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The half-way point
Time is ticking away. I’m cognizant that Sabbatical 2.0 has hit the halfway mark. I’m amazed that we’re here already. It’s going very quickly. Sabbatical 1.0 was only set for four months and I can’t imagine going back to work in just four weeks. Fortunately, I negotiated in an extra couple of months into the new-and-improved version, so I’m not staring that date in the face just yet. So how’s it going? Despite being basically stuck at home, I’m loving it. I’m writing, I’m reading and I’m even getting many of those “I’m too busy to do it” jobs ticked off… Read more…
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Mind over matter (aka throwing oneself at the ground)
I have never wanted to throw myself directly at the ground. Not once have I considered skydiving or bungee jumping. Being parallel with the ground is a different matter. I love ziplines and would paraglide in a heartbeat. And watersports are a definite winner. But throwing myself at the ground just seems foolhardy. A few years ago, my kids and I took a the big “blowout” family holiday – the last chance we would have for one before my eldest became a fully-fledged grownup with the lousy vacation schedule that comes with a first job. We went on a Costa… Read more…
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Sharing fiction fearlessly – well almost fearlessly!
Finally, 2020 is coming to a close. Just a few more days left. Vaccines are in the offing, so there is a reasonable chance that 2021 will be better. I’m counting on it. Way back in March, when the world went crazy, I sadly – and a bit angrily – slammed the lid back on the box of my sabbatical writing plans and turn my attention back to corporate writing and communications. That worked for a while, as we were insanely busy through until at least September. But recently, the seal of that box seems to be failing. Ideas keep…
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A plan without a plan
A few days ago, a friend of mine posted a quote on FaceBook from Mandy Hale that struck me. “You don’t always need a plan,” the blogger turned author wrote. Sometimes you need to just breathe, trust, and see what happens.” It seems particularly appropriate this week, as I’ve got “Sabbatical 2.0” as I’m calling it, papered over at work. While it clearly wasn’t meant to happen in 2020, 2021 is my year – one way or another. At this time last year, I was almost vibrating with excitement. I had my plane ticket booked and my flat booked. I’d told old… Read more…
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Who is your imposter?
I was walking through the woods, listening to a rebroadcast of a webinar about “imposter syndrome” when one of the panelists asked this question: Who is your imposter? If you aren’t familiar with it, imposter syndrome is that feeling that you’re not quite good enough, that you don’t belong – and that someone is about to “out” you as a fraud. First coined in 1978, it’s often associated with high-achieving women. You probably know these women. They’re educated, they hold good jobs and they’ve done well in their chosen professions. They’re humble about their success; they were lucky, they might… Read more…
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Let me tell you a secret
I’ve been keeping a secret. Actually, I haven’t been keeping it very well, because it’s been slowly leaking out among close family, friends and colleagues, like air from a balloon. But its getting closer, so its time to let it out before I burst. I’ve had some ideas bubbling in my mind for a few years. Bits and pieces of stories, settings and characters – all ideas for writing that I have wanted to flesh out. Slowly, bit by bit, they’ve been taking up more time in my head, but with work being pretty much all-encompassing for more years than I’d… Read more…
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It only takes a spark
One of my favourite quotations is from American novelist Edith Wharton. She wrote about two different ways to lead. One is to be the candle that lights the way. The other is to be the mirror that reflects that candlelight. I’ve always thought it was a great metaphor for what Communications professionals do. We help others tell stories. We take the ideas – the original thoughts – they have, shine them up and make them accessible and understandable to the right audiences. I always thought that was exactly what I wanted to do forever. But increasingly I feel as if a tiny spark is growing within… Read more…
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Loosening up the muscles
You know how muscles atrophy when you don’t use them? The seize up and they stop working properly. When left for too long they can actually wither away, causing adjacent damage. That’s how I feel right now about my writing. I took on some big challenges at work at the beginning of this year and that left me with less time than ever to write outside of the office. As a result, my creative writing muscles have weakened. They’re stiff, and even the ‘idea generator’ in my mind is turning over at lower than optimal speed. My writing on this blog suffered as a… Read more…
