Úna O'Malley
LOCATION: ON
The streets that were quiet until they weren't. The chessboard of brick and grass; house, lawn, house, lawn, house, field, house, row of shops, lawn. Grey and brick and green into the horizon. My earliest memories hail from Stevenage. My first friendship, with a foundation of nothing but laughter. Years of school, art class and the library my sanctuaries. Anything involving sport my nemesis.
Leaving home for the first time...
Green thinned out and grey slotted in when I moved to a city. Wolverhampton was good to a student. University libraries are a city of their own compared to school libraries. The only running was running late to lectures.
A saltwater call in my veins I wasn't aware of was answered when I moved to Southsea. I watched the blue waves lapping the pebbles, tasted the salt on the air, and heard the cry of the gulls. The feeling of home and adventure became one and the same.
Then, a new adventure. A journey north to Yorkshire. Where I currently reside and await the next plot twist...
EDUCATION
It was the smoggy corridors of Wolverhampton where I first studied the art of storytelling.
Passing buildings of old and new on my way to lectures. Aging beige ornate carvings among grey slabs and silver windows.
The squeal of brakes on train tracks as they pulled into the station was often my morning alarm. The flats that warmed me when it snowed, cradled me when I cried, and held textbooks I never read, became as familiar as my childhood home.
Hours spent at my laptop. At the library. Laughing with my coursemates. Stressing with my coursemates. Pulling my hair out. Punching the air after a good grade. A really good grade. Being more than an average student for the first time in my life.
Then, finally, getting that First Class.
I next studied writing in Bournemouth. A train-ride away from Southsea. Its salt spray and symphony of gulls mirroring home, but its beach golden with sand instead of Southsea's enduring stone. Train rides became as much a part of my life as lectures, a paradoxical solitude surrounded by other commuters.
Lectures on storytelling within a novel were paired with lectures on storytelling on our social media. Who is your character, what do they write, what are their qualifications?
A Distinction, in this case.
LOVES
Books.
To get the cliche out of the way with, I'll address the magical paper-bound doorways to other worlds. A distraction, avoidance or escape for anyone lucky enough to discover them. Life support for the minds of the suffering. Or those at risk of perishing from boredom.
Food.
More than sustenance, fuel, a necessity.
Something to be enjoyed. To be savoured. Appreciated. Whether it's a quick snack, reliable to its maker. Risk free. Familiar.
Or whether it's a dirty burger loaded with creamy mac 'n' cheese. Wholesome for the fact it isn't, in the way that counts.
Or a delectable dish in an expensive restaurant. Deceptively filling despite its size. A treat. A celebration.
Design.
Pretty things. Fashion, interior, anything that offers aesthetic. Aesthetic establishes a character. We do this in the real world too. Present our own characters with the pattern on our bedding, the colour of our clothing. More so, visual satisfactions are good for us. They make us happy. Paint your room. Curate your outfit. Be happy.
Writing allows me to indulge in these things. A paragraph detailing a table of foods; flavours and fragrances enriching the page. Gowns and suits woven together by threads of words describing the colours and textures of the fabrics.
You want to know what I love?
You'll find it in my writing.
WRITING
What do I write?
Lists.
Notes.
Reminders.
Dreams.
But those aren't the writings you're here for.
A romantasy novel.
Knights, queens, castles.
Cobblestone streets and lively taverns.
Swordplay, victory and loss.
A conflict between kingdoms intertwined with a love story.
A princess who loves her kingdom, caught between duty and desire.
Short stories from fantasy worlds.
Exploring conflicts on a smaller scale.
The villagers who don't have great heroes to rely on.
Imagined futures and reinvented pasts.
The consequences of the events, the choices, along a timeline.
Stories of hope. Of unlikely heroes.
Like Celeste.
And stories of loss. Of villainy.
With more to come...