The Girl on The Train my thoughts

I know I'm massively late to the party but I FINALLY read this book and it was great! I couldn't put it down! I really liked how the point of view was split between three women Anna, Rachel and Megan. I had a bit of trouble getting into it at first because the plot wasn't linear to begin with and jumped around a lot and the three main characters kind of all read the same at first but after a couple of chapters in things began to get more clear and I started to understand who was who and what was going on.

I won't spoil the book for those who haven't read it. I really liked the characterization in the book. Rachel, the main character, was very fascinating to me. Rachel suffered from depression and was an alcoholic and I don't think I've ever read a more realistic portrayal of someone with those issues before. I spent most of the book switching between dislike and pity for Rachel. You really felt bad for her sometimes. When she couldn't get out of bed or cook herself a meal or stop drinking I just wanted to reach into the book and shake her by the shoulders and help her somehow.

It's a sign of a good writer when the characters you're presented with have multiple layers to them and are not always likable. It's realistic. Rachel was battered down and pathetic and broken. They're not just another cookie cut out of a typical book character. You keep wanting to turn the pages because you have so many questions. You become invested in their lives and want things both good and bad to happen to them. They become real.

Another thing I liked about this book was how the plot wasn't linear. It takes a lot of skill to structure a plot that is not a straight line. The typical beginning-middle-and end is the easy route to take and I don't judge writers for taking it. If you can master the more difficult road of the non-linear plot you're going to get a nod of respect from me. You put in the extra work and did something different. Good for you.

I also liked how this book highlighted domestic abuse against men. This is RARE. It certainly added some spice to the plot. It made you question things and just pulled me in further. Very well done.

The Girl on the Train had a strong Gone Girl vibe to it. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery and something a little bit different. A movie based on the book is coming out soon. I will definitely be going to see it.

A much needed update

I've been meaning to update this blog for a while but I've been too busy writing articles. I've decided to have a bit of a career change. I took a class on journalism last semester and have decided to chuck my hat into the ring and see if I can have some success writing articles. So far so good! I am now a writer for Perth Mum's Group, Weekend Notes and I've been published on Introvert, Dear and the Baby Vine. I'm very pleased! This has done WONDERS for my writing. My muse has been dead for years but now it is awake and doing business. And I feel great about it. Getting married and having a kid killed my muse. I didn't want to write anything longer than a blog post and it depressed me. I thought I was a writer but I didn't want to do it anymore. I eventually realized that what I didn't want to do was shut myself away from the world and devote endless hours to writing anymore. I had a family now. I wanted to enjoy spending time with them. I still write. I'm still a writer. I just didn't have the energy to write big projects anymore. That doesn't mean I'm never going to write fiction again. It just means for now at this point in my life I am going to try something different for a while and so far it's been a lot of fun. I've found that even when writing articles I still write like a fiction writer. I am descriptive, I paint a scene, I tell a story. I think it's too deeply ingrained in me at this point to not to do that.

And I am having a BLAST. Articles a short, sweet, and easy as FUCK to write and it allows me to be creative and still feel like I am can call myself a writer. I'm flexing my muscles, spreading my wings, and trying new things. And in the process I've flung open a door and discovered just how much work there is for writers out there if you know where to look. I'm going to try and build up a portfolio and get enough experience that I can get a proper, well paying job doing this someday. Writing at the moment is providing a fantastic distraction for me. It is a great hobby and is giving me a purpose and something to focus on. It makes me so happy. It doesn't matter that I haven't been paid anything (yet) because just having something to write about and wanting to sit down and write is enough to make me grin like a loon.

I'm still going to call this blog "fiction writer" because I am still that but I am also a blogger and a freelance journalist as well. I will write fiction again I just don't want to do it right now. Things might change years from now when my daughter is a bit older and can look after herself a lot more. I might want to sit down and do it then. But not right now. And that's OK. I'm having so much fun trying something different. Being a writer is such a huge part of my identity. It feels great to re-connect with it. I hope that one day I can do what I love full time.

I will be updating this blog soon with a new page that will have links to all of my articles and will update it each time I publish something new. These are exciting times!