***TRIGGER WARNING*** This post contains detailed descriptions of the emotions related to grief, the loss of pets, and mental health crisis. If you need charitable support or real-time advice then go straight to the bottom of the page where the ‘Real Help’ section is. Thank you. When my guinea pig died in my arms IContinue reading “Pet healing, love and loss 💜 🐶”
Author Archives: stephc2021
YES! Short Story WINNER 🏆 🏆 🏆
I love 🥰 having the opportunity to tell you something new, bright and positive. It’s no secret that I have a lot going on…as I saw in a meme recently, my brain has too many tabs open. But it’s actually a testament to everything I’m trying to prove by sharing this hobby and promoting thisContinue reading “YES! Short Story WINNER 🏆 🏆 🏆”
Social Media made me needier (don’t be the same) 😢
After a long and painful relationship, I’ve made the decision to end my silence and sadness, remove the frustration and lead an even more crap, insular and isolated life. That’s right, I’ve deleted Facebook. I’ve disintegrated my account, crumpled up the app and bleached any part of it from my existence. It’s in the binContinue reading “Social Media made me needier (don’t be the same) 😢”
All rise, Judge Clark is presiding… ⚖️
On 28th February 2022 the hidden jury were deliberating in my mind. Who would win in the case of Steph Vs. Picture This? Well lets see… The competition The Secret Attic Picture This competition is a writing comp asking entrants to create a story of no more than 1000 words based on an image. TheContinue reading “All rise, Judge Clark is presiding… ⚖️”
Writing competitions do better. Boo! And my selected flash fiction on Dementia. Yay! ♥
There is no question that the online writing community is getting bigger and with it, the quality of stories I’m up against in any competition is getting better. I’m not sure if I’ve become lazy, if i’m just distracted or maybe I’m not focusing, but my writing is NOT as successful as it was lastContinue reading “Writing competitions do better. Boo! And my selected flash fiction on Dementia. Yay! ♥”
Grief, resurrected
My grief is heavy. It’s heavy every day from the minute I wake up to the second I drift off again. It sits on my shoulders always, but from time to time it’s quiet and I’ll forget for a bit, then out of nowhere I’ll be reminded of the space that exists, the space theyContinue reading “Grief, resurrected”
Wanted : friend
I think I’m having my first real creative crisis. It’s come from nowhere. 2022 arrived and there seemed to be a world of ideas, projects and opportunities for me to think about. My partner is the one who deserves the credit for everything I’m about to pour out on this post. I was telling himContinue reading “Wanted : friend”
Hats
You’re a wearing a hat. Yes, you. You’ve got a hat on right now, even if you don’t realise it, even if you don’t like hats. I imagine you in a deerstalker with the obligatory pipe too. And now you’re frowning, creating thick lines above your eyebrows as you wonder what the fu*k I’m onContinue reading “Hats”
Wonderful People on my Writing Journey Part 1
I’ve made the decision to start a series of posts about people I’ve been lucky enough to meet on this long and winding journey into creativity and health. Through emails, research, recommendations, and websites, I’ve found people that I’d never have met outside of ‘Steph Writes and Illustrates’. They are exciting, charitable, talented, creative, inContinue reading “Wonderful People on my Writing Journey Part 1”
Selected for Childrens Mental Health Week
It’s always a wonderful thing to have a successful Short Story that wins or gets selected for a competition. In the Secret Attic Weekly Write last week (week 5) my story was the first selected entry, and I was absolutely thrilled. The story itself, including the difficult content and the timeframe of submission, was probablyContinue reading “Selected for Childrens Mental Health Week”
Creative Steph 