On being brave and trying new things
Summer solstice is a brilliant time for stepping into the light.
Hello and welcome! I am Mel Parks and I run creative writing workshops in Sussex, UK. I began this Substack, Awen, in 2022 as a gathering place for my thoughts about the writing process and to share some stories and creative inspiration along the way. Awen is free to read and share.
I run a weekly Tuesday afternoon (2-3pm UK time) guided creative writing session on live on Zoom for paid members. If you’d like to join, click the subscribe button and choose paid membership for £8 per month or £80 per year. We are meeting every Tuesday until 16 July. Then there will be a summer break and we will begin a new season on 10 September with the theme: RETREAT. This will run until 10 December.
Dear all
This morning, I am feeling scared of starting a new challenge I have given myself. As I mentioned in a previous post, this year, I’ve been getting amazing free support from The Digital Culture Network for people eligible for Arts Council funding in England. The tech champions I’ve spoken to have been lovely and I’ve come away each time feeling encouraged and inspired.
I am working on developing my creative writing business with the aim of it becoming more sustainable so that in the future, I don’t have to rely on freelance work and short-term contracts to make ends meet. It has never been easy to make a living as a writer and in the 20 years since I first went freelance, I have done so many writing adjacent things - copywriting, editing, research, facilitating - but the thing I love the most is creating a space for people to meet and write together, making new connections and gaining new confidence in the power of their words.
Alongside workshops, I want to develop the one-to-one work I am occasionally asked to do and I’m looking at whether this is editing, book coaching or a mix of everything. So I have been saying ‘yes’ to those projects that have come my way and currently, I have lined up:
a novel draft which I’ve been asked to look at for story structure and character development (developmental editing). I will be meeting up with the author to discuss the work and I want to leave her with a clear plan of what to do when I give my feedback (book coaching).
a memoir work-in-progress where the author wants help in how to structure the first draft with overlapping threads - a mix of poetry, fact, and personal experience (book coaching).
a first meeting with someone who has a real-life story they want to tell but no idea how to write it (book coaching; possibly collaborative ghost writing).
Even writing this list has been helpful as I can now see that the area I am most drawn to is supporting other people to write their longer projects (coaching) rather than simply working with words on the page in isolation (editing).
Either way, as I work on these projects, I realise I know more than I think I do (always!) and I want to help more people. This involves getting my message out there. My tech champions have given me some suggestions, some of which I’m excited about (online courses for beginners; ebooks etc) but one thing fills me with dread. This is my challenge and the thing I know I’m going to have to work on next!
The thing is: VIDEO.
I told Dean, the video tech champion, that I am terrified of video. He kindly pointed out that it would help put me back in the shoes of the beginner writer. I mentioned that I appreciated this when I took up bouldering 18 months ago.
Dean laughed - you mean you can climb up high things without ropes and you’re scared of making videos?
Yes, Dean. Exactly that.
He told me exactly what I’d tell a beginner writer:
begin where you are now - with your thoughts in this moment. He suggested I share one tip on video that had come up in workshops each week.
begin with what you have now - my phone. This could apply to writing as well and if you’re more used to talking than writing then beginning with voice recording or video works well.
it doesn’t have to be perfect, just done.
practice - it’s going to feel awkward to begin with but the more you do it, the more you’ll get used to it.
you can do it anywhere - get away from your desk, go out for a walk, go somewhere you feel comfortable.
you can edit later - Dean said, ‘if you find you get into it as you go on, you can always record the beginning again’.
And then he left me with a William Faulkner quote: 'Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good.' I had a wry chuckle to myself as it felt as if I was getting a taste of my own medicine!
So now I’ve told you, I will have to do it (there’s the accountability part of taking up a new challenge). I will be journalling about what exactly scares me and making tiny test videos when I’m feeling energised and brave.
As you step into the light this weekend for summer solstice and full strawberry moon, what can you do that takes an extra dose of courage?
Creative Writing Workshops with me (Mel Parks)
Haiku to Haibun: The Japanese Way of Nature Writing
A nature-based creative writing workshop at Sussex Prairie Garden (in-person) on 1 August 2024. 10-1.30pm.
Book a place by clicking this link.
Tuesday afternoons on Zoom (2-3pm UK time)
£8 per month or £80 per year with a paid Awen Substack subscription.
Next session: Every Tuesday until 16 July and then restarting with a new season on 10 September.
You can come to as many as you are able to.
If you are not able to subscribe (or don’t want to!), then please email me for alternative ways to join.
Becoming a Writer
Monthly Tuesday evenings in East Grinstead (7-9pm)
A monthly creative writing workshop for beginners. Plenty of fun writing prompts, games and activities to get your creative juices flowing.
The Writer’s Notebook
Thursday mornings in East Grinstead (10-12noon)
Series of five weeks beginning on 19 September (19 Sept; 26 Sept; 3 Oct; 10 Oct; 17 Oct)
If you attend my face-to-face groups regularly, you can also attend the Zoom group for no extra charge.
Until next time…
This newsletter was created by Mel Parks, a writer, researcher and workshop facilitator based in Sussex, UK. Mel runs writing workshops locally and on Zoom and researches creativity in midlife as well as her personal connection to nature. She has been widely published and is currently working on a series of moon and plant-inspired essays.
It is free to read and share, but if you value my work, please do stop by my virtual honesty box and leave a handful of loose change.