I think my most used phrase across September has been that I’ve been “a bit all over the place”. It felt like another run away month, so much so that the end of the month and beginning of the next escaped me when it came to writing my blog. Between a grumbling body, getting back into a new school year, family events and pushing on with my book, I’ve not quite felt on top of things so much as chasing after them. Still, what’s life without its challenges?!

Here’s a round up of what’s been going on.

The six weeks of the summer seem to have passed in no time and September saw me back in schools each week. I’ve started a new project with Inspire Education Business Partnership, leading the delivery of the HeadStart Action programme, which aims to support young people at risk of becoming NEET to develop employability skills and lead a social action project in their communities. I”l be running the programme at two schools in Haringey for the next three months. Both of the schools I’m working with are a convenient 20 minute walk from where I live and it feels really nice to be making an impact on my doorstep, as well as introducing more young people to social action, which was the catalyst for my career.

Alongside HSA, I’ve been picking up workshops with Future First again, talking to young people across the South East about careers and life after school.

September was a massive month in terms of my writing. I finished the first draft of my novel after a long old process of getting words on the page and I still have to pinch myself a little that I got there. I finished early in the month and spent the last week of September in Devon with Arvon, on a tutored retreat.

The retreat was formed of morning workshops, 1-1 tutorials, evening talks and a lot of fun and creative inspiration over six days (with no signal or wifi to distract us). After I overcame my initial imposter syndrome, the retreat was a bit of a game changer for me. Within a few days I had figured out what wasn’t working in my first draft and created a solid plan that I’m happy with for the second. I met some brilliant people and benefited so much from the time, space and focus to take my novel forward.

Aside from writing, my September saw an awful lot of resting (my body threw quite a few tantrums this month) as well as dog sitting a new favourite – the sweetest angel of a puppy, Finch – and another quick round trip to Wales to visit my Grandad in hospital and check in on my Grandma. I’ve probably done a lot more than I should have for my health and my body this month but some things deserve that extra push.

October will see me launching into my second draft and trying to keep up the creative inspiration gained from the retreat by booking in some bookish events. I would like to keep building the sense of being part of a community of writers who understand, which I found so helpful at my retreat and have been lucky enough to find in my core group of Write Like a Grrrl grads these last few years. I’m hoping with focus and the foundations from my first draft in place, that this rewrite won’t take anywhere near as long. I’m really excited to get working.

I have an awful lot of work coming up, between Inspire and Future First (and perhaps some new projects too), and October is also the annual conference and AGM for Action for M.E, where I will hopefully be voted in and approved as an official Trustee. I’m looking forward to being able to make a continued difference on the board.

See you on the other side.