By Eithne Cullen

Welcome to June’s Thoughtful Tuesday. It’s an exciting time to be talking about ‘Mindset’ and not just because it’s June.

One of my favourite musicals is Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein. There’s a bright, mood-lifting song in it which is really appropriate here. The song tells us about the anticipation of waiting for summer through March, April and May, then there’s a build-up to the lyric everyone seems to know: June is bustin’ out all over! The flowers are bustin’ from their seed! So I’m sharing lots of writing about “bustin’ out” out of a way of thinking, out of a rut, out of something else…

This lovely image from Clare Brown is appropriate here. It reminds us of how spring was bustin’ out in nature, foreshadowing the flowers we’re enjoying now.

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The next piece I’m sharing is from Jilly Henderson-Long. It’s very appropriate, as she describes the writer’s mindset.

Finding The Right Frame Of Mind

Back in the early 90s, I wrote a book, Elfin, a story for children nine-plus. I don’t know where the idea came from; I only know I loved it from the start and felt it had something very special. When a much-revered aunt read it and told me she thought it was the best thing I’d ever written, I knew it had a future.

Fast forward 30 years or so and that very same book is now in its fifth edit, thanks to the enormous interest shown in it by a literary agent. Yes, fifth! And, although the crucial story is the same, it has simultaneously changed drastically since that first draft. It has not only had to change with the times (in the original, the young protagonist is almost subjected to a spanking, but of course that’s not acceptable in this day and age, so had to come out). It’s had to be tightened, modernised and re-written, again and again and again.

It’s easy as a writer to think our completed work is perfect. When my aunt made her comment, it convinced me I’d got it right first time. I thought, ‘How can I ever make this great story better?’ But, thanks to that literary agent, I’ve made it not only better, but, much, MUCH better than it was and it’s taken some changing of mindset in order to achieve that, I can tell you!

Even after being a professional writer most of my life, I’ve also learned a great deal in the process. I’ve learned the true meaning of pace, how to create an arc, how to develop my characters and, most importantly, how to help my readers of the future really identify with them and the situations in which they find themselves.

I think the hardest lesson one has to learn as a writer is how to take constructive criticism. As the author, nobody knows the work like we do, right? So how can it be OK for some editor to come along and say change this or alter that if we have a preconceived idea of what our story is trying to say and how it should be said?

This is what I mean by mindset. We have to learn all the new rules without unlearning the rules we set ourselves. It’s not always easy – but then nothing ever is.

As far as Elfin is concerned, I’ve climbed its mountain and have now almost reached the pinnacle. The book is better than I ever thought it could be – and it’s still not quite finished! I’m glad I was able to change my mindset about it; otherwise, it could have remained hidden in the back of a drawer forever.

© Jilly Henderson-Long, 2025

Connect with Jilly on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/jhendersonlong-825a796

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I had a recent opportunity to change my own mindset and add a new dimension to my writing, when I attended a workshop with Mirabel Lavelle, who has a personal interest in food allergies, having had negative experiences with her grandchildren. Using her positive mindset, she’s written a book: Jet, Zeb And The Ice-Cream Calamity.

In her workshop, Mirabel encouraged participants to think about incorporating the issue of allergy into our writing. I came up with this little flash piece:

Fresher

All unpacked, Mum and Dad gone off with teary eyes. The housemates are already on the wine; I’m shy, not sure what to say. We all decide we’ll go to the freshers’ ‘mixer’ – booze and music guaranteed. But first, load up and line our stomachs. To the fast-food place just on campus.

A waitress greets us, smiles and seats us. Handing laminated menus: “Any allergies?” she asks, but I know she doesn’t mean it. Should I say something? How will they react?

I feel for the epi-pen in my pocket and wish I knew who to trust with the spare. Who’s going to be reliable out of this lot? They seemed irresponsible when they started drinking earlier on.

No one says anything.

The waitress, a student, I’m pretty sure by now, begins to walk away. “Yes,” I say. “I’ve got a nut allergy.” Silence at the table; furtive looks among my housemates.

The waitress’ face falls. “Hang on!” Her training kicks in. She goes to the counter and collects the folder. “Here’s a list of our allergens!” She plonks it on the table.

© Eithne Cullen, 2025

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Amber Hall has submitted this piece about her own experience of changing her mindset to deal with a very serious issue, an eating disorder. It’s an honest piece, so I appreciate her sharing her thoughts with us.

A New Way Of Thinking

Mindset is a funny word, I think. It sounds definitive and all-encompassing, when it’s really neither of those things. We’re not defined by our mindsets, nor are they fixed. Our ways of thinking can change as we make our way through life and we’re influenced by the things we see and the people we meet along the way. But sometimes, life forces us to think differently; perhaps drastically so.

I’ve written before about overcoming anorexia, but I’ve never really written about how I did it. Truthfully, it took a lot of courage and a huge leap of faith. I had to trust my life would be better without an eating disorder than it was with one – which is probably difficult to understand if you’ve never had to rely on a crutch to make it through the day. I had been unwell for almost 20 years – more than half my life. Throughout my teens and adulthood, I used food as both a distraction and a punishment. I used it to stave off uncomfortable feelings, keeping the chaos of my childhood at bay. It wasn’t about being thin or pretty and it wasn’t a choice I made. It kept me safe – hell, it kept me alive! But I’d had enough. I couldn’t fathom spending another 20 years being tormented by carbs and turning down invites (to parties, to holidays, to any kind of joyous occasion), so I committed myself to recovery: FULL recovery. I wasn’t going to settle for a half-life any more.

I had to rewire my brain, quite literally. Form new neural pathways by breaking the endless list of rules I’d created for myself. I tackled these one by one, at a pace I could handle. Most of the rules were around food, but not all of them. Some of them were about being ‘good,’ like setting an alarm every morning, even if I didn’t have to get up. Each rule was like a brick in a wall. A wall I’d built around myself and one that kept me shut off from the world. Every time I challenged a rule, a brick became dislodged. Eventually, it fell from the wall and let a little light in. I kept on going until there were no more rules left to break; until the wall had crumbled around me. It wasn’t straightforward and it certainly wasn’t pretty. It was and will always be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.

In almost every sense, my post-recovery life is completely different. My mindset has shifted in profound ways; in ways I never thought it would. I never thought recovery would happen for me. I believed my eating disorder would be something I’d just have to manage and try to fit my life around it somehow. But today, I can see a future for myself, and that’s a gift. What I experience now is real joy and real connection, but I’ve also had to do a lot of grieving for the life I should have had. Anorexia took a lot from me, but it also kept me safe from some very big feelings I’ve since had to process.

In some ways, the path of my recovery looked clearer, because I knew my eating disorder inside out. I created its rules, so I knew where to begin when it came to breaking them. I don’t always know how to sit with discomfort, but I do it anyway. That’s where faith comes in again: I have faith that, ultimately, I’ll be OK. I made it this far, after all.

(c) Amber Hall, 2025

Connect with Amber on Instagram: @amber.marie.123 and X: amber_marie_123

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Here’s another picture from Clare, reminding us of how we can see the light as we make our way through our challenges.

 

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Of course, bustin’ out can also be about the nine-to-five, the rut we all find ourselves in from time to time. Here’s a poem from Tavinder on the subject.

Burst Out!

Tick tock, tick tock,
coffee on, toast on,
vroom, vroom drive to work,
same old, same old,
Snooze button on in the morning,
feeling stuck.

Tick tock, tick tock,
porridge on, fruit bowl,
chug, chug the train journey to work,
same old, same old,
snooze button on in the morning,
feeling stuck.

BURST OUT!
No more.

Time for a change,
time for something new,
Smash the clock,
Look for another job.

BURST OUT!
No more.

time for something new,
a new job, a new place, new people,
a new beginning, smash the clock
No more stuck, moving, finally moving on.

© Tavinder Kaur New, 2025

Connect with Tavinder on X: @NewTavinder

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The last piece I’m sharing reminds me of the saying ‘Age is just a number.’ Jo Renton reflects on the way she’s experiencing ageing.

I’m Getting Old But I’m OK

I can’t believe I’m almost eighty
I’ve joined a special band
those of us who’ve walked through history
And seen many trends diminish and expand.

Childhood pictures of one so ancient
flood into my brain
without strain or pain
if I permit it.
A witch with whiskers on her chin,
a crone with age bent double.
so bony and so thin
The wise woman of the village
curing peasant people
with herbs, potions, poultices and secrets;
and burnt as a witch when
the crops turn brown,
when the barn burns down
or she’s thrown into the ducking stool
to drown.

I shut that book and throw it on my mental fire.
My ninth decade won’t be so dire.
I know there’s no fighting nature.
She will always win.
When we’ve had our fling at life,
when we’ve savoured the final slice
it is then time to pay the price,
and have our last adventure.

The book falls open at the ‘nearly’ bit
I nearly drowned when I was six.
A stranger rescued me
and I didn’t drown.
My mother sent me to say ‘Thank you’
with only half a crown.
Surely it was worth a pound
to have saved me from the sea.

I gently close that book, ‘ere painful memories gather
and from my mental shelf, I choose another.
How to enjoy these final years
And live life to the full,
to squeeze out the last drops of living
Until the pith is dry.
I definitely intend to try.

Falling again for someone’s charms,
and finding solace in his arms
has been a good beginning:
Holidays and days away,
meals in bistros and cafes.
Not too much work and time to play.
I’m getting old but,
for next week next month and for today I’m still OK.

© Jo Renton, 2025

It seems like a good note to end on, looking forward as well as back – sharing our thoughts about mindset has certainly brought lots of variety and interesting pieces to the page. Stay positive and keep writing!

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Issue 24, featuring John Marrs, is out now. You will find it in libraries and other outlets. Alternatively, all current and previous editions can be found on our magazines page here. 

You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo or find us on Spotify.  

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