An A - Z of Blogfest 2014: Part 2

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Last week, I wrote An A - Z of Blogfest 2014: Part 1. It is now time to embark on part 2 with the letters L - Z. 

I must admit that I hadn't fully thought this alphabet through when I published the first post. This second part is going to be tough. Wish me luck and please forgive me if I take a few liberties with some of the trickier letters.

L is for laughter - I started laughing at the beginning of the day and I don't think I ever stopped. I actually gave myself a sore throat from guffawing so much. Lucy Porter's demonstration of how a man might use a penis beaker was particularly pant wettingly hysterical!

Trying to find my funny with Katy from What Katy Said (Photo courtesy of the lovely Karen from Stopping at two).

M is for Mark Warner Holidays - The lovely folks from Mark Warner Holidays were at the event. They were giving away a £6,000 family holiday to Rhodes. I'm still gutted that I didn't win.

N is for networking - I hadn't attended a networking event since leaving my career as a legacy fundraiser. The thought of being surrounded by masses of people I didn't know made me nervous. In the end, I may not have worked the room but I did talk confidently to a number of bloggers I had never met before .

O is for Oxfam - The charity Oxfam were there with the company Unilever to talk about Project Sunlight. The aim of this project is to create a world where "everyone lives well and lives sustainably". They also launched the #ClearAPlate campaign. In the UK we waste 11,500 tonnes of food every year. Yet there are thousands of families who go hungry or have to visit foodbanks to put a meal on the table. The aim of this campaign is to eliminate food waste by encouraging people to clear their plate. If you would like to support this campaign and Oxfam's work throughout the UK then please text PLATE to 70066 to donate £5.00.

P is for passion - Passion from the writers on the panels talking about their craft. Passion from the bloggers wanting to learn as much as they could. And passion from the brands who attended to talk about the work they were doing.

Q is for quotes - There was an abundance of quotable notables on the day. Here are just a few examples:

"Even an arsehole can change your life." Francesca Martinez

"Fuck it, I'll busk it." Lucy Porter

"Never tell anyone you're writing a book because of the pity in their eyes." Nick Hornby

"Ignore the housework and just write." Rachel Joyce

R is for regrets - I had a number of regrets about the day. The main one being that I regret that I did not pluck up the courage to hand out more business cards and speak to more people.

S is for self-confidence - I left the venue feeling confident in my abilties as a writer and a blogger. My blog makes me happy but Blogfest showed me that it can achieve more than this. Whether that is to help one mum who suffers from depression know that they are not alone. Or to make someone laugh. Or to encourage a reader to donate to charity. My writing can make a difference and that realisation is a huge boost to my self-confidence.

T is for trolls - I have always worried about how I would react if I was attacked by trolls. Thanks to Susie Boniface (a.k.a Fleetstreet Fox) I now know that the way to deal with trolls is to correct their spelling, punctuation and grammar. Apparently, it drives them mad.

U is for uniform - I wore my smart mummy uniform of a brightly coloured dress, thick black opaque tights and new black Chelsea boots. 

V is for voice - A writer's tone of voice was a major theme of the day. I now have renewed faith in my voice as a writer and I am going to use it at every opportunity. This may mean that I write more opinionated pieces like my recent post, Role models, feminism and blogging.  

W is for Write like no one's watching - I started reading Charlotte's blog when I became a mum. Her writing inspired me to take my blog in a different direction and that I shouldn't be ashamed to mention my depression. During the day I was able to meet Charlotte and tell her how much I love her writing.

X is for eXceptionally cool stationery (I warned you that I may need to take liberties with the letters) - I  love stationery and Blogfest gave me the perfect opportunity to buy a new notebook and pen. I also ordered some fancy business cards to hand out whilst networking. . 

Oh so pretty!

Y is for youth - I had always worried that blogging was an occupation for the young and that at 36 years of age I was approaching retirement age. Going to Blogfest made me realise that anyone can be a blogger if they want to be. You just need a desire to write.

Z is for zzzzzzzzzzzz! - I was absolutely shattered the next day. Thankfully, my wonderful Mr H took Little Miss H to London Zoo and I was able to spend the whole day in bed. Bliss!

Blogfest was an amazing day. I now have the blogging conference bug and I've already booked myself onto Britmums 2015. 

Were you at Blogfest this year? If so, what did you think? Am I missing anything from my A-Z?

Hugs

Mrs H 

xxxx