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The Life-Enhancing Benefits of Writing in later life

Creative writing holds immense value for the older writer as it provides numerous benefits that can enhance overall well-being. It can boost confidence and provide a sense of fulfilment. It allows you to tap into your creativity and express yourself in unique and imaginative ways. Writing fiction or even memoirs can transport you to different worlds or relive cherished memories, adding depth and meaning to your life today.

Introduction

As we get older, it is important to keep stimulating our minds and engaging in activities that can bring life-enhancing benefits. Creative writing is one such activity that can provide immense joy and satisfaction, as well as boost our mental wellbeing. 77-year-old author, Marilyn Freeman, found this to be true when she began writing fiction four years ago. Since then, she has self-published four novels and just completed the fifth. In this blog post, she explores why she has found creative writing to be so beneficial.

Marilyn writes:

Creative writing holds immense value for the older writer as it provides numerous benefits that can enhance overall well-being. It can boost confidence and provide a sense of fulfilment. It allows you to tap into your creativity and express yourself in unique and imaginative ways. Writing fiction or even memoirs can transport you to different worlds or relive cherished memories, adding depth and meaning to your life today.

Creative writing offers an opportunity to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It can serve as a therapeutic outlet, helping you to process emotions and gain a deeper understanding of yourself. This self-reflection can contribute to improved mental health and emotional well-being.

Additionally, creative writing can provide a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It allows you to leave a lasting legacy and share your unique perspectives with the world. Whether you choose to self-publish or simply share your work with family and friends, the act of sharing can bring immense joy and satisfaction.

By engaging in creative writing, you can also maintain and improve cognitive function. The mental stimulation required for crafting stories, characters, and plots will help keep your mind sharp and agile. It exercises the memory, vocabulary, and problem-solving skills, promoting mental agility and cognitive resilience.

Overall, creative writing provides a platform for self-expression, self-reflection, and connection with others. Whether writing fiction or a memoir, you will find joy, fulfilment, and a renewed sense of purpose through the art of creative writing.

Starting a new creative writing journey can be daunting. However, it is important to remember that it is never too late to start something new and pursue your passions. If you fancy giving it a go, here are a few tips to get you started.

Begin with short writing exercises or prompts to get your creative juices flowing. This can help build your confidence and ease you into the writing process. Break down your writing goals into manageable tasks. such as writing for ten minutes a day, and gradually increase the duration or word count as you become more comfortable. Remember that writing is a process, and your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and revise your work. The important thing is to get started and let your creativity flow.

Try to create a routine for regular writing practice. Find a specific time slot in your day that works best for you and designate it as your writing time. Whether it’s early in the morning, during a quiet afternoon, or in the evening, having a dedicated time will help you prioritise and make writing a regular habit. Personally, I aim to write for two to three hours in the morning, when my imagination seems most active.

Find a comfortable and inspiring space where you can focus and let your creativity flow. It could be a quiet corner of your home, a cosy study, or even a local café. Ensure that the environment supports your writing process and minimises distractions.

Explore different writing techniques to find what works best for you. Some people find that freewriting, where they write continuously without worrying about grammar or structure, helps them unleash their creativity. Others prefer outlining or brainstorming before diving into their writing. Experiment with different approaches to find the one that resonates with you.

As we age, it can be intimidating to navigate the world of technology. However, embracing technology can greatly enhance your writing journey and open up a whole new realm of possibilities. There are numerous tools and resources available that can support and inspire your writing.

One of the most useful tools for writers is word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. These programmes offer features that make writing and editing easier, such as spell-check, grammar suggestions, and the ability to easily rearrange and format your text.

Another helpful technology tool is speech-to-text software, which allows you to dictate your writing instead of typing it. This can be especially beneficial if you struggle with typing or have limited mobility. Speech-to-text software such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking or Google Docs Voice Typing can help you capture your thoughts and ideas quickly and effortlessly.

Of course, the internet is a vast resource for writers. Websites such as Pinterest and Tumblr can be great sources of inspiration, allowing you to discover writing prompts, visual imagery, and creative ideas.

Finding inspiration for writing ideas can sometimes be a daunting task, especially for someone new to creative writing. However, there are numerous sources of inspiration waiting to be discovered. One of the best ways to find ideas is by simply observing the world around you. Take a walk through nature, visit a bustling city, or sit in a local café and observe the people around you. Inspiration can strike from the smallest details, whether it’s a quirky character you see on the street or a beautiful sunset that evokes a specific emotion.

I find that reading books, articles, and poetry can also be a great source of inspiration, so expose yourself to different genres and styles of writing to spark your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. Additionally, personal experiences and memories can provide a rich source of inspiration. Reflect on your own life, the challenges you’ve overcome, the people you’ve met, and the places you’ve been. These personal stories can form the basis for compelling narratives that resonate with others.

After spending time crafting your stories and honing your writing skills, the next step is sharing your work with the world. Self-publishing can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience for those who want to showcase their creativity and leave a lasting legacy.

Self-publishing allows you to maintain complete control over your work, from the content to the cover design. You have the freedom to publish your novels or memoirs exactly as you envision them, without any compromises. This process can be empowering and give you a sense of accomplishment, knowing that your words are out there for others to read and enjoy.

In addition to the joy of self-expression, self-publishing also offers the opportunity to connect with readers who appreciate and resonate with your work. Your stories can touch the lives of others, providing comfort, entertainment, and inspiration. With advancements in technology, self-publishing has become more accessible and affordable than ever. Online platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Blurb or Ingramspark allow you to easily upload and distribute your books in digital and print formats. You can reach a global audience and even earn royalties from your sales!

The joy of self-publishing lies in seeing your stories come to life and sharing them with others. So don’t hesitate to take the leap and share your work with the world. Embrace the journey of self-publishing, and let your words make a difference in the lives of readers everywhere.

Links:

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Blurb, Ingramspark

Pinterest, Tumblr

Coalbrookdale – Where it all began

Forgive me if I speak to you with the benefit of my three score years and fifteen! I’ll try not to patronise, but it’s difficult not to feel a certain smugness having reached this time in my life with my intellect more or less in tact, for the moment at least!

I have reached a plateau of contentment, where I no longer feel the need to compete for survival. Of course, I realise this is largely due to an accident of birth. Born into the United Kingdom, one of the richest countries on the planet was a great start and a privilege. Not that there were any silver spoons around, you understand.

So here I find myself, after pursuing multiple careers as well as actual pathways throughout my life, quietly wondering what it was all about. More than that, I now find myself looking back not only over my own life, but over the many lives that went before, leading to that one concurrence of coincidences culminating in the single moment of conception when I came into existence.

I think back to the moment when I asked my Grandad where our family had come from. I was ten years old and in my favourite place – on the hearthrug by Grandad Bangham’s knee. Every now and then a spurt of gas from the coal would ignite and flare into life. The light outside was fading as I looked up at him and asked where our family had come from. He smiled down at me and in his broad Lancashire accent told me he understood that two hundred years ago our family lived in Shropshire, in a place called Coalbrookdale.

At the time, I had never heard of Coalbrookdale, and I found the name confusing. Was this a place like Oldham, where I was growing up, where the smoke from the coal fires and mill chimneys hung in the air, diluting the sunshine, even in the middle of summer?  Or was it a beautiful place, in a green valley with a brook running through?

I asked him how we got from Shropshire to Oldham, but he didn’t know when or why the family had left that place to move to the industrial towns of the North of England. All he knew, was that his father Edwin had always told him the family was from Coalbrookdale. I determined that one day, I would find the answers.

It was some years later that I became seriously interested in researching the family tree. Eventually I traced the Bangham line back to 1652 and Walter Bangome, living in the Severn Gorge area of Shropshire. In the course of my research, I was fascinated to learn that one of Walter’s sons, Joseph, my fifth great grandfather, had worked for Abraham Darby, at his ironworks in Coalbrookdale. I was even able to locate references to Joseph and his brother William in the surviving accounts books of the Darby works.

Abraham Darby and his descendants were responsible for developing a way of making iron using coke made from coal, rather than charcoal made from wood. Unlike wood, coal was plentiful. With a ready supply in the area of the other raw materials, namely limestone and ironstone, there was virtually no limit to the amount of iron which could be smelted in the Coalbrookdale furnaces. As the process was adopted across the country the unlimited supply of iron fuelled the Industrial Revolution, by providing the raw material for building machinery and engines for the mills and railways of Great Britain and beyond. Over the 18th and 19th centuries, the first iron rails were cast in the Coalbrookdale works, as were cylinders for the first Newcomen steam engines, parts for the first iron ship, the S.S. Great Britain now restored and sitting alongside the docks in Bristol, and the world’s first bridge made of iron, which still stands today at Ironbridge in the Severn Gorge, now a World Heritage Site.

Over the years I have often imagined what life may have been like for Joseph and his family. Did he realise, as he worked at the furnace, that he was involved in events that were to change the world? I have visited the Severn Gorge many times and it never fails to move me just as strongly as it did on the first day I stood in the churchyard of Holy Trinity on the steep slopes of the Coalbrookdale valley, gazing to the south, across the Gorge towards Bangham’s Wood.

Is there such a thing as ‘folk memory?’ That I cannot tell, I only know that as I surveyed the valley I felt at a connection with the place. It felt like home. This was in the 1970’s and the name Coalbrookdale still confused me. This was certainly a beautiful dale, with steep sided, thickly wooded slopes, and a brook running along the valley floor toward the River Severn. There was just a hint as to the origin of the reference to ‘coal’, in the partially derelict industrial buildings standing beside a railway viaduct.

So, this is where my story begins, in Bangham’s Wood, over three hundred years ago. Now in my seventh decade I am able to add the perspective of my own life to that of the Bangham family. I can see and understand more fully the impact of those changes witnessed and, yes, implemented by Joseph Bangham and his workmates. Were those changes for the better? Given the problems of climate change caused by industrialisation which also prompted rapid population growth, the jury is still out.

However, I see the story of our family as a microcosm of so many family stories, as the agricultural gave way to the industrial way of life. Whatever the final outcome for humanity, I do feel it’s a story worth telling. Coalbrookdale, the first book in what I hope will become The Bangham Trilogy, is a fictional story covering the period 1713 to 1759, about the life of Joseph Bangham and his family.

Over this period their lives in the peaceful rural hamlet in Bangham’s Wood must have changed fundamentally as industry came to the Gorge. Working in the fields and coppicing in the woods would have given way to days and nights of toil in the hot, dirty and dangerous world of the smelting and forging of iron. The fresh air and sweet scent of wildflowers was to be replaced by smoke and fumes from the furnaces. Soot and dust must have eventually covered everything, and the sound of birdsong would have been drowned out by the roar of the furnaces and the hammering of metal on metal at the forges.

When Joseph started out at the Darby Works, I have imagined that he was probably excited at the prospect of change coming to the Gorge. I wonder, when he looked back on his life, whether he felt the change had been for the better, or whether something of the old life had been lost? These are the kind of thoughts many of us have as we look at the world today and contemplate whether our civilisation will survive the effects of industrialisation and the resultant climatic changes it has brought about. The problem is, a lifetime just isn’t long enough to find those answers, is it?

I hope to release Coalbrookdale, Book One of the Bangham Trilogy later this year.

Marilyn Freeman

3rd September 2021

UPDATE: Coalbrookdale; The Bangham Family Story is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Release date is 10th March 2022.

1st February 2022

The nerves are kicking in!

I spent eight months or so during the past year of lockdown revisiting the Paris I knew on a school holiday in 1962 – the most exciting week of my life up to that point. I poured many precious memories of that wonderful city into the creation of Karma: A Mystery in Paris.

I’ve polished Karma to within an inch of its life, re-designed the cover until it’s the best I can make it. From the manuscript I’ve created an ebook on Amazon and also on Smashwords to reach the widest possible market worldwide. I’ve created the print book in paperback format on Ingramspark to make copies available across the world at the click of a mouse at most book retailers, including Waterstones and Barnes & Noble.

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I’ve now spent the last couple of months preparing to launch it onto a waiting world. To that end, I’ve read all the blogs and viewed all the videos I could find, explaining to the rookie self-publishing author how to create a ‘buzz’, as they put it, to give it the best chance of making an impression in this volatile and crowded market. I even succeeded in getting an article published on the Bedford Today website. Mind you, I had to gain some kudos by confessing my age and the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren I have. Still, we all have to make sacrifices!

I’ve created my Author Page on Facebook, set up an Instagram account, I’ve sent out several group emails to spread the word, and I’ve given away copies of Karma to friends and family to gain valuable feedback, which I have to say has all, without exception, been pretty positive.

Having tested the strength of my friendships to the limit by pestering everyone for their support, I fear I must now take a deep breath and serenade myself with a rendition of Que Sera, which my children would testify has always been my mantra in time of stress!

However, I have to confess to a serious bout of self-doubt right now. What if the unthinkable happens and the book falls short of all the hype I have painstakenly created? What if pre-orders amount to virtually nil? What then? A re-write? The dustbin?

Well, I can do no more than await my fate. In a few short days I will have my answer. Wish me luck!

Marilyn Freeman, author of Karma: A Mystery in Paris

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