Try Something New!

                                    

I was very busy being in a play last month and had no time to do my monthly post. This month, I have struggled - what shall I write about? In the end it became easy: this month I will be musing on the benefits of trying new things. 

I have stepped out of my comfort zone many times - from jumping off a 75 ft tower for a charity some years ago, dying my hair red, black, blond and back again, spontaneous ear-piercing, impulsively starting a business - to experimenting with different styles of writing. It's one of the reasons I like being independently published because I am not pigeon-holed as a one-genre author. Instead I am a multi-genre author and although I began writing Victorian Gothic pastiche and poetry, my poetry evolved into performance pieces and my novel is in a genre I have termed 'Brit-Grit'. It was a departure from my usual style and I ran with it, finding a new voice. Characters swore and misbehaved and I let them write themselves. Even if you have found a winning formula in your writing, I heartily recommend experimenting with a fresh style. It keeps you on your toes if nothing else. 

We have entered the Book Festival season and coming up are a couple of events that will be just the places to try something new creatively. I am part of a writer's workshop for the opening of Felixstowe book festival. https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/felixstowe-book-festival-events-2026 (here's the link to all events)  Writing is a solitary pursuit sometimes, and it is very useful to connect with other like-minded people. When I give talks to people at the start of their writing journey, as I did to MA creative writing students at two universities recently, I am constantly surprised when they write notes earnestly, as if I am some kind of writing guru. I still feel as if I am only a beginner. But then I remember how far I have come in just three and a bit years: I do have a lot of personal experience to bring to the table and some good advice to give others.

My journey started when I decided to take the bold move of leaving a steady and predictable teaching career to start my own tuition business. Lockdown provided the necessity to 'go online' and the time to go back to a long-held dream of writing in the hope of publication. I had a short story and a poem published and paid for in the same month in 2021, and then by 2022 I'd had a whole book of stories published alongside a collection of poetry. I also returned to the stage. These weren't entirely 'new' things, but they were old things resurrected to become a new path. The one thing which really helped was to be part of various writing groups where I met new people. Never underestimate the value of meeting new people because you never know where those connections might lead. 

For me they led to a theatre company which feels like an acting family, and Urban Pigs Press which feels like a writing and publishing family.  And as well as affording me opportunities to tour in plays and speak at prisons, (and a whole lot more) I hope we help to give others opportunities too. 

I'm also looking forward to another event which opens the Foreword Festival in Eye on June 19th. This fringe event is increasingly popular. I am compering the open mic night alongside Andy Deane and this is definitely a place to try new things. If you ave never spoken at an open mic before, or if you are a seasoned performer, come along and rock the mic with us! Here's the link to all the events this year.https://forewordfestival.uk/

Finally, Ipswich Book Festival returns this year in October, so there will be yet another opportunity to try something different in Autumn.

Well, I'd better get back to writing my new book. But if I feel the need to keep pushing my boundaries, there's always the acupuncture (which I can't recommend highly enough) or a new tattoo...

Til next time!

Ginnie B x