Over the summer I was lucky to meet, work with, hang out and stay friends with some amazing, ambitious and creatively successful people. Working closely with celebrities made me look at ‘the dream’ I chase. I don’t think there’s a writer among us who doesn’t want their work shared, adored and bought by others.

Nora Ephron has a great quote – ” I don’t care who you are. When you sit down to write the first page of your screenplay, in your head, you’re also writing your Oscar acceptance speech”

And so, I chase the dream… I write, I compromise, I miss things, I stay up late, I say no thanks when I want to say yes please and mostly, I keep ‘my dream’ fixed in my mind. That day will come…

My visual for chasing the dream is similar to running along a beach on a beautiful summers day with my hair flapping out behind me, sand in between my toes, wind in my face, (funnily enough it also sounds like a gap advert). It’s always just that teeny bit ahead, it’s fun, it’s frivolous and chasing it (in a fleece hoodie and fitted jeans) is a brilliant feeling!

This, I guess is my happy place! I love the vision of freedom (not to mention casual fashion)  it creates in my mind.

What I noticed over the summer is that the comedians shared personal stories on stage. Making a room full of people laugh is on par with keeping a reader entertained.  Although delivering comedy leaves you much more naked and vulnerable.  I saw a few people die up there on stage. Showing your own material is brave and any ideas I harboured about getting on stage, will wait. However, it reiterated to me that, ‘you write what you know’.

While I am not going to get on stage and spout about myself, my life, my thoughts, my observations, I will write them down for you to read. For years I have ran around spouting about ‘writing what you know’ yet I haven’t kept as close to that as I believe I should. Until now…

The book I am writing is loosely based on my own diary when I was 20. (A lot less Bridget and much more Adrian). Weren’t we all awkward back then?

Aren’t we all still a bit awkward now?

I definitely am. To the point I stupidly forgot to back up my hard drive and lost a whole four years of writing. (yikes!) In true Karlie fashion, I have adapted well. I can still do this. Most of what you want to achieve comes down to creativity, adaptability and ambition.

I’m surrounded by great people at college, and consider myself so damn lucky to be surrounded by an awesome bunch at work too. My life is a hotpot of creative, ambitious minds and I fecking love it. My ambition burns brightly among them.

Without writing ‘what I know’ and fully committing to the moment, I worry my dream will stay a visual. So taking my lead from these brave dudes, it is time to wake up some ghosts and become a little more naked and vulnerable.

xx