Remember to stop once in a while to smell the roses

Small, personal steps of success deserve to be celebrated as much as the big wins Week 42 (Year 1)

Me, a year ago. Still dithering over my Substack name and wondering if I could possibly write something every week.

In a world constantly pushing us to achieve our goals whether personally or professionally, and encouraging us to chase the horizon, sometimes we need to realise it is just as important to stop and stand still for a moment, looking back and appreciating how far we’ve come.

In my case, I have been thinking about my writing life. I may have reached this midway point with as yet an unpublished novel (which sometimes disheartens me), but this is not the sum of my life over the last decades. I have worked part time, raised two sons, looked after a home and our beloved dog, and the latter years overseen the care of my Mum. And amongst all of this I have started and abandoned a few novel ideas, written short stories for competitions, had a nonfiction piece printed in a magazine, written an unpublished children’s novel (more of an experiment to prove to myself I could write a novel before embarking on a longer, adult one), completed the fore mentioned adult novel and am now writing weekly on Substack.

And it is only by managing to carve out tiny pieces of time over the years to do this, that I feel I have reached a point where my writing (to me) is acceptable. I have learnt so much from trial and error, books on writing, writing magazines, authors tips, other writers work and predominantly making myself sit down and actually write. I also now see how it is possible to write something not so good, and after hours of editing turn it into something special. You just need to get the words and general idea down in the first place.

I have also noticed how writing regularly overtime makes the process easier. I still need to edit and experience good and bad days, but the words flow more easily now and I’ve learnt how to give my writing more depth and texture. In the beginning my stories were flimsy and superficial, and it took a long time to get to the point where I can actually feel them, conjuring up my characters and settings as if they are real.

Last year I took a break from working, keen to make my writing more of a priority. I studied memoir and fell in love with it, writing my own pieces along with creative nonfiction. I found my writing voice on Substack and now feel like a ‘real’ writer, taking it more seriously and making it more a part of my life. I can see how it is developing from week to week and every time I gain a new subscriber or follower my heart soars. I love having a live audience for my work and I also learn so much from the whole Substack community. I have discovered so many writers previously unknown to me from fellow Substackers and the online courses I have taken, further enriching and expanding my work. And, even if my first adult novel is not published the traditional way, I now have the self confidence to consider self publishing.

I am now ready to start my next novel, with a strong feeling that one day I will get there. Although from the outside I may not look very successful as a writer, (no accolades, no competition wins, no book deals), I know that I am personally in the best writing place I have ever been. I have shown myself I can come up with a subject to write about every week and developed my unique, online writer’s voice (these being my two main concerns when starting A Year In My Head). I have also completed an adult novel, which is no mean feat. So this week, I am taking a pause and stopping to smell the roses. The little steps I have taken so far are a great achievement for me, I have no reason for disappointment or regret and I am proud of my journey so far. I will continue to work on, one word at a time, pushing my writing to be at its best every time.

Thank you for reading.

Jane

Following along on this note, I have recently subscribed to

Katherine Clements

The Inkwell, liking her ethos behind writing. Again, Katherine is not all about the big wins, but each writer’s personal ambitions. She knows how hard the writing world can be, even for the published author, and is not afraid to tell it as it is. She offers a supportive environment for writers of all levels, with workshops covering such topics as rejection and resilience. I am very much looking forward to being part of her community. We writers need all the support we can find.

Do you stand back once in a while and admire your journey so far, or just keep going? I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Please share this piece with other writerly friends. I would love to see more of you here.