Do you want to write a novel? Is your dream locked away in a vault of excuses, busy-ness and fear? Out of the Vault is a short story collection that aims to inspire other aspiring writers to awaken their creativity and start writing.
At the age of forty-eight, former journalist and Australian debut novelist, Susannah Glenn’s life changed dramatically. Her two teenage children left home for university, she got fired and, after many years as a single parent, she fell in love.
Since early childhood, Susannah had always dreamt of one day writing a novel. Yet life always seemed to get in the way.
Work. Kids. Study. Meals. Housework. Sleep. Repeat.
Finding herself with no kids and no job, Susannah decided it was time to turn her dream into a reality. Then fear set in. Fear of failure. Fear of not writing well. Fear of having nothing to say.
Three years later, her debut novel The Accident, a women’s domestic noir thriller set in Far North Queensland, is complete and ready for publication in 2023.
How did she do it?
“These twenty-four short stories are the very first creative writing pieces I wrote after I learned to overcome my fears,” Susannah says. “Nothing in my career as a journalist had prepared me for the task of diving into the world of make-believe to write creatively.”
In sharing the story of her career transition, Susannah hopes to inspire other aspiring writers to trust in their own creative abilities.
“Our fear comes from thinking what we write must be technically and creatively perfect from the very first draft,” Susannah says. “Nothing could be further from the truth. The writing just needs to be begun. These short stories are far from perfect, but they are significant because they are a record of the beginning of my creative writing journey.”
Susannah encourages aspiring writers to seek help from the broader writing community.
“You don’t need to do it on your own,” she says. “Many other professions require training and mentorship and creative writing is no different. I found a creative writing program online that worked for me and I also engaged the services of a creativity coach. These were invaluable career investments that helped me rediscover my creativity and teach me the craft of story-telling.”
At the age of forty-eight, former journalist and Australian debut novelist, Susannah Glenn’s life changed dramatically. Her two teenage children left home for university, she got fired and, after many years as a single parent, she fell in love.
Since early childhood, Susannah had always dreamt of one day writing a novel. Yet life always seemed to get in the way.
Work. Kids. Study. Meals. Housework. Sleep. Repeat.
Finding herself with no kids and no job, Susannah decided it was time to turn her dream into a reality. Then fear set in. Fear of failure. Fear of not writing well. Fear of having nothing to say.
Three years later, her debut novel The Accident, a women’s domestic noir thriller set in Far North Queensland, is complete and ready for publication in 2023.
How did she do it?
“These twenty-four short stories are the very first creative writing pieces I wrote after I learned to overcome my fears,” Susannah says. “Nothing in my career as a journalist had prepared me for the task of diving into the world of make-believe to write creatively.”
In sharing the story of her career transition, Susannah hopes to inspire other aspiring writers to trust in their own creative abilities.
“Our fear comes from thinking what we write must be technically and creatively perfect from the very first draft,” Susannah says. “Nothing could be further from the truth. The writing just needs to be begun. These short stories are far from perfect, but they are significant because they are a record of the beginning of my creative writing journey.”
Susannah encourages aspiring writers to seek help from the broader writing community.
“You don’t need to do it on your own,” she says. “Many other professions require training and mentorship and creative writing is no different. I found a creative writing program online that worked for me and I also engaged the services of a creativity coach. These were invaluable career investments that helped me rediscover my creativity and teach me the craft of story-telling.”
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