ONCE UPON A DREAM: I Passed Oxford!!!

 

It's 7.30pm on a cold January evening and I have just received the news that I have passed my course at Oxford University!! I'm elated and excited - and a little bit shell-shocked to be honest. I can't quite believe it. I have read the results several times, just to be sure. And yes, I have passed my year at Oxford!

It has been such an enjoyable academic and authorial experience. It was all that I hoped it would be and more. I have really enjoyed learning from these elite Dons - their teaching is second to none, their feedback intense and they are the very best tutors I have ever experienced in my entire academic life. I feel very, very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from them.

It was quite a long academic year though, and an even longer process overall, one which began back in the early summer of 2023, when I first applied to the university. I was convinced that I wouldn't get in, then when I did, I was convinced that I wouldn't be clever enough for Oxford and that I'd fail, so to now have it in writing that I've passed my course in Advanced Creative Writing & Gothic Literature is a moment to savour and enjoy. 

I can now add my time at Oxford University onto my Author CV, having spent the whole of 2024 studying there to improve my writing craft, following in the footsteps of great writers such as C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien and Lewis Carroll etc. It has been quite a dream come true! But it hasn't always been easy, especially as I spent the majority of the year recovering from the riding accident, writing essays and assignments with two badly injured wrists. It was a painful process at times, but I refused to give up knowing that I might never get the opportunity to study at Oxford University again.  

The work can be quite intense. There is the pressure to do well obviously and because  Oxford is self-funded and very expensive the cost adds to the pressure, as you don't want to waste money by failing! I was also juggling the course with my work as an author and writing several books at the same time as studying and writing my assignments etc. It meant that my 2024 New Years resolution to not work weekends went straight out the window, because as soon as I began Hilary term in January last year, I knew that in order to meet my publishing deadlines and keep on top of the study tasks, course work, classes, discussion groups and assignments, I would have no choice to but to work weekends!

I'm so glad that I did it though and that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and kept pushing myself to succeed, despite the obstacles life threw in my way. I kept at it, even though my wrists were still so painful at the time and typing hurt  - a lot! Now as a result, I will soon hold a University of Oxford Accreditation Certificate in Advanced Creative Writing, proving that I spent the whole of 2024 working on my authorship skills and mastering my craft as a writer. I'm just waiting for them to send the certificate out to me.

The feedback on assignments has been invaluable. They Dons really dig deep into the nuts and bolts of creative writing and they expect a lot in return from their students by way of implementing everything you've learnt and putting it into your assignments.  Work is assessed paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence with the Don adding notes on each section, so that you have an in depth appraisal of your work. Not a comma out of place goes unmissed or unmarked!  Luckily I'm quite used to editorial feedback, so this didn't bother me too much - but it did highlight how much I rely on a good copy editor! Oxford has added more polish and finesse to my work and as a result, I am much more self-aware as an author of what I want to say and also why and how I want to say it. 

The course has also introduced me to so many great books and authors I may never have discovered otherwise, not least of which is one of the Dons who taught me. I have greatly enjoyed exploring her work and the discussions we've had about the significance of folklore as the bedrock of all storytelling. 

My own work has improved as a result of the course too - which was the whole point. I wanted to hone my craft even further. I now have more confidence in my abilities, particularly in my characterisation and world building. I have already implemented some of this development into my published work too. For instance, if it wasn't for the Oxford course, I doubt if I would have had the confidence to write and publish fantastical meditations in The Book of Moon Magic. There will be more fantasy themed work dropping from me this year too, where I have been free to invent characters, dialogue and narratives, so look out for that in the coming months. 

I really feel that I am now taking my writing in the direction I have been dreaming of and aiming for, for years.  Now I spend my days coming up with new characters and writing scenes that are filled with enchantment. As a result, I feel a new sense of enchantment in my own life too. As I put more whimsical enchantment into my writing, so my writing in turn brings a sense of greater enchantment to my daily life. It makes my heart lift.  Everything suddenly feels possible, because now I have the confidence to just go for it as an author of prose fiction. 

Oxford gave me that. 

The feedback on my assignments was so strong and positive that, although I wrote them purely as assignments for the course, I am now seriously considering developing this project into something I might one day publish.  

It might sound strange, but my own writing has begun to inspire me in ways I would never have imagined! So often we are told that we need to be inspired to write - I would argue that in following the writing, it can also inspire us in turn. I have made changes in my home because of the things I have been writing, because of the characters I have created who seem to whisper to me "Maybe you should do it this way. Maybe you should try this." Its the most bizarre feeling, but I love it!

As an example, if you have been following me on Twitter you will have seen that I have been decorating my home and that I have a bit of a butterfly theme going on. All I will say about it is - Glimmershine made me do it!  You will meet Glimmershine in the summer, all being well. But that is just one example of how my own writing has been inspiring me in the more mundane areas of my life. 

So yes, it is fair to say that doing the course has been very enlightening, in more ways than one. I'm so glad I was brave enough to apply, because now I am an Accredited Creative Writer from the University of Oxford and that will only stand me in good stead with editors and publishers in the future.  Now that the course is completed and my goal is achieved, I am looking forward to a much slower pace in 2025. With no studying to do, no academic work to write and submit, I can just enjoy writing my books, with no additional pressure. I'm looking forward to an interesting year of writing and my current project is one that is very close to my heart. The deadline is the 20th of this month, so I have a few more days to work on it yet, but I am greatly enjoying the process. Its lovely to be cocooned in my home during the depths of winter, writing magical books for a living. I truly love my job.

But for tonight, I'm just going to savour the fact that I have just passed a year long stint as an Oxbridge student and that I have passed a course, one that will further my writing career, at Oxford University, one of the most prestigious and elite universities in the UK, in the world, in fact. That is not something to be dismissed or discounted. It means I'm a lot smarter than I thought I was! 

It is an achievement to be proud of and one that no-one can ever take away from me. This time last year I had just started Hilary term. One year on, I have successfully passed the course, with an Oxford University certificate on the way! I wonder what golden opportunities will knock on my door in 2025?

Serene Blessings,

Marie x

Writer's Dream: 2025 - New Year, New Brand!

 

I have been working in publishing now for over 25 years. During that time I have moved from writing and publishing poetry, to correspondence courses, to books, to magazines, to music and back to books again.  Writing is a transient profession and many writers switch seamlessly from one type of writing to another throughout their careers. There are several reasons for this. Publishing platforms don't always last forever - in just the last couple of years, many of the magazines I used to write for regularly, such as Spirit&Destiny and Soul&Spirit, have gone out of circulation altogether and are no longer being produced.  Publishing imprints also change, evolve and disappear, with new imprints coming to the fore instead. Nothing ever feels permanent in publishing. Editors move on, authors evolve, publishing houses merge or go under. It can be a very precarious profession in which to make a living. 

That said, it makes it all the more special when you find a publisher who is happy for you to grow and evolve as an author, within the framework of their own publishing house.  With most commercial types of creativity, companies tend to want their creators to produce 'more of the same', because they know that is what sells. That's where their profits are. However, being creative depends on being able to change, grow and try new things, otherwise the creativity becomes stale and the job becomes a chore. 

I felt that way during the latter half of my time at Spirit&Destiny magazine. Whenever I tried to write something a bit different, I was met with the request to write more of the same please instead. It was stifling!  It was also one of the reasons I went on to publish my best ideas with their rival magazines, such as It's Fate and Kindred Spirit, because Spirit&Destiny had already proven that they didn't want innovative, imaginative writers -  they just wanted formulaic contributors. 

Writers need the space, time and opportunity to experiment and try new things. That's why I have always jumped at the chance when new authorial opportunities have been offered to me - such as when I was asked to write an album of pagan songs for Paradise Music, or when I was asked to write fairy poetry and magical sleeve notes for New World Music, or when my current publisher asked if I wanted to start writing and creating oracle decks and mythology titles.  

My answer has always been a resounding yes - but I haven't always answered right away! Often, my first instinct is to run and hide, to question myself and my ability - Can I really do this? Did they make a mistake in asking me? Are they simply being kind? Where's the catch?  It's impostor syndrome at play. All those thoughts run through my head initially and so I need to go away and process them for a little while, before I come back and say Yes please, I would love to. 

My current publisher is great at offering me opportunities for projects that I haven't done before, like the oracle decks and mythology books. Yes, these projects fall firmly in the genre of Mind, Body, Spirit, but it was  never the genre I objected to - it was the request to keep writing the same old thing over and over again. Now that I have found an editor and a publisher who are happy for me to try new things, I feel like my creativity is thriving once more. It helps that my editor is also an author too, so she has experiential understanding of the typecast situation writers can sometimes find themselves in. A lot of editors don't really write that much, literary agents even less so!   I have fallen very lucky with my current publisher and editor, and in the opportunities they offer to me and their openness to my ideas and book proposals.

One of the things I have wanted to do for quite some time is separate my magical writing from my psychotherapy and psychology writing. Although these genres often sit side by side on the shelves in most book stores, they are very different types of writing and authorship, so I wanted to draw a clear line between the two. The issue I have always come up against before is that I am best known for the magical writing and so editors tend to want to capitalize on that. It takes time and money to develop a new author brand, so it is often more profitable to build upon the existing brand instead.  

It must also be said that just because an author can write well for one particular genre, doesn't mean that they can write well in other genres.  I certainly had to prove my psychotherapy writing skills (not to mention my qualifications in this arena) via my recent book The Wiccan Guide to Self Care, before I was considered a serious psychology author. It's not the kind of topic you can simply pluck from thin air, throw your hat at, and hope to gain a book deal! You do need the relevant qualifications and clinical experience in place first, and even when you already have a publisher, you still have to prove your capabilities in a new genre before you will be commissioned in that area of expertise, which is why I approached The Wiccan Guide to Self Care as something of a literary audition and a chance to prove what I could do in terms of psychology writing. 

So when my editor asked me how I would feel about maybe publishing some work under my first name, in order to make a distinction between my magical work (which is published under my middle name, Marie Bruce) and my psychotherapy writing, I was thrilled. This is something I have wanted to do for several years, so to have it suggested by my current editor was amazing! She really is the best!  I had a few projects lined up that brought together both creative and therapeutic writing for the benefits of metal health and personal well-being. They fit firmly into the realms of psychotherapy writing, with not a single spell or magical ritual between them, so it made sense that we would use these new books to re-brand that side of my work. 

In addition, I spent the last couple of months of 2024 working on a project that I am very excited about and proud of. Its a new psychology project and it is rather special, so I can't wait until I'm able to share that with you too. Again, it will be published under my new psychotherapy-author brand name of Jacqueline Bruce because it doesn't include any spells at all. It is pure psychology and self-help. It's still me though, and you will certainly recognise my authorial voice. 

Not only that, but these projects also meant that I was given the opportunity to write on a topic close to my heart - that is, the positive benefits of writing!  Writing books about writing has been one of my goals for many, many years, and now I am doing just that! These books will be published under my first name, Jacqueline Bruce, and their release in 2025 will mark the launch of my second author brand, which is super exciting! It is something that I have been working on throughout 2024.

Of course, I will still be writing magical projects and spell books. I enjoy this kind of work even more now that I have other topics to write about as well, because it breaks up the monotony and I come to the magical genre with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm. It's nice to have two distinct branches to my writing now, two completely different genres to work in. I'm enjoying flipping back and forth between the two.  

I'm also in the process of writing a brand new column, having returned to the team at Kindred Spirit, this time as a columnist in their print magazine rather than on their blog. My first column launches in the Spring 2025 issue and the column will appear in the magazine throughout 2025, but I'll do another blog post on that nearer to the launch date.  All I will say here is that it is a very enchanting, whimsical column and unlike any column I have ever written before! I'm very excited about it. It's such a fun column to write too.

Suffice to say that there is lots of fun stuff happening in this brand new year and I am enjoying my writing work so much. Who knows what new writing opportunities will come along next? I'm certainly looking forward to finding out, because writing really is the best job in the world! 

So look out for new titles coming from me in 2025, not only Mind, Body, Spirit projects as Marie Bruce, but also mainstream non-fiction books writing as Jacqueline Bruce too!  This is definitely a big step forward for me as an author and a significant goal achieved. Happy New Year! 

Blessed Be

Marie x