I’m a part-time psych nurse and a part-time writer. In a very short space of time, writing has become an integral part of my life. In no uncertain terms, it’s saved my life.

However, it is no longer just a means for me to survive the adversities of life, it’s also now a means for me to flourish, grow and be grateful for what I have, while giving me the resources to cope with what I have lost.

Anyone that has read any of my recent stories will know that I write mostly satire. On the surface, these stories come across as light-hearted. But take away the puns and jokes, and what’s left are my experiences in this chaotic journey we call life. Hurt and pain drive my writing. This essential dynamic is reciprocal. My writing, in turn, drives my hurt and pain into creativity.

A couple of years ago someone contacted me having read the following story of mine.

Losing Contact With My 3 Children

During the same time I wrote extensively on the experiences of those affected by the issues discussed in the above story. On reflection, I realise the writing process was two-fold. First, I wrote to survive, to make sense of the chaos that I was going through. Secondly, and this is what I did not realise at the time, I was finding my writing voice.

I am now a content writer for a social campaign group that supports children, parents and grandparents that are affected by the same injustice.

I was told it was my genuine voice that stuck out in my above story, and, it was this that got me the job. As a content writer, I suddenly find myself with a task, a plan and a deadline! It’s strange, that only now, since becoming a paid writer, I now consider myself a bonafide writer.

I won’t bore you with my feelings of anxiety and worry over whether I am good enough to do the task that is now expected of me. If I were to ruminate on such matters for too long, I would end up turning this opportunity down. And where’s the benefit in doing that?

So what have I learnt?

Be true to yourself, particularly in your writing. Opportunities will present themselves.

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Originally published in The Partnered Pen, 7th November 2019.