(characters from Operation Radar, a new play by Suzzanne Hawkes)
My theme for March is ‘Kindness’: kindness to others and kindness to yourself. And kindness to yourself is where it all begins; if we are not more charitable and forgiving with ourselves, how can we hope to be that way with our fellow creatures?
This month, I have been completely overrun with work – sometimes it has been hard to know where to begin. I have found myself having a bit of a lie-in (8am is a lie-in!) only to lay there in panic mode because of all the things I am not doing while I am trying to rest, in order to have the energy to do those things! Don’t get me wrong – I AM excited that I have been preparing for the play, Operation Radar, at Two Sisters Arts Centre from April 1st, (tickets here) trying to write my new book, and getting ready for gigs with James Domestic March 30th (Sudbury Brewery Tap at 2pm - free) and Two Sisters May 23rd. (Tickets here) I’m also appearing in Foreword Festival, (August) Felixstowe Book Festival (June) and a new local Book Festival coming soon in early June. But even if I have a lie-in, I’m not resting, I am beating myself up for not getting up early enough. The upshot is, I have sometimes fallen asleep mid-afternoon, hands hovering over the keyboard, finding I have done very little and feeling even worse, more panic-stricken and even more exhausted. I think many creative people suffer from these feelings – we often work alone so there’s no-one to tell us we are doing fine. I am my toughest critic, so when I see I wrote 30,000 words by March last year, I feel bad about only having written 17,000 this March. However, my visit to HMP Warren Hill on 19th March not only helped with research, but by giving something back, I was able to put it in all perspective.
I sat with people who are on life sentences for various offences, including murder, and one way they are dealing with it is by taking each day at a time. They had given me their time to talk about their feelings and experiences, and they had also read my novel, ‘Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets’. At the book group discussion, I found it profoundly moving to hear how much they had enjoyed the book, and quite unexpectedly, they spoke about being in tears of laughter but also in tears of sadness at the tragic and pointless ending, grieving for the loss of the protagonist. Some mentioned how they were inspired not to waste their lives when released, and many are creating written works themselves.
My March message is: Look at what you have achieved, just one day at a time, and don’t feel bad about taking time off, because you deserve it.
March Mini-Interview:
Local author, Jackie Carriera is an award-winning novelist, playwright, theatre director, musician and designer. Her latest novel, Notebook number Nine, is an excellent read! If you want to know more about Jackie, she recently had a little chat with me, and you can also head over to her website Jackiecarreira.co.uk.
How long have you been writing?
I've always loved writing. I had my first short story published in an anthology of Inner-City children's work by Hackney Libraries when I was about 9 years old. Then there was a long break, including 12 years when I accidentally became a bass guitarist! Then I came back to writing seriously in my forties and haven't stopped.
Tell us about your books?
I've published 3 contemporary fiction novels, a book of short stories, a collection of fables with my husband, AJ Deane, and numerous plays for theatre. Creating a brief synopsis for any of them takes me longer than writing a whole book, but you can find out more about my work on my website: jackiecarreira.co.uk.
What inspires you?
Always people first. Like so many writers, I'm an avid people watcher and listener. My strength is writing characters. I love to find the extraordinary in the so-called ordinary. My favourite writing places are coffee shops, especially ones in railway stations. You catch snippets of the most delicious conversations in them.
What’s next?
Novel Number 4 is being written as we speak. So far, it's even quirkier than the last three, but I'm giving nothing away till it's finished! I'm also co-founder of the Foreword Festival, which champions fringe literature and local authors. Our next festival will be in Stowmarket between the 9th and 16th of August, so I'm being kept busy with planning and plotting for that. You can find updates at forewordfestival.uk.
Enjoy the coming Spring everyone and be kind to yourself!
Love,
Virginia.
Virginia has written numerous articles and fiction, written for stage and radio, and published three books, The Camera Obscure, Tourist to the Sun and That Little Voice. Her fourth books is a Punk Novel, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, published by Urban Pigs Press.
Find Virginia at virginiabetts.com.