Find your author-joy

What does ‘being’ an author actually look like?

Whatever it means for you – I know one thing… you must try and find your joy!

I remember thinking about what my working life would look like as an author, once I started doing it as a ‘proper job’ that is. I’ll admit straight away that part of me did once fantasise about being some sort of reclusive writer, who locked myself away and didn’t talk to anyone. I’d sit on my own, with my dog for company and simply churn out the words. Bliss!

I realised very quickly that this just wasn’t me – If talking and mixing with people was an Olympic sport, I’d be up there for a medal. So, sitting alone in some sort of writer’s den was never going to be a full-time thing. Being a total newbie to the publishing process, I decided to start putting my work out into the world in ways that would help me test my writing. I visited some local primary schools! The story readings I carried out were a great way to work out what parts of my stories were working well, and which parts needed a tweak.

Not so long ago this prospect would have filled me with dread – but once I actually did it, I instantly got such a lift from being around children. Interacting with them was absolutely joyful; it felt so natural for me. I have a happy background working with children but writing for them was different.

Another thing I did, was approach some well-known organisations with my stories, including the place that inspired my first nature story for children. They loved it! I was lucky enough to meet with an amazing team there who had ideas, like me, about wanting to encourage youngsters to use their surroundings to tap into their own creativity. We were a great match. I designed some wonderful workshops, and I’m glad to say that the story telling/creative activities that I carried out were fully booked (and went down amazingly well).

I can honestly say that it felt so natural for me to do this, and I enjoyed every minute of every date that I worked there. I have carried out various other workshops since, and I’m planning out some school workshop that I have coming up too.

I suppose the main point for me, is that ‘being an author’ looks a lot different to how I once imagined it to be… and it is so brilliant! If someone had promised me years ago that parts of authoring could be this fun, I might have started doing it earlier.

I’ve thought a lot about why the face-to-face aspect of my work has gone so well for me; I think that maybe I’m naturally just happy when I’m working with children. I get a buzz from telling children to tap in their own creativity, and I get a buzz from hopefully breaking down the same scary barriers that I felt in the past, the kind of barriers that may stop them from writing, or thinking about making books themselves one day. (I did get told by one young lad that my voice “doesn’t sound like” what he thought it would – and I’m taking it as a compliment!).

Another important element of the in-person work for me, I think goes back to why I actually write in the first place. I’ve always had a real love for writing stories, and everything I write is real and genuine; I’ve never felt pressured to fit any mould or to write something that didn’t feel quite right for me. I think that when you feel like this, it’ll come across. You’ll feel comfortable talking about your stories, and your enthusiasm and readiness to answer questions about them will shine out too. There will be lots of other writers who are sat at home with ideas that are collecting dust, but they sit there waiting for some kind of ‘go-ahead’ from someone to land in their inbox.

My point is, there are lots of different ways to ‘be’ an author - find your own way of enjoying it! Whatever your route into publishing may be, authors have lots to offer besides sitting behind a desk and writing (and children can benefit from this too- so go, do it!).

Everybody enjoys different things, which is great - some people recoil at the thought of the meet-and-greets, but I love them now!