Can your childhood passions unlock business success?
I’ve reignited my childhood love of swimming in cold water.
What did you love to do as a child that made you feel alive, inspired and energised? For me it was reading, writing, and being outside - ideally in the sea, on my bike, or on a tennis court.
For some reason, it wasn’t until my 40s that I returned to these passions of my youth. I joke that I’m having the most wholesome midlife crisis imaginable, tapping back into my creativity, making time to read, and choosing activities like cold water dipping as my idea of fun.
But it goes deeper than just having healthier hobbies. It is expanding my mind and providing richer and deeper life experiences. It is exposing me to people who inspire and teach me. It is giving me new ideas all the time.
I know my experience is far from isolated, and when I saw author Sue Bordley’s comment in a Facebook group about how she has reconnected with her love of writing and went on to become a published author, I wanted to find out more.
Sue is the author of five books, including a bestselling book for children and two books written under the pen name, Jess Molyneux. She is also an acclaimed poet, having had her work published in several anthologies and broadcast on BBC Radio. Married with two children, Sue only started writing after a 20-year teaching career; these days, she much prefers writing books to marking them.
Author Sue Bordley signing books published under her pen name Jess Molyneux.
Sue, how did you tap back into your creativity after forgetting about your love of poetry when adult life got in the way?
I came back to writing when I’d reached a crossroads in my life. I’d been a teacher for nearly 20 years, but a severe bout of depression meant I couldn’t continue with it. In my final year as a teacher, I found writing therapeutic. After my marking and planning were done and my (then young) children put to bed, I’d sit at a computer and write into the small hours.
My first attempt at writing was with a novel, aimed at older teens. I was concerned about the messages teenage girls were being given about relationships from popular culture, so I wrote a story giving them a more positive example. The book, which was called ‘XY, Z’ and published under the pen name Jess Molyneux, attracted some controversy on its release, but many more people agreed it was an important book that needed to be written.
What has happened for you - personally and professionally - after embracing your childhood passion once again?
Sue in action in Waterstones.
After the publication of ‘XY, Z’, I left my teaching job - I’d love to say to become a full-time author, but the reality was it was due to my depression.
For months, I couldn’t leave the house. I’d hide under the covers, watching mindless gameshows. Every time the host would ask the contestants what they did, it brought it home to me that now I was no longer a teacher, I was nothing.
I eventually tried swimming to regain some confidence. It was hard at first, but soon my daily dip became a real confidence-booster. The lifeguards would talk to me, which when you’ve felt invisible, is the best medicine you can get.
One day, the lifeguard on duty was tapping his feet to the song on the radio, which was ‘Rescue Me’ by Fontella Bass. This gave me the inspiration for my second novel, called (what else?) ‘Rescue Me’ and published under my real name in 2018. It was a huge success and is probably my best-received book so far.
In the summer of 2018, I saw a call-out for poets to be included in an anthology. The deadline was that day, but I wondered if I could write something quickly and make it in.
My poem, about my autistic son’s first experience on a ferry, has been hailed by one reviewer as one of the highlights of the anthology and it was one of six poems chosen to be included in a short film, made in 2020.
Being in that anthology gave me one of the greatest moments of my writing life, when I performed and signed books at Waterstones!
I’ve since gone on to wrote two more novels (one as Jess, one under my own name) and achieved my first Amazon Bestseller with my first book for children in October 2020.
‘Have Fun, Be Safe’ is a water safety book, featuring sign language symbols and strategies to help children with additional needs – and I wrote it with the help of my friend, the toe-tapping lifeguard. After he helped me when I needed it, it was good to work on the book with him, and I’ve recently helped him launch his own swimming tuition school.
Why do you think we make things so hard for ourselves as adults?
I think people are under more pressure than ever before.
Nothing is ever good enough, and we’re constantly being made to feel we should be ‘stepping out of our comfort zones’. I hate that phrase.
People perform better when they’re not being placed under undue pressure. We shouldn’t be telling people that feeling comfortable is wrong, as though it’s equated with laziness.
What is your advice to people who feel stuck in a rut in their businesses?
If someone was feeling stuck in a rut with their business, I’d advise them to speak to people they could trust, to gauge their opinions about any changes that could be made – but only make them if it’s something you’re happy with.
What do you do now to stimulate your creativity and allow yourself to bring more joy into your life?
I’m always open to inspiration! People I meet, places I go (not that there have been many of those lately) - everything can be a stimulus for writing. I’m especially fond of immersing myself in a memory, then using that as a starting point for a poem.
What does success look like to you?
Success is doing what makes you happy – and being able to realise when it isn’t. There are many other jobs I could do that would make more money than being an author (unless you’re a celebrity already, it’s a difficult marketplace!) but if I wasn’t happy, it’d all be meaningless.
Sue in the studio with BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Jermaine Foster.
Quickfire Questions
Favourite social media platform?
The only one that I find any use at all is Instagram. It’s evolved into much more than just photographing your dinner: these days there’s a fantastic community of authors, all keen to support each other and showcase each other’s work.
What’s on your desk right now?
What desk would that be, then? Don’t have one. I work with a laptop on my knee. I’m the boss, so I’ll do what makes me comfortable.
Early bird or night owl?
I think I’m somewhere between the two!
Worst job you’ve ever had?
I’ve been lucky enough to not really hate any job I’ve had, but I suppose I’d have to say a short stint in a chip shop as a student. They were nice people to work for, but I stank of grease at the end of my shift!
Where do you get your best ideas?
I just look around me. Real life is my inspiration. I’m not a fan of fantasy; as a general rule, if it couldn’t happen, it won’t appear in one of my books... and who needs fantasy when real life and real people are so fascinating?