I cannot pour from an empty jug

on the reality of writing a book

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Happy new year to you all…I started the new year surrounded by dancing daughters, had a few hours sleep then got drenched beneath a rainbow and ate cheese on toast in front of the fire. In fact the first two days of the year involved rainbows, the second one stretching right across the North Sea and over to the Cheviot, Northumberland’s highest hill, which is currently covered in snow.

I was burned out physically and emotionally by the time Christmas rolled in. The year ended with yet more frustrating emails and meetings about my daughter’s (lack of) education, and I had been combining full time caring and educating with trying to finish my second book, Unschooled.

The irony of struggling to finish writing a book about the impact of your children not receiving an education did not escape me. The last four months of 2024 were relentless and terrifying, as I tried to write my story at the same time as I was still living it. I did the same, of course, for Twelve Moons, but Unschooled is more specific, and it has been hard to find a way to end the book because my family’s situation is still unresolved - the fight continues.

Taking time to be with loved ones and nourish myself over the holidays has allowed me some space to think about what I want Unschooled to say. I now have only a few short weeks until I must hand my manuscript over to my editor and polish the words until they shine enough to sit on bookshelves.

If you read my words often you will know how hard it is for me to find time to write. Which is why I need to take a small break from writing regular Substack posts until my manuscript is safely in the hands of my editor. My head is full of children and meetings and prescriptions and learning tasks and timetables, along with the domestic and emotional load that comes with raising four children on my own. And on top of that I need to find the energy and space to finish writing this book.

I have toyed with how to approach this little hiatus, and have decided to let readers decide themselves whether they wish to stay on board. There will not be regular posts again until March, but in February I will be in conversation with

Layla O'Mara

,

Chloe George

and

Lindsay Johnstone

, and I’ll keep posting little updates on my writing process too over the forthcoming weeks.

Leading up to the publication of Unschooled later in the year I’ll be announcing more offerings for my Substack readers, so I do hope you’ll stick around. My connection with the people who read my words is worth the world to me, so I think it’s only right I give myself the best chance to make those words as powerful as possible.

Thank you for all of your comments and messages. More soon…

Caro x