This week, I have updated my website, and for the first time in nine years, treated myself to a proper domain name: wildrosemarywritingservices.co.uk

I set up my own business in 2013, so what took me so long? A lot of things: finding my feet, finding my confidence, losing my confidence, and then finding it again. Finding my own voice. Battling imposter syndrome, dealing with a busy workload, the Covid-19 pandemic, part-time work and other commitments.

What finally convinced me to commit to my own writing career? Joining The Writers Workshop as an associate member, a network of amazing writers in all stages of their careers, and finding out that I do have my own niche as a self-employed writing professional, guiding authors through the maze of independent publishing.

Writers are often plagued by insecurities – I know I’m not alone with this confession, but when we believe in ourselves, and commit to ourselves, it feels good. Giving yourself time to write, instead of spreading yourself too thin, is essential for a writer’s wellbeing. And only by sitting down to write will your true voice come through. And always remember that a first draft of any piece of writing is better than a blank page or empty computer screen. It can always be improved by the editing process and once you’ve started, it will spark new ideas that you would never have had otherwise. It’s just a case of making that first step or that leap of faith, just like finally investing in my own domain name and having faith in my own abilities.

Being part of a community of writers makes a huge difference, rather than writing alone. Sometimes, even supportive, constructive feedback can seem harsh, but it can set the imagination working to improve your writing. Sometimes a piece of writing needs time to breathe before it emerges into its final state. The Sheffield Novelists group has been giving me rock-solid support since it started, an unbelievable thirteen years ago, and has given me the confidence to publish two novels – and hopefully a third novel will be out before too long.

My confidence in my poetry skills has also been growing, thanks to the west-midlands poetry collective, Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists. The pandemic has enabled people from across the country and even the world, to take part in their spoken word nights, now held online, poetry courses and I now feel that I have a writing community. Arising from that, I’m kick-starting an online poetry group that came out of a PPP poetry course, and it will be starting at 7.30pm on Thursday 1st September, so if you are interested in joining it, please get in touch with me for more details.

Times are about to get tough, but the world still needs people to express themselves through words. The world will always need art and creativity, so why not commit to yourself and your writing, tell your story, write your words and tell your truth.

I feel so much better already for committing to myself.