Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben.
Hello, all!
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to take the most wonderful trip to London, England. While I was there, I was constantly reminded of the novelists and playwrights and poets and artists who once walked the streets, and whose stories now lie in every crevice and corner of the city. It amazed me to think I was walking where they'd once walked, that I may have gazed at the same buildings that have stood there for centuries, and taken a stroll through the same parks. London is the kind of city where you can plant a seed and a story will grow, the kind of story that will spread its roots across oceans and swaths of land for the entire world to someday know. I believe it's the kind of place where you can make a name for yourself.
I always think it's impossible for me to fall in love with writing any more than I already have, and I'm always wrong. While I was in London, I felt hopeful that someday I, too, could be among those timeless writers. I felt I belonged among the people with their noses buried deep into books on the train; among the people with their long velvety coats swishing around their ankles; among the readers wandering around the countless archaic-looking bookstores, finding comfort in the sight and scent of ink and paper. And then, there were the art galleries and the theatres and the historical artifacts in the grand museums, and it was all so much like a dream that I still can't believe I really experienced it.
Tower Bridge, better known as London Bridge.
St. Paul's Cathedral, site of the wedding of Princess Diana and King Charles III.
Buckingham Palace.
The London Eye.
Trafalgar Square, home to the National Gallery.
If I could have packed the city into my suitcase and brought it back with me, I would have. But as it is, I have my memories to store, and all the knowledge I gained about history and the arts.
As a writer and English major, this trip felt necessary for me; I realized that while annotating and essay-writing are both important, it really was life-changing to go in person and learn about the writers I've studied in an immersive, interactive way. For example, I visited the reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and learned about his life as well as how his plays were performed in his day. Never before had I felt so appreciative and passionate about his work. I also got to see the manuscripts of Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, and the Bronte sisters, which made them feel real and tangible in so many ways---they were no longer just names in a textbook, but real, actual people who wrote in leather notebooks like me, trying to perfect their masterpieces.
Shakespeare's Globe (exterior).
Shakespeare's Globe (interior).
Writing desk belonging to Jane Austen, with a poem she wrote for her brother.
In addition to all of that British literature, I also felt a new connection with my South Asian heritage and Muslim identity---the museums I visited had wonderful collections of artifacts from South Asia and Muslim empires, allowing me to learn a great deal about the history of my people. I saw the tools they'd owned; the clothes they'd wore; the art they'd made. I also saw many artifacts from other regions around the world, which made me realize just how much I love museums. In short, I came to London expecting to learn almost exclusively about Britain and ended up learning quite a lot about the rest of the world, too. The city felt so much like a crossroads, a place of diversity and multiculturalism for people of all backgrounds to gather.
Mughal Empire paintings displayed at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum.
On a bit of a horrific note, I was reminded, too, of all the darkness the city has witnessed---the Great Fire of London, the Black Plague, Jack the Ripper, the Tudor period and its bloodthirsty rulers, just to name a few. All the exposure to this dark history even caused me to have a dream about an executioner raising his axe to decapitate me like Anne Boleyn. It amazed me that so many bad occurrences could happen in one place, and there was no doubt that the city had an overall haunted air, as if there were ghosts wandering the narrow streets and following around tourists like me. (Book idea!)
The Tower of London, execution site of Anne Boleyn.
Tower of London (interior).
The square inside the Tower of London. To the left is the White Tower, and in the back is the Jewel House, containing the Crown Jewels.
Finally, I got the chance to learn about the very fascinating life of Queen Victoria from my visit to Kensington Palace, her childhood home. To have been reading and writing about the Victorian era for years, and then to have visited the former residence of the woman whom the era is named after, was an absolutely wondrous and surreal experience.
Kensington Palace, former residence of Queen Victoria.
Oh, and let's not forget to mention all the bookstores I visited---London seems to have an abundance of them. My favourite had to be Hatchards, London's oldest bookstore, founded in 1797 by John Hatchard.
Hatchards (interior).
As my trip was coming to an end, I told myself that it really is a very exciting and extraordinary thing to be a writer, precisely because we have the ability to reconstruct places we've been to with words, and thus can make ourselves feel like we're still there. So that is what I hope to do---pay homage to the historic city in my future projects. And, to all writers reading this, I encourage you to travel when you have the chance, because seeing whatever you're writing about, or want to write about, in real life makes all the difference and in my opinion is worth every penny.
I found an excerpt from my diary which I wrote in on the plane, and thought it would be an excellent fit for this post:
"... so many people have lived and died here, and we walk upon stories stacked on stories. Stories told by writers who were inspired by the city, stories of medieval kings and queens, stories of traitors and serial killers, of playwrights, of Victorians, of artists and creators of every sort. This is a place of storytelling---a celebration of storytelling... in every way, it is timeless."
For more photos from London, check out the highlights on our Instagram page!
Happy New Year!
I know New Year's Resolutions can be daunting for writers who set goals for themselves, so I just want to remind you to be proud of all that you've accomplished in the previous year (even if it's less than you'd hoped), and to carry that pride into next year. Remember that writing is not a race---everyone does it at their own pace---and the important thing is to enjoy it rather than being overwhelmed by the expectations you set for yourself.
I wanted to remind you of this because I often experience a great deal of self-doubt myself, especially when I compare my current self to my younger self, who completed manuscripts at a much faster rate. It's important to know that the speed at which you write does not define whether or not you are a good writer. In my case, I have grown so much over the years, and have learned how to take more time with my projects as well as recognize when I need to take a break and recharge my ideas with reading.
All in all, creating may be thrilling and wonderful, but it should never lead to you having a lower sense of self-worth. With this in mind, I want you to start off the new year telling yourself that you are a determined, hard-working, and talented writer who deserves to celebrate your accomplishments regardless of what stage you're at with achieving your dreams.
New Year's Resolution: Where is the Blog Going Next?
Since the new year is upon us, I wanted to address what I plan to do with the blog moving forward: to best balance it alongside our busy lives, we will try to post when we are hit with inspiration---when we have a certain idea or observation or realization that we need to share with the world. Those are the moments when I personally feel like I produce the best work.
As always, thank you for reading, and once again, Happy New Year!
~ Ayishah