I’ve always loved reading stories in magazines and
newspapers about people who got made redundant, forcing them to step out and turn
their career dream into a reality. But I always feel sad too that they didn’t do
this until they had few or no other options.
I keep noticing even more of that situation at the moment. I’ve become addicted to Masterchef Australia
and nearly all the final 24 contestants on it have had to give up their jobs in
order to take part and pursue their ambition of a career in food (the Aussie
version operates on a kind-of Big Brother house idea for several months, rather
than the simpler UK format). Because I’m
watching series 3 (on the Really channel) and it was actually aired in
Australia in 2011, I’m able to google the contestants and see what they’re up
to now. Pretty much everyone has moved
forward in seeing their dream become a reality and are now involved in the food
industry on a full-time basis.
I see it more around me as well. My neighbour is about to be made redundant and
hopes to finally have the opportunity to try to write a children’s book and get
into textile art. A good friend has
always loved photography but didn’t think it could be a real job until
recently. It’s taken time for her to
find the courage to reduce her work hours in order to really develop that business
and that dream!
And then, of course, there’s me! I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid,
but lots of people do and so I thought it was just a ridiculous dream to be put
to one side.
I know it's a bit idealistic but I love the idea of people being able to work
at doing whatever it is that they're really talented at. Everyone would benefit
from more people being fulfilled by their work and doing a great job coz
they’re passionate about and good at what they’re doing.
Using our gifts and talents to their full potential is Biblical. Jesus makes that clear in the
famous parable of the talents and Peter reiterates it later in the New
Testament when he says that “each one should use whatever gift he has received
to serve others.” In this great podcast about
“Calling” (i.e. vocation, life work, etc.) from Christchurch London, Andy Tilsley asks a pertinent question which really hit home with me – “What are your
passions and skills and gifts and are you making a contribution [to society] with
them?”
Why don’t we follow our dreams? I’ve taken so long to follow mine and I’ve
blogged about some of the reasons that got me finally started on this
path. If you’re not following your
dreams, why not? Life’s far too short
not to do what you really want to do!!
Obviously there’s a very real need to put food on the
table. But as so many people who’ve been
made redundant have found that necessity is often what provides the motivation
to work even harder at their new venture.
In fact, if we try to do our “dream” as a sideline, without the motivation
of not starving (!), we often don’t get anywhere with it or we certainly don’t
get there quickly.
Fear is a biggie too.
There’s no guarantee of success with something new or different. Society tends to define us by our jobs – “what
do you do?” is a common conversation opener.
Without a “real” job we can be unsure who we are or concerned what
people might think of us, when paid employment is the norm. It takes courage to step out. One of the key motivating factors for me to get writing was
not wanting to be on my deathbed thinking “I wonder what would have happened if
I’d actually written that book?”. I’d
rather give it a go and fail than always wonder “what if…?”.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the
judgement that something else is more important than fear.” (Ambrose Redmoon)
When I tell people I’m working on being a writer, I often
see the same look come over their face which says “hmmm, in your dreams!”.
Yes, you’re right!
In my dreams for a long time. But
definitely a work in progress towards becoming a reality and one that I’m going
to give my best shot :-)
I love reading - the perfect day would definitely include
time chilling out with a book - but it's one of the first things to get pushed
to the bottom of the pile when I'm busy. When I do read, it is a
dangerous activity as well though coz if a book's any good, once I've started
it then I become desperate to get to the end and can't put it down!
There's a serious risk that I'll forget to keep appointments, pick my
kids up from school or feed them :-)
However, one of the principal pieces of advice given by
published writers to wannabe writers is "read, read, read" or to put
it another way "the more you read, the better you'll write". Since
realising that reading is such an essential part of my "work" as a
writer, I protect it better and it stays much higher up my priorities list.
Hurray :-)
When I started this blog I didn't consider including book
reviews as part of it. Despite my degree being English Literature and
Language, I hated having to deconstruct and analyse books in tutorials.
All I knew is whether or not I enjoyed them. Enjoyment is still my
primary concern when reading, but now I also understand that how enjoyable a
book is is mostly down to how well it's written.
And when I've found something I enjoy then I want to
share it with people :-)
"Torn" by David Massey is about a 19-year-old
girl/woman, Ellie, a newly qualified British Army medic, on her first tour in
Afghanistan. There's a compulsory love interest in the background, but the main
action centres around the battle in Afghanistan in general and 2 Afghan kids in
particular.
As the story and the situation unfold it becomes
increasingly difficult to see who's right and wrong, friend or foe. The
lines shift and blur between the UK/US Army, the Afghan people, the Taliban,
the Afghan Security and the kids. This is not a place or situation where things
are black and white, but many many shades of grey.
How can you tell what's true and right in a situation,
especially one as brutal and confusing as this? It's an intriguing and
challenging story as you're pulled one way and then the other with the
characters, as the adventure progresses, more information comes to light and
the "truth" seems first one thing and then another.
It's pretty gruesome in parts and there are inevitable
deaths, but it wouldn't be at all realistic without that, given the setting ,
and I thought each situation was handled well.
It seemed such a realistic portrayal of life in a
front-line battle situation to me that I was convinced the author must have had
first hand experience. Apparently not, if the acknowledgements at the end
of the book are to be believed - he's picked up a lot of it from Call of Duty
(!) and friends (who may have first hand experience?). This surprised and also
intrigued me as one of the other fundamental principles of writing is
"write what you know". It also encouraged me as one Young Adult
book idea I'm playing with involves a CBRN incident and although I have some
insight into what might happen (thanks to a great training course I attended
last year), I've never actually been in a CBRN incident thankfully! It's
a relief to remember how much work the imagination does, although realism and
authenticity are still important.
What I love about "Torn" is what I love about
YA fiction as a genre - it deals with difficult issues and situations in a
realistic and thought-provoking way. It's pacy and pithy, because its shorter
than adult fiction, so it stimulates rather than drains. It takes you on a
journey where you learn more not just about an actual situation, but also about
how people react and behave in these situations. This consequently makes
me consider what I would do if faced with the same scenarios and choices.
You could call it personal character development through fiction!
Enjoying a book is a good thing for any reader.
Understanding why and what I enjoy about a book is an even better thing
for me as a writer!
(P.S. If you'd like a "real" review of Torn,
then there's a great one here! - http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/posts/review-torn-david-massey/)
