Let me tell you a story…

It’s about a girl. Could she be a bit like you?

She grew up with her head in a book; obsessed with stories, infatuated with words.

Her heart skipped through lands of Magic Faraway Trees and Marvellous Medicines. She was busy on imaginary adventures with The Famous Five, guzzling lashings of ginger beer.

At school she would write stories and visit the library to stroke books. She would inhale their heady scents and rescue a precious few.

And then one day…

…she grew up and real life got in the way. She became a lawyer, because that was the sort of thing grown up people did.

She never dared dream of becoming a writer. They were magical beings, after all.

But in secret, she would scribble. In the many beautiful notebooks she had collected. On the backs of receipts. On small scraps of paper that floated in handbags.

And somehow those notes began to weave into stories. Long ones, full of love, friendship and laughter. Were they becoming…a novel?

Yes, that was it! There were lots of words now. A full manuscript.

But wait…

Could it be that easy? Weren’t writers like unicorns? And what would she do with this manuscript? She’d typed and edited. She’d written ‘the end.’ So surely it was done? Excellent! She’d write another one.

Although little did she realise that ‘the end’ was just the beginning. Writing novels would be tough. The road would be long and there was much to learn.

There would be feedback and rewrites. Rejection and heartache.

Yet she was determined, wasn’t she? She would fight. Books were her friends, after all. They would teach her structure and character, marketing and mindset. She would blog, build, grow.

But most of all, she would find others just like her. Were they out there?

She would shout from the rooftops…

Gather them in. Share everything she knew. They would do this together, cheering each other on.

Because if our girl had learnt anything, it was this.

Life, like story, was not really about the destination. It was about the glorious voyage on turbulent seas. The wind in her sails, fresh hope, shared tales. And the wonderful people she journeyed with.

So tell me, gorgeous reader. I would love to know. Does our girl sound anything like you?

Wait – can I tell you a secret?

I think she’s me!

And I would love for you to join me; you can be a crewmate too. One of those souls I share news and learnings with. If you sneak your email into the box below, you can join the treasured list.

(There’s a freebie too. Full of tips on how to be more productive so you can find extra time for reading or writing. Ahoy!)

If you want free cheerleading too, you can shimmy along to my Facebook group Chick Lit and Prosecco. I’ll be there with lots of gorgeous readers and writers, just waiting to welcome you.

Big love