Sarah Fitzgerald

Hello friends, and welcome to my new website.

As a writer, it is all too easy to get carried away by the magic of putting words together to form something unique. When I first started writing again six years ago, after a long hiatus, I was determined to forge a career for myself in writing. Of course, most writers are dreamers and I am no exception; four years later, after leaving my day job to write full-time, all I can do is grin sheepishly when people ask me how my novel is going. (First tip for any aspiring writers out there: never, ever tell anyone that you are working on a novel unless you are weeks away from scoring a publishing deal).

The reality of writing is different from that romantic, idyllic vision some of us conjure up in our minds, and when we fail to live up to that vision, some of us writers feel dejected and worthless. It’s easy to doubt that embarking on a writing career was quite the marvellous plan that we’d envisioned. If all writers were honest with each other, I’m sure we would laugh at how much we have in common: self-doubt, a general lack of self-confidence and belief, and many struggles to find an audience for our (invariably!) ground-breaking work.

I’ve set up this website for a myriad of reasons. Firstly because, as ludicrous as it may sound coming from someone who hopes to turn writing into a proper wage, I like helping people. Over the last ten years, I’ve helped family and friends with essays and job applications, and I love the rush of happiness that comes from knowing that I alleviated some of their stress. Secondly, writing, proofreading and editing are skills, and the only way to become more accomplished in any of them is through practice. Most importantly, I’ve chosen now as the optimum time to take a chance and put myself out there because I’ve come to accept that writing and proofreading are not about being perfect, one hundred percent of the time. Every writer, no matter how accomplished, is constantly learning, polishing their craft, honing their writing skills.

As long as I’m writing, I will always be learning. I have to admit this is an exciting prospect.