Time to Move Forward

Writing to me has been a huge learning curve. I haven’t just had to learn about how to write, but how to step outside my comfort zone too.

I’ve always been painful shy and lacked confidence.

Britain may be one of the richest countries in the world, but there is poverty here too. My parents were uneducated, leaving school with no qualifications. My mother had learning difficulties and now would be classed as autistic.

My siblings and I received just a basic education, though I did miss out on quite a lot of education due to the sudden death of my form teacher, Miss Brown. My classmates and I were move from one class to another as the school had been unable to find another form teacher to take over Miss Brown’s lessons. In today’s world this would not have been allowed to happen.

Another reason why I missed out on some of my education was because I was chosen to run errands for my form teacher, (after other teacher was allocated for us,) and for our head mistress. I found myself sitting in a corridor waiting for ages. I even asked if I could return to my class, but was told that I may be needed. Something else that would not allowed to have happened. Education is important.

I think this is why I hate time wasting and why I always need to be busy.

Through self-education and determination I have been busy transforming myself through writing. Last weekend I traveled up to London with my husband and two friends, Ana and Joan for the launch of the Waterloo Festival anthology Transforming Being

Bridge House Publishing has helped me to build my confidence as a writer not just because they have accepted my work for their anthologies but because they launch their books at events in London.

Here we get to meet up with other writers and read our work aloud to an audience. Moments before I step up to the mic, a small voice in my head is always quick to try to talk me out of it. Telling me I’m not good enough… I’m just showing off, no one wants to hear my stories… who do I think I am? All those nagging voices from my past that have always put me down seem to get louder.

So far I have proved them wrong.

Thanks to Gill James and Debz Brown as well as my husband, cousin Valerie and my friends who came along to support me, I’m growing stronger and get a real buzz from standing in front of an audience.

So until the next time, keep follow your dreams.

Happy writing or if you’re like me, keep plotting.

Paula R.C.