Do I have to change, really?

Sometimes change can feel like failing, can’t it? You set out on a particular creative trajectory, you kinda know where you’re going, there’s great promise, excitement even, and then you hit a roadblock.

The roadblock stops you in your tracks, makes you pause, makes you question whether this is the right creative trajectory after all, maybe you don’t know where you’re going, maybe this is scarier than you thought and maybe there are more unforeseen dangers lurking ahead.

Then the self-judgement kicks in.

If I was good enough, smart enough, clever enough, then I wouldn’t have been stopped in my tracks like this. I’d still be moving forward, gliding along that creative superhighway, speeding ahead to my destination, on schedule.

We can go from ‘something’s wrong’ to ‘I’m wrong’ relatively quickly.

But then again, sometimes change is just…well, change.

No creative trajectory, or life trajectory really, is pre-determined or set in stone. We’re here to dance with possibility and potential.

We can’t know everything we need to know before beginning a creative project or a life endeavour. Because, well, why do it if it’s not stretching us, growing us, evolving who we are and how we see the world?

That’s the possibility and potential. We grow with our creative projects and life endeavours. We grow them and they grow us. Mutual benefit.

sari azout

said it beautifully in a recent post, Letter to a friend who is starting something new:

I hope you get to know your inner world. I hope you thrive financially while living your values. I hope you focus less on what you achieve and more on who you become. I hope you learn to be kind to yourself. I hope you fall in love with the process.

So of course, why would I expect my Substack to be any different?

This Substack began as Hey Young Writers with the idea of supporting young writers to back themselves, their writing and their creative dreams.

That was the creative trajectory. I was excited and I thought I knew where we were going. Until, I didn’t, until it started to feel not quite right. Not bad or wrong but not quite right.

I got the intuitive nudge to book a session with

Writers at Work with Sarah Fay

to get an external perspective. And what a good idea that was!

In half an hour, we’d reformulated what this Substack could be. It’s still for young writers but it’s also now more than that…

Here’s the name change. We’re now Hey, YA

Okay cool, so what does that mean?

Here’s the new blurb…

Hey, YA is a connection point between YA writers and readers and a platform for YA writing, reading and wellbeing.

Through posts, guest interviews and reader recommendations, I will harness my experience as a writer, published author and psychologist to help you to:

Writing

• Demystify the creative writing process, overcome creative blocks and expand into your full creativity

Reading

• Gain wisdom from YA authors about their writing, reading and wellbeing practices and hear from young readers about their reading recommendations and life insights

Wellbeing

• Learn a model of self understanding that can exponentially enhance wellbeing and help to heal, transcend and transform

Whether you are young or adult, you are welcome here. This is an all ages show.

This is what’s known in the business world as a pivot and in the everyday world as a change.

I hope that this change allows for even more possibility and potential by bringing more YA book lovers together - those who write them and those who read them, and those who do both.

With change comes opportunity. This is your invitation to be a part of Hey, YA.

Are you a published YA author?

Awesome! Let’s promote your book. We could do an author interview and book giveaway.

Are you a writer who is into YA?

Wonderful! Let’s publish you. You could do a guest post on any topic related to YA writing, reading or wellbeing.

Are you a YA reader?

Excellent! Let’s share your YA love. We can do a reader recommends post where you share your favourite YA books and what you love about YA.

Or you may have another brilliant idea of how you’d like to get involved.

Don’t be shy! Get in touch. Let’s Hey, YA together. Fill in the expression of interest form and let’s explore that possibility and potential.

And also…

Here are some other interesting things I’ve come across lately…

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 - I love how Jenny Han has gone beyond her books to create a wonderful TV series, filling out the narrative and the characters’ story arcs so splendidly. My inner teen is in LOVE with this show!

Fizz - What happens when four friends, all indie solo artists collaborate? OMG! Some of the best songs ever! Right now, you can listen to three of their songs ahead of the full album release. (Fizz is not to be confused with Buck’s Fizz who are now apparently called The Fizz. Not that).

How Smart Is A Forest? Well, really, truly, very smart, actually. I loved this interview with ecologist Suzanne Simard about how different species of trees cooperate rather than compete and how she morphed a childhood passion into a stellar career.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Lava Cake - Yes please! I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I absolutely love peanut butter and chocolate, both individually and together. So this must be good! And Nagi won book of the year here in Australia for her debut cookbook - amazing!