My big leap: from Accountancy Administrator to freelance journalist and
novelist
What I have achieved since Making The Big Leap:
First - and most important - was giving up work to write full-time. I've
since had articles published in magazines including Essentials, CosmoGIRL!,
Mslexia and Practical Parenting. I finished my young adult novel and had a
request for the manuscript from a dream agent. I'm working on my other
novels (all of which were previously stalled).
My top tips for making the big leap:
Well the most important one is just to do it. Leap. That's the hardest
part out of the way. But even once you've made the Big Leap, there are many
more little leaps to be taken. The best thing for me has been finding my
'tribe' as Suzy calls it. I set up an online writing group and they've been
fantastically supportive. In fact, I couldn't have done it without them.
It's taught me not to be afraid to ask for help and to never underestimate
people's willingness to give it.
Also, be nice to yourself. It's easy to get frustrated if things aren't
happening as quickly as you'd like them to, but appreciate that at least
they are happening. If you get overwhelmed then pick one thing you really
want to do and then take the rest of the day off.
My scariest moment and how I overcame it:
I'm scared all the time but that's a good thing. I wasn't scared before
because I wasn't really living. These days I find that the things that
frighten me the most are the same things which make me laugh out loud with
excitement.
I can't think of one single scariest moment. Every time I submit an article
- and when I submitted my manuscript to the agent - I'm terrified. At first
I dealt with it by switching off my phone and not checking my email - if an
editor thought my writing was crap, I didn't want to know. But then I made
a collage of everything I want in my life - pictures of my perfect house, my
writing heroes, even of the breed of dog I'd like to get and a handbag I
love but can't afford - when my enthusiasm or motivation is waning I look at
the collage and then just get on and do what I need to do.
The highlight of the journey so far:
Seeing my article in Mslexia magazine was pretty fabulous. Less than a year
ago I was in Starbucks, putting off going into my office, reading Mslexia
and wishing I could write for a living. And then there was my name
alongside incredible writers like Joanna Trollope and Malorie Blackman.
How Big Leap Coaching Company has helped me:
With constant encouragement, support and belief. Suzy's confidence in my
abilities has never wavered. Suzy inspires me - I never get off a phonecall
with her without feeling like the world's my oyster. That feeling doesn't
always last, but Suzy is always there to remind me of it. She's incredibly
intuitive and calls me on it when I'm hiding from her or slipping back into
old habits. Basically the Big Leap Coaching Company helped me get the life
I've been putting off for too many years.
