is a part of, we have a shop and the hoodies look amazing! I have one myself and I hardly ever take it off.

That's it for now!

Kazia x