Who Is The Inspiration?

Nervous, scared, anxiously looking around the room, feeling like every word you say is being judged.  This are recognisable feelings in everyone, and that is before you start to share your writing.

But I’m not talking about the new writing students here, those who are determined to fill a lifelong ambition and who embark on my courses and workshops. I am referring to me, the writing coach.

Each intake of students is different, but all look to me wide-eyed for inspiration, motivation and the answer to ‘So when do I call myself a writer?’ That is a question I have been getting to grips with for the last few years myself. 

As a previous teacher of high school English, then coming home to look after my own family, I got into a rut, and then was too tired to write, as we all know, procrastination and writing are close neighbours. 

The Idea’s Well seemed to dry up. Now as a full-time writer I spend a lot of time on my own. As a younger writer, ideas flowed freely, there were many reasons but, I believe a lively social life fuelled by alcohol and a lack of internet fuelled most. Now, ideas stem from the backlog that have been gathering dust, from interaction with family and what I soak up from tv, films and books.  Links with the outside world have diminished the more I write. Over a year ago, hungry for a writing community in my town, I thought the best way to put something into it was through coaching other want-to-be-writers. I enthusiastically welcomed the concept of a change, teaching adults who actually wanted to learn.

Over the last few years I have noticed my writing had a commonality about it, the backbone being family relationships.  My main genres were drama and romcom, family was a prominent trait in both. Here in was in my problem. For the past twenty plus years, my life had been blinkered. My every waking thought went to family, even without realising it. It was slap in the face obvious to anyone who read my work, I lacked new material.

Despite advising and coercing each student to ‘have-a-go’ at as many genres as they can, try various points of view, until they discover their own voice and writer’s DNA, it was something I forgot to do myself. I also seemed to have overlooked where I got my inspiration from.

That was another thing, after a two-year Masters in screenwriting, I had lost my spontaneity. 

Each student has and is a welcome breath of fresh air. A new perspective on life that you don’t realise you are missing until they start to write their words and timidly share them with the class.  I soon noticed I craved my weekly classes, to get a glimpse into each student’s world, it dawned on me what I had been missing. 

As part of the class, I give writing prompts, either a word or a starter sentence, letting it take them where ever they felt it going.

Listening to the different reactions to the same prompt, I started to wonder what if I did more, took a leaf from what I am teaching? 

Here I was an unpublished (in prose not commercial writing) writing coach, giving out advice on how to get published. 

Over the years I had lost not just a social life but confidence in myself as a ‘creative’ writer, yet I still had faith in the process of writing to motivate and engage with these new writers.

The courage it took this new community to first admit they want to write, then to attend a course and share their personal and sometimes emotional stories with a class of strangers was unfaltering. They didn’t think, they just read. As simple as that. I was bowled over. I remember that first night going home and writing a piece totally different to my ‘usual’ stuff. I have stayed inspired and fresh with ideas since that first night. I have a romcom film script with a producer, interest in a tv comedy drama series from another. I am about to send off a feature length film that I completed for my post grad degree, and I have not one but two novels in final edit. I have completed a radio drama that will be played firstly on our new podcast (The Coffeehouse Writer) which was conceived after my masters, and deals with writing and anxiety with a strong focus on writing for well-being. 

While I am waiting for my novels to return to, I have started a theatrical play adaptation. In fact, I have the next two years lined up with writing projects, not including starting a PhD in September.

Now my students are on the eve of having an anthology of their work published.

This comes the biggest benefit of being a writing coach, pride in my students and their work. Their work and concepts have stimulated my own. It has allowed me take part in a wider world I had forgot existed.  Not only that but by critiquing their work, has made my own sharper, I hone into inconsistencies sooner, I plan both my work and my time better and am overall more productive.

I am often asked If would give up teaching if I made it ‘successful’. My answer is a steadfast no. My classes and workshops keep me going as a writer. Without them I wouldn’t have rediscovered my confidence, courage and inspiration.  

To answer the question earlier, I tell my class they are a writer the minute they take out their pen and notebook or laptop. As soon as the first words hit the screen/paper that’s is when they can call themselves writers.

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips