It’s been a busy end to 2021 and start to 2022 where writing is concerned. During 2021 I finally started writing and editing my debut novel which I’m proud to say I’m getting very close to finishing now. I am on my final edit, having organised it into chapters and taken some time to go through the structure and layout, which is all new to me. I now have a few final chapters to add and perhaps a couple tweaks before I show it to my close team of proofreaders and advisors… yes, I mean my family!

From there, I will look to find myself an agent who I hope will be able to advise me on how best to proceed down the publishing route. I am still undecided whether I wish to go down the traditional or self published route so we will see.

I have also written some non-fiction articles for Barbados Foodie Magazine, having sent an enquiry via Instagram asking whether they were looking for writers it went from pitching one article, to writing four, co-writing another, and line and copy editing the whole issue! It has been an invaluable experience and insight into how magazine publishing works, and it’s been great fun writing on a subject close to my heart, and stomach, food of course!

As a young writer I remember being told that food and travel writing is the hardest to get into because everyone wants to do it. The above experience has really helped destroy that myth and prove that if I enjoy writing about something, I shouldn’t let fear of failure stop me.

Some of the articles I wrote were interviews which I haven’t ever done before, however a few years working in tourism and my love of asking questions and being inquisitive about people made it very easy to get what I hope to be interesting answers for all readers, and also showcase the personality of each interviewee.

It has also given me some confidence in my writing, having spent a lot of time being too scared to write at all because of whatever critics I may face, the general consensus seems to be that I can write, and that there aren’t many people on this tiny island who share my meticulous nature when it comes to editing articles too. Something that I’ve always liked the idea of but have never actually pursued!

So there you have it, I have loved being a part of something that has felt so organic and insightful, and I have been busy formulating ideas not only to help me finish my novel, but also to embark on new adventures and projects along the way!

This blog post is the start of what I hope to be an aid in monitoring my progress and being able to track various milestones. Sometimes all you have to do is start, the rest is, as they say, history…

You can read my articles for Barbados Foodie Magazine online at https://issuu.com/barbadosfoodie/docs/foodie_2022_-_issuu