THE BLOG OF WRITER EMMA MACKENZIE
I went to the Dior exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria today and my god how can things be so beautiful? The gowns were magical. All my clothes suddenly turned to rags as soon as soon as I stepped into the gallery.
I took so many photos but somehow narrowed it down to some of my favourites below…..and by ‘narrowed down’ I mean there’s probably a good forty photos below. Scroll away.
I’ve just came home from a short family trip to Uluru, and I have to say it was a-maz-ing. It was like a whole another world up there! I never knew you could actually get culture shock from traveling in the same country.
For people who don’t know, Uluru is one Australia’s biggest landmarks in the Northern Territory. It is a MASSIVE sandstone rock that reaches a mind-boggling 348 metres high, and you know goes a casual 6 kilometres under the surface. Uluru is sacred to the Aboriginal people (our true First Nations) of Australia and is a World Heritage Site.
Look at Uluru!!!!! How is that even real?
Around Uluru is stunning grasslands and red desert. This area is full of awesome rock caves and astonishing waterholes. Going back to the culture shock, I have travelled quite a bit and to places culture shock is renowned, but this is a completely different world from city life.
My whole time was full of tours and treks. I trekked huge canyons, saw the wonderment that is Kata-Tjuta, and became part of the 1% who travel to Uluru to see rainstorms so powerful that waterfalls stream off Uluru. I also saw freaking brumbies guys, brumbies! Anddddddd I got some good writing time in. Goodbye writer’s block! Well for now anyway.
Here are some awesome photos and ummm some not so awesome photos.
Me & Uluru
My Mum ahemmm trying to take a photo of me but somehow excluding the amazing full moon and Uluru…..
I can tell you now, trying to explain to my Mum how to take a photo is futile.
Some beautiful waterholes!
The pretty average view of the sunset from camp
Waterfalls off Kata Tjuta
Views from Kata Tjuta
Some canyon views!
And this is what it looked like on the top……wow
Not a great shot but brumbies guys!
And lets end with a goanna. I once had a nightmare of a being stuck in my bedroom because a Komodo dragon was on my door. Have you seen their claws? They will RIP you to shreds and I’m guessing they will eat you afterwards. I will never ever forget that nightmare. Komodo dragons? No thank you, bye. So I didn’t get too close to one of his relatives.
To conclude, here’s to wine, travels and writing, peeps.
My goal for Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge is 40 books.
I’m currently a bit behind schedule; exactly 13 books behind Goodreads so kindly reminds me whenever I log in. I am however determined! My unhealthy habit (or healthy, depending how you look at it) of ticking off lists and challenges has taken over. Here’s my list so far:
26 books to go!
Currently Reading: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I want to be an author. I want to live comfortably off my writing. I want writing to be my career, without the need of doing a mismatch of jobs to get by. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I want to be a successful author.
It’s really scary saying to yourself, “Okay, this is what I want to do with my life, and I’m going give absolutely everything I have to try and make it happen.” I find it even scarier saying it to others. It makes it so real when you voice your ambitions to someone else. Someone else now knows what you want from life. They will know if you succeed, but more terrifyingly, will know if you fail.
This fear of failure can trap me sometimes. I’m so petrified of everyone seeing me as a loser that I can completely shutdown. I’ll stare at my laptop with a blank page and do absolutely nothing. Instead I’ll keep myself busy with binge watching tv-shows, or finding a friend who is free to have a coffee. Sometimes I’ll wrap myself up in a bundle of blankets and have a nap. This nap is usually too long to be classified as a nap, which magically manages to quadruple my guilt. Also, I often just read 300 pages of a book at a time. I’ll tell myself that I need to read a lot to be an author. I mean, yeah that’s true, but I’m never ever going to be an author if I don’t actually write a damn book.
I have high ambitions and expectations of myself, however I believe in myself enough to know that I can achieve what I set out to do. I just can’t let the fear of failure get in my way. I am writing this post to put myself out there. Anyone who wants to know, can now know what my goals and aspirations are. Everyone with google, who is willing to weed through the seemingly hundreds of thousands of Emma Mackenzie’s in the world, can know in time if I have given up and failed. I also don’t want to fail by simply not trying.
I always try to think of this JK Rowling quote:
“Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all- in which case, you fail by default.”
I don’t want to be that person who fails by not attempting to get what they want out of their life. This post is a way of promising myself that I will fight to be an author. I’ve put myself out there and told the interwebs of what I want in life. I hope the anxiety of potentially telling people I have failed will kickstart that journey, until I’m purely writing because it’s what I love doing. That end result sounds like a healthier option, hey?
I have stories I want to tell. I want to share the worlds of my writing with others. I’m not going to let my fear of being a failure and an embarrassment stop myself from trying. How about coming on my journey with me?