Last year, something clicked in my brain. I had been pushing away the urge to write for years. I had to study medicine, then work as a doctor, and raise four kids. There was no time in the day and no energy left in my brain. But last year, this changed.
In March 2023, I had to take unexpected leave from work. I had been having increasingly frequent health problems, most likely the result of chronic stress and burnout. Working as a rural doctor through COVID and a severe local doctor shortage had taken its toll. My body and mind were screaming at me to stop. So, I did. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. The guilt and shame were overwhelming.
My colleagues were wonderful, and in the end it was my long term GP mentor who gave me the permission I needed step away. She was right, but when you have spent a lifetime putting everyone else's needs before your own, it is a difficult pattern to break.
I continued teaching and supervising, as I needed the income (I am our family's breadwinner), but I closed my appointment books for a while. Those first few days I felt quite lost. I was still running on adrenaline, unable to sleep or sit still. I was also completely exhausted. After a few weeks, I started sleeping again. I thought I would never stop. I would drop my kids off at school, return home and fall asleep again. It was a strange time.
As days turned into weeks, I started feeling a little better. My headaches were less frequent. The tummy pains subsided. I felt restless inside, wanting to do something worthwhile with the extra time in my week.
As if by divine intervention, an ad appeared on Instagram. Write Your Novel In A Year. An online course with zoom meetings and the opportunity to connect with other aspiring writers. I had been following the creator, Josephine Moon, on social media for a while. I had a feeling this would be a good fit for me. Living in a remote rural area, I relished any opportunity for connections online. So, I signed up.
I had a kernel of an idea when I started and had written about 10,000 words of a middle grade fantasy novel. But I honestly didn't know how to finish it. I had never written a novel before. I had an instinctive idea about dramatic arcs from reading so much in my younger days, but desperately needed some direction.
The program ran on Sunday mornings for around 2-3 hours. I blocked off those days as I wanted to attend live, but we had the option to watch the recordings if we couldn't make it in person. I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect, but I loved it. Jo was very warm and open, happy to answer questions and give us some insight into her own writing process. The course was also a safe space for neurodiverse writers, with freedom to switch our camera off or take breaks if we wanted.
The course covered all the basics we needed - character, point of view, genres, plotting structures, creating tension etc. It was structured nicely with time for Q&A throughout each session and at the end. We were sent useful handouts and links.
Jo has published many books, so she also has useful insight and experience in the publishing industry. She was very generous in sharing this knowledge and giving tips on finding agents, pitching events, writing query letters and building networks.
One of the best parts of the course for me was when we were split into small groups, to connect with writers interested in similar genres. One of the people I met has become a good friend, and we continued to meet on Sunday mornings to chat or do writing sprints together.
Did I finish my novel? Well, almost. I got out the first draft but decided to stick it in a drawer for now. I think it was the book I needed to write for myself, just to get started. I have carried on, however. I am part-way through writing a non-fiction book about rural birthing stories and am planning a historical fiction novel that fills me with joy.
Once you do a course with Jo, you are invited to attend quarterly online coaching calls on Zoom, for as long as you like. I have continued to go to these, as I enjoy catching up with the other writers and we can tell Jo about what we are working on and ask advice on writing and the publishing industry.
There are many options out there now for 'write your novel' courses, each with their own selling points. I think the greatest strength of Jo's course was that it was smaller, more personal and allowed us to build connections as well as learn about writing craft.
And yes, after a few months of rest I did return to clinical work. It is harder to find time for writing now I am back to a full-time workload, but I determined to keep going. There are few things in life that bring me the joy writing does.
Josephine Moon's website can be found here. I have absolutely no financial or other interest, I just think she's awesome.
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