With age comes wisdom. Sometimes.
Anti-Dotage was originally conceptualised as a blog that would take a fun look at reaching some of life’s milestones. As the name would suggest ( haha it’s so amusing getting older) it was to have featured thoughts on the vagaries of middle and late middle age and how to find an antidote to frumpery, ageism, the painful realisation that you will never wear a bikini again, to being laughed at by your children, to feeling left behind by technology and all the other surprises that come with turning 40…then 50…and recently 60.
Instead, whilst I procrastinated and delayed, getting older in the process, it has morphed into a collection of other writing.
It features pieces of flash fiction that I initially wrote during lock down, and more recently short stories that I submit monthly on www.deadlinesforwriters.com plus some other jottings of my own invention.
It is eclectic, sometimes humourous, sometimes reflective and hopefully represents who I am. Thank you to Willem Viljoen for the landing page photo which he entitled Lonburg, and which blends my two ‘home’ cities.
Enjoy reading!
About Deryn
Born and bred in Manchester UK, with a degree in French from the University of Exeter, Deryn arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1995 via Spain, France and Greece. And London.
She has worked in the hospitality industry, in marketing, as a radio and tv producer and was formerly the PR and Communications Manager for South Africa’s buy local advocacy campaign, Proudly South African.
Since 2022 she has been writing freelance for a series of clients including Ogilvy PR, Irvine Partners, the University of the Witwatersrand, Meropa Communications, Ginja Ninja and in the process has learned about crypto currency, online gaming, dairy farming in Eritrea, fintech start ups, and a whole host of subject matter which she has been asked to research and write about.
Deryn has always been an avid reader and writer of stories and she is relieved finally to have achieved the publication of this blog. (Thank you, Heather)
There is also the small matter of Deryn’s novel whose working title is ‘Fran’s Folly’. It is currently doing the rounds with publishers and agents.
Deryn is the mother of 2 sons, middle of 3 sisters and owner of a beautiful rescue Rhodesian Ridgeback called Cecilia.
She is an eternal optimist for herself, her adopted country and the planet, so don’t let her down, world.
If you’d like to get in touch with her, feel free to fill in the form below.