This year, I have made significant changes in my life. It has been 12-months since I left the safety of the nine to five in order to forge a different path for myself. Back then, a year felt like an eternity. In reality, it has gone in the blink of an eye. I thought that by the end of my grown-up gap year, I’d be well established in my new life. A year on, I’m still no clearer as to what my future holds. It’s a daunting thought and, if I dwell on it too much, it’s also a disheartening one.
Looking for signs
A year ago, I didn’t have a plan beyond an initial training course that I’d signed myself up to. This meant that I had to follow my intuition and (yes it’s woo woo) signs from the universe. I couldn’t predict where this adventure would take me, but I had faith that it would be in the right direction.
While I thought that I wanted to write non-fiction for magazines and newspapers, the NYC Midnight competition, suggested to me by a friend, led to me writing fiction. Then I saw the Bridport Prize advertised on Instagram. For this, I wrote the first three chapters of a fictional novel.
Next, that same friend asked me to edit some of his work, which reminded me of my earlier enrolment at the College of Media and Publishing. I re-enrolled and I’ve just completed a diploma in proofreading and editing.
Hablo Español (translation: I speak Spanish)
Six months ago, when I was lamenting my lack of progress, I wrote about my disappointment at not learning a language. Off the back of this, and as a way to avoid the temptations of the internet, I joined Preply. Alexandra, my tutor, speaks to me in Spanish and I, only understanding one in every 10 words, mostly look like a deer in the headlights.
Learning anything new is hard the older you get and by the end of each lesson, my head hurts. Still, I’m loving it. I practise sentences when I go for a run. I revise verbs while I’m waiting for my daughter to come out of school. I’m excited for the day when I can understand one in every five words. When I can hold down a conversation: imagine. For now, I have fun speaking Spanish at my husband. He says it annoys him but he’s just jealous because he has no idea what I’m saying. As far as he’s concerned, I’m already fluent.
Positive thinking a year on
At the start of all of this, I struggled with motivation. I was out of my comfort zone and the safety of daytime TV was alluring. Still, despite a huge amount of procrastination (daytime TV is now banned), I”m pleased with what I have achieved. I’ve completed a three-month journalism course with The Guardian, I’ve re-trained as a proofreader and editor, I’ve set up a blog (all by myself) which I post to every week and I’m pretty much fluent in Spanish.
I’ve also made a good start on my first fiction novel. Next I’m working on a memoir, again for the Bridport Prize. I don’t expect anything from the competitions. I use them as a tool to keep me accountable and to encourage me to try different writing styles.
We are living though a cost of living crisis though, and I’m keen to start earning some money. Long-term I am planning for a portfolio career. I’ll develop the blog, pitch to newspapers and magazines and pick up some freelance editing work.
I’m not where I thought I’d be a year on, but I never knew where ‘there’ was. I have had the best time though, nobody to report to, my days my own. I finally feel like I’m living the life that was meant for me and I’m excited to see what comes next.
