Tell us about yourself and your creative background
I’ve always written, I spent most of my time as a child reading books and making up stories. Due to several factors, I ended up studying political science, which is what brought me to the UK. At the end of my degree in France, I had an Erasmus place to come to Cardiff as an exchange student; I was meant to be here for a year, but I’ve never left.
After my degree, I found work in academia first, then in campaigning, but in my private time I joined a writers’ group and did a lot of writing. The group I was in was made up of more mature writers. I was younger, less confident, and struggled with receiving feedback at the time. I really took it to heart, confusing feedback about my work with comments about me as an individual. As a result, I lost my way with writing for some time. I then became a mother and only got back to writing recently. In 2019, my stepdaughters were under a lot of pressure picking their A level and GCSE subjects, and part of me wanted to show them it is never too late to have a change of heart. The timing felt right so I quit my job and started an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at Cardiff University. I wanted the girls to see that when you pick a subject and it’s not the right fit, it’s not the end of the world, you can make different choices and change your path later.
For the MA, I had to write a portfolio, which evolved into my novel. When I graduated, I was offered a place to do a PhD, so that’s what I’m doing now, whilst being a professional writer.
So, what’s your Creative First?
I have two creative firsts, firstly I had a short story published in May with Parthian and shortly after I published a novel with Seren called This Is Not Who We Are. At the age of 44, I become a published author for the first time. It’s been interesting to understand the process of getting published and how the industry works. Now, I mentor emerging writers.
To publish my novel, I started by querying for an agent, but did so during covid when agents weren’t looking for new writers. I then looked for independent publishers and sent Seren my book, even though they weren’t open for submissions. Fortunately, they liked it, and I signed the contract a year ago and the book came out in June.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
The writing itself wasn’t a challenge, mainly because I was doing the MA and had protected time to write and a ready community of people to read my work and give me feedback. Being patient was a challenge, publishing takes time and it’s important to let go and trust the process. It’s also important to remember to prioritise time with family and doing things outside of writing, editing and promoting your book.
Can you share tips for others who want to publish their work?
1) Never underestimate the power of good feedback- if you struggle with receiving feedback, remember they’re not criticising you as a person. Feedback should always be taken as a gift, even if it’s not nice to hear.
2) Create a community around yourself- although writing is seen as an independent activity, you need a community of people who are willing to read your work, be there for you, give you feedback and help you through any rejection.
3) Read, read, read – I’d say the balance needs to be 80% reading, 20% writing. Writing comes from reading. It’s absolutely a part of the writing process, even if it doesn’t feel like you’re working at the time.
Would you approach things differently if you were to start again?
I’d like to say start writing earlier but, for me, now was the right time because I've acquired enough confidence with age to take the knocks and rejection. I don’t think I could’ve dealt with that in my 20s. Next time, I'd try to be more patient, just accepting that things are going to take time. I gave myself a lot of sleepless nights worrying when I should have just let go and trusted things would get done in time.
Why choose Cardiff for your Creative First?
I have lived in Cardiff for 20 years now and I specifically chose Cardiff University because I wanted to work with Professor Richard Gwyn who supervised my masters and is now supervising the PhD. Through writing and co-hosting Writers on Reading - the podcast I’ve met such a welcoming community of authors and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. People have been amazingly supportive, kind and generous with their time. Cardiff's creative community is like a big warm family.
Find out more about This Is Not Who We Are.
Creative Firsts feature
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