York St John student writes new blog

Third year student Cameron Stewart has embarked on a regular writing post for the website Outlet Publishing. This is his first blog for them.

Blog One- Introduction
“There is material enough in a single flower for the ornament of a score of cathedrals” – John Ruskin.

What do they mean to life? They are an ever-present symbol of the great words of someone else. As a young writer, I see a quote at the start of nearly every book I read. It is almost a comfort to know, both new writers and well-established ones, use others words to give thanks to that person’s creativity with words. Quotes offer a type of anchor in life because there is a quote for everything.

I will start each blog with a quote, which I will then explore in more detail in the article. I have chosen Ruskin’s quote for this blog because he captures the small yet mighty beauty, of one flower against many colossal cathedrals. In a similar way, I am a new young writer in a sea of great writing giants. Yet, I hope to shine some literary light from an original perspective.

A magazine that I greatly admire and find much value in, is Landscape. It contains writing on nature, the seasons and crafts. It is an uplifting read and my favourite part, is the literature quotes throughout it. It is not something you see in other publications. I like to write my favourite quotes into a journal. This will be my source of quotes, and I hope you find these inspiring. The beauty of writing is that anyone can do it. The only key ingredient needed is imagination. If you have that, the writing becomes limitless with opportunities. In my blogs, I hope to capture what life as a young writer is like.

Some days ideas for a piece of writing can flow fast, and I scramble to get them into a type of order. Other days, the reservoir of ideas is dangerously close to drying up. Looking at quotes can help to boost the creative thinking process. After all, every writer has slow days or even weeks. My aim for this blog is to invite you to muse, ponder and reflect what a young writer is today. Going back to Ruskin’s flower- there can be great beauty in small objects as well as the grand. Indeed, each young writer has that individual flourish to share and this is mine.

The next blog will examine how the falling leaves of Autumn, can be like the falling of words onto the page. Should be good. Do not quote me on that!!

Work Cited-
1- Photo- Indrapradja, Frans. “developingsuperleaders”. Developingsuperleaders.Wordpress.com. Accessed, 26th September 2024.developingsuperleaders.Wordpress.com/author/tiardjaindrapradja/.
2- John Ruskin quote- May edition of Landscape magazine.

If you would like to read more from Cameron please go to

https://blog.outletpublishinggroup.com/

Tommy Parker on Ageing, Maturity and Embracing Change

Content warning: This personal reflection deals with issues of PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Links for support are provided at the bottom of the post. 

 Second Year Creative Writing student Tommy Parker reflects upon his own experiences as a mature student returning to York St John to begin a second degree course. 

Copyright York St John

Walking through the city, enjoying a 71% Ecuador hot chocolate with chilli and Captain Morgans, while listening to Alestorm has given me a rare chance for silent reflection. The theme of this years creative writing project, the Beyond the Wall’s anthology, is ageing, a subject that is often on my mind as a mature student. In particular, I often find myself dwelling on my perceived failings, feeling I have not accomplished enough in my late twenties to justify my continued existence on this planet. It is in rare moments such as now that give me the opportunity to escape my own head, allowing me clarity to see that life is not a line graph. Age does not equal maturity in itself, and you cannot simply look at a graph for it. Life is not as simple as AGE + MATURITY = STAGE IN LIFE. Over my time at York St John I have come to understand that the true determining factor of emotional maturity is life experience. Continue reading “Tommy Parker on Ageing, Maturity and Embracing Change”

Meet Clara Barley and Hear About Her Work On Anne Lister, As Seen In Gentleman Jack

Yorkshire-based author Clara Barley has written both fiction and non-fiction about Anne Lister of Shibden Hall. Clara was inspired to write the novel through her work at Shibden Hall, and was also involved both behind the scenes and on camera with the Gentleman Jack TV series.

Continue reading “Meet Clara Barley and Hear About Her Work On Anne Lister, As Seen In Gentleman Jack”