Writer Wobbly!

Lots of excitement this week as my second article in the Loveahappyending.com magazine went live! Hooray! When I read the article I did actually feel a little bit in awe that it was me that had written it and it actually wasn't half bad! To see anything I have written out in the big bad worldwide web is a bit of a buzz! You can check out my article HERE. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Although, already I am seeing ways I could have improved it! Is anyone ever really happy with what they have written or are you always subconsciously editing and rewriting stuff long after you have written it?

This week also saw me attending my second creative writing class and this time I did feel a little more confident. And, just when my confidence was growing, I realised that this was the last class before the Summer break! Damn it! However, all was not lost. One lady on the course is arranging a series of literary evenings in her house and asked me if I was interested in attending. Of course I am! And, a couple of lovely ladies in the class invited me to join them on a regular meet up over the Summer to talk about and critique our work. We are going to meet up in a swanky coffee shop, drink tea, eat buns and generally talk about our writing. We might even set each other writing challenges too and I was thinking about how to expand on this idea so if any of you wonderful literary friends have some good ideas for writing prompts or writing exercises then I'd love to hear them!

Having friends with a common interest really does help you to feel part of a bigger community. I do have lots and lots of wonderful author and blogger friends online and I get to meet up with some of them now and again. However, to suddenly become part of a writing community close to home feels really fantastic. Of course, the idea of sharing my writing with real people makes me want to pass out in a dead faint! What if they really hate what I have written. One of them is a journalist and really knows her stuff. What if she thinks I am a fraud!? Oh my god! What if I am a fraud!? What if I deluding myself that I can write!? Yes I know I am having a bit of a writing wobbly here but I think its allowed! Isn't it?  I really do feel like I am entering a whole new phase of my life sometimes and it does feel a little bit scary if I am honest. Ms Irrational Fear is my middle name!

But, just when I was starting to have all this self-doubt, a lovely author friend Sheryl Browne sent me an email to tell me just how great she thought my writing was. Isn't it funny how a few words in an email can hold such tremendous power. Words have the power to transform the fearful into the brave. They have the power to push us to keep taking another step forward when we've been paralyzed with fear for so long. So, thank you Sheryl for doing that for me. So remember.................choose your words carefully. What you say or write can not only change a person's thinking but also potentially transform a life.  What a great gift to give.

All aboard for change!

Well what a busy month May has turned out to be! Lots of changes on the horizon in terms of finding some time to actually get some writing done. After years of working full time I now finally have the opportunity to reduce to part time hours, beginning today! This was always my goal to allow myself to spend more time on book work and my own writing and to eventually give up work altogether. But, the opportunity never presented itself, or if it did, I was too scare to take the leap! A horrible few months in work have meant that my current post has been full of way too much stress and office politics which I won't get into. Suffice to say however that despite me feeling like things were rapidly going downhill and I was feeling constantly unhappy, it had one positive effect. It actually pushed me to seek out change. When I was feeling like things couldn't get any worse, the universe presented me with an answer.............a part time post in an office 5 minutes drive from my house instead of the 54 mile round trip I have been taking to work. So, I applied an got it! Would I have done this before? Probably not. Yes of course the drop in wages will be difficult but already the thought of being able to sit and write for a few hours a couple of times a week and build up my book tour business fills me full of nervous excitement. I feel giddy, scared, nervous and happy all at the same time!

For all you lucky people who work at home full time and write I applaud your bravery! Its a huge step! I'll probably need to be very disciplined in what I do on my days off. I suspect that the only way to make this work is to have a schedule in place. A time-table of work to stick to which I hope I follow religiously. I also suspect that there will be lots of distractions such as social media, offers of coffee mornings and lunches out and slobbing on the sofa eating cake and watching movies. I think the only way to make this successful is to keep reminding myself that those 2 days off are there to earn me a wage and not so I can flit about like a social butterfly. It is of course a disaster that one of my friends has given up work, one is going to be on maternity leave and the other is also changing to part time hours! The possibilities for girlie days out are endless..............BUT I WILL BE STRONG...........unless of course there is cake! And wine! Oh god keep me away from the wine! Who knows, I might even get this damn book edited!