Getting Started
The Tortoise Finally Enters The 2025 Race
Getting Started
I’m only just getting started this year, having fallen prey to a nasty virus which started on New Year’s Day. While it was not a pleasant experience(!), I did draw some positives from two weeks in my sick bed.
Firstly, I was very grateful that neither my husband nor I ended up in hospital. Our health service is under huge pressure at the moment and I’m very glad that neither of us needed extra care this time. My thoughts are with all the staff struggling to keep on top of things, plus any poor souls who have needed to be admitted.
Secondly, being ill meant I had to stop working. This is a bigger deal than you might think, because over the past two or three years (maybe longer?), I’ve been following my own advice of ‘write every day,’ which, in my case, included birthdays, Christmas Day, etc. etc. You might call this dedication, and writing every day certainly helps to maintain momentum. But I think there was also an element of obsessive behaviour, and a mistaken belief that if I showed up, worked harder, wrote more, then I would have some sort of career breakthrough. Fame and fortune would surely come my way.
I had very clear goals for last year – to produce the fifth Supermarket Mystery and self-publish a non-fiction book – and there was a certain satisfaction to achieving both. I learnt a lot, I tackled things that worried me, and I was very proud of the quality of both books. But could I have achieved the same result if I’d cut myself a bit of slack, had a few more days out, or even holidays? Yes, I could.
I write every day because writing is my happy place, which is fine. More than that, it’s brilliant having something that can stretch my brain cells, tap into my creativity and be thoroughly absorbing. However, the last few weeks have taught me that it’s not everything, and that it’s okay to step back and rest, and replenish the creative well. I look forward to working a little differently this year, keeping an eye out for new opportunities, and trying to find more balance.
Talking of which, this week I marked my re-entry into society by interviewing Anna Wickens and Paddy Magrane about their inspiring book, Both Sides of the Couch, at Bookhaus Bristol. We had a great conversation and the audience was brilliant with many thoughtful and incisive questions at the end.
In February, I will be joining Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Festival of Libraries, by giving a talk about my life and times and running a cozy mystery writing workshop on Saturday 15th February at Bath Central Library, and also attending the Author and Small Publisher Fair on Saturday 22nd February. https://baneslibraries.co.uk/festival-of-libraries/
Perhaps I’ll see you there?