Writing fiction can seem intimidating, especially if you’re just starting out with aspirations to write for a living. The hardest step is often the first; knowing how to start and plotting a realistic career path. It’s important to remember that even the most successful authors started somewhere.

Loss is an inevitable part of life, and it can leave us feeling devastated, overwhelmed, and forever changed. I was extremely fortunate, and I didn’t experience any major loss in my life until I reached my mid-30s. But when I did finally face the loss of a loved one, it hit me hard. Within a year, I lost the two people in the world I was closest to, and it changed my outlook on life.

As writers (or aspirants), we often find ourselves grappling with the question of when we can ourselves writers. After all, the title of “writer” seems to carry a certain air of sophistication and intellectualism that most of us don’t feel we have earned. I’ve often been asked what I do and backed out of saying I’m a writer. Or worse, someone introduces me as a writer, and I immediately feel like a fraud. But maybe that’s the level of self-loathing and doubt seen as an essential quality in a creative writer.

We all have days when we can’t write. It can be a form of torture. Writer’s block can come out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s down to burnout or fatigue, but more times than not, it’s a lack of inspiration. You’re at your desk, in front of a blank screen, with nothing holding you back, but you don’t ‘feel’ it. You can’t find that spark or enthusiasm to spread the words onto the page.