Series of blogs for Writers and Artists Website exploring the ups and downs of navigating a creative career and a writing side hustle. Ultimately it is down to you to move your own creative mountain. In this series I will be exploring what it’s like to weather the storms of the creative industries such as TV drama, whilst balancing your own writing dreams. Too often we idolise the world of film and TV. It’s a saturated market, let’s be honest. The glitz, glamour and all the v

In 2020 I wrote and produced a podcast as part of my Manx Radio internship, exploring the publishing scene on the Isle of Man and how to become a literary author on the Isle of Man. Featuring authors Rakie Bennet, Elizabeth Brooks and Loaghtan Books. Listen to the full podcast here. Also available on Spotify.

https://substack.com/@thegutsywriter?utm_source=user-menu A support platform for writers, sharing the writing mindset.

Let’s be honest here – being unemployed sucks. Especially when (like me) it is the second time in 6 months. I have to say, the first time was not by choice but in the second instance, it was. But I am so glad I did because it’s allowed me to reset. And recharge. In a creative industry like TV the term ‘permanent contract’ ceases to exist. Shows or projects are mini companies that have a CEO equivalent, that being a showrunner, director, producer etc. There are many moving par

I never used to write script. It was fiction first. But then I was introduced to scriptwriting at university, and it changed everything. After finishing my first Pilot during the covid-19 lockdown I caught the bug. Also completing a script is easier than a novel since it’s shorter and not as condensed. I have been writing script for the last 3-4 years but am dipping back into fiction. And you know what? My prose is better than it was. My debut novel was written as a script be

The first time I was described as entrepreneurial I was shocked and confused. One of my Senior Directors at a well-known broadcaster kindly complimented me with this whilst I was deep into planning my table read. I didn’t really know what the term meant. From a personal perspective I just associated it with Dragon’s Den candidates as they auditioned for investment from the big dogs. I’m barely a ‘business’ person, due my chaotic creative nature. Yet the term goes far beyond t

1. Who am I exactly…? It’s a bit of a long story…so let’s go back to the very beginning. Originally I am from the Isle of Man, however I wasn’t born there. (And no, before anyone asks, the Isle of Man is not down ‘south’ - it sits in-between England and Ireland, Scotland and Wales). I was adopted at 14 months from China (Wuhan ironically, though way before covid) and brought back home where I was raised. Three years later, I went out back to China and adopted my younger siste

No one teaches you how to actually do the act of submitting. The courses and templates can feed you the information but the only way of learning, is by doing. Trial and error are a must. This week I took the plunge into submitting to Literary Agents for the first time. For books that is (though I imagine script has the same process). My goodness, it was nerve-racking. But also exhilarating and a big step in my writing career. I did a full day of final line-by-line edits of my

Finding the time to write is exhausting. Balancing your 9-5, plus writing is hard. No, just generally working is 110% eugh, and even switching off takes its toll. The whole notion of mustering the energy to put pen to paper whilst battling fatigue, sore limbs and a brain awash with rude customer energy can be draining. Yet I do it because I WANT TO. Because I love it. If we want something, we go for it - like a romantic relationship, if you want to be with said person/have th

Welcome. The weekend has rolled round again and here is another pile of my jumbled thoughts. But…I hope they connect with you in some tiny minuscule way, so thank you. Recently I listened to two podcasts that hit home for me as a ‘struggling’ artist aka writer. The first was The Mel Robbins Podcast, How to stop doubting yourself and get anything you want in life, with acclaimed film producer, Will Packer. And the second? On Purpose with Jay Shetty, featuring writer Amie McNee

Why studying something creative is actually worth it. Let’s rewind. It’s 2013. You are fifteen, barely sixteen years old at your high school’s Open Evening trying to figure out what next steps to take. I remember that so sharply. Walking the corridors of Castle Rushen High School with my parents and exploring the options that laid in front of me. I was in the middle of my GCSEs and already looking to the future. Now, looking back it’s really f*cking scary for a teenager to kn

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Writing is a lonely experience. It’s strange to think how not many people quite realise the extent to the creative process, the long hours where it’s just you vs your notebook/laptop. To new writers it can be a shock to the system. I blame a lot of the romanticism of writing we have seen countless times repeatedly throughout our culture, again no-one sees the ‘before’ journey. Yet it was not until I moved to London that I realised the importance of ‘networking’ – a magical te

There has never been a moment in my career where I’m not discovering something new about myself. My dad always told me, every day is a school day. And even though I have been out of education for the last six years, I always want to learn. Read the full story here.