Dream-Catching: From News in Scotland to Novels in Spain

Hands up if you’ve ever sat in an office, staring at a screen, imagining a different life.

Some of you will dream of other jobs with better pay and hours; others of a lottery win. And a good few of you will dream of being an artist – whether it’s a writer or painter or sculptor or anything at all that allows you to release your creativity as a normal part of each day. 

I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life – hospital cleaner, water-cooler saleswoman, bat catcher in the Mexican jungle (true, and amazing), charity shop worker…the list goes on and on.

But it’s my job as a newspaper reporter that held me for longest – and the one that finally pushed me to pursue my dream of writing a novel and building a different kind of life.

I worked for The Press and Journal newspaper for five years - based in Aberdeen at first; then up north in a small Scottish city called Elgin, where I was chief reporter. It’s probably no surprise that the main character in my debut novel, The Silent Daughter, is a news reporter.

That’s the place I really learned to write  - and the place I learned to accept editing as part of a writer’s life, however harsh it seemed at times. My editor’s soundest advice was this: once you’ve written an article, read it through - and if you find a line you’re really proud of, delete it.

He definitely made me a better writer.

But I also discovered newspaper life wasn’t as creative as I’d imagined.

I worked on all kinds of stories – but mainly crime, court and politics. I studied law for a year and at one stage dreamed of being a criminal court lawyer – so it was fascinating for me to spend days in the courtroom, reporters’ pad in hand. I learned a lot sitting on those hard wooden benches, watching and listening as other people’s lives went wrong in front of me.

But the hardest part of my job was visiting recently-bereaved families. I’d ring the bell or knock the door and then wait, head down, preparing myself for abuse. But more often than not, I’d be invited in and offered tea and for an hour or so would listen to tales of grief. 

Usually the family would thank me for coming; tell me they felt better having had the chance to talk about it. I think it’s always easier to bare your heart to strangers, even if they’re holding a notepad and writing high-speed shorthand notes while trying not to break eye contact. 

It was both a privilege and a huge responsibility to be welcomed into these lives that were often so very different from my own.

But without a doubt my favourite job at the paper was writing about artists.

I once took a walk with Louis de Bernieres, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. I enjoyed quizzing him about the writing process – but what I loved even more than interviewing established writers was speaking with people who’d just bagged their first book deal.

Those were the people who inspired me to quit my job one bright December morning in 2009, standing in the car park behind my office, phone in my hand, heart in my mouth.

Fast forward ten years and finally, I’m one of the people I used to write about. I’m living in Barcelona, my favourite city, and I’ve got a publishing deal. It’s not been an easy road – and for me, there was definitely no fast-lane - but it’s the best one I’ve taken so far.

So what about you? What’s the road you dream of taking, and where would it take you? The hardest part is that very first step, but you’ll only move forward if you dare yourself to take it.