Paula's Message

📚writing Well' Legacy📚

  Paula's background in spiritual accompaniment, was encouraged through teachings from her dear father, James Outhwaite.

James taught Paula how to stay connected with her Creator and to always believe in her dreams, through faith. James believed in hard work and dedication to a cause. He even visited Ghana twice to help build a school over there - he was such an amazing man.

James Outhwaite was a patient and dedicated caring person. A devout spiritual human being, firmly believing change is always possible through faith and hard work. Dyslexic, struggling to read and write, in younger years, and with an embarrassing repetitive stutter each time he spoke, James believed he would never amount to anything literary. Yet he chose one book, The Bible, and would read a few lines each morning and night-time, until he understood every word.

'...then, dad would talk to me about it.

Whenever I stayed at my childhood home, early morning I would find dad sat in his comfy chair, reading.

I knew he struggled, because if ever I asked him to read something to me, or he wanted to speak passionately, dad would stutter badly.

Yet one day he seemed to out-grow all of this, his stutter just disappeared! The more he read his Bible, the more clearly he spoke.

Those were our special moments, when we would chat about the world. Dad always had time for his little girl.'

Due to James's in-expression, he also took to his honed carpentry skills and carved beautiful woodwork products. His patience and attention to detail were second-to-none.

Paula hopes her fathers' ways emanate through her own attitude and heartfelt delivery as she encourages people together and facilitates Writing Well's mission.

After all, '...dad's stutter just disappeared, it went, ...one day, it just stopped...and dad continued to read and speak without hesitation. There was certainly something going on there!'

Paula would like to dedicate these learned strengths to her father, James Outhwaite, and the way in which this attitude affects her own neuro diverse work through Writing Well.

'Dad was, and always will be an amazing tenacious, dedicated and faithful man.' His legacy lives on through Writing Well's mission! 'Thank you, Daddy.'

Hello 👋, mutual creatives 😊📚... I am from near Louth, my name is Paula Anne, and last year I began a self funded charitable organisation called Writing Well Community Focused Creative Writing Wellbeing Groups. It was following a life-changing accident in 2023 that made me want to do something with my life. To change, to push through frightening boundaries and be more courageous. And to cut a long story short, I have gone from not being able to walk, suggested to get a wheelchair, to working through trauma, to facilitating Writing Wellbeing Groups through www.writingwell.net, with the help of my partner. And, I even began distance university studies last year working (hopefully) towards doctoral research in Creative Writing. I do have 25+ years experience in counselling and psychotherapy skills with communication and language pattern qualifications, from the 1990s. Plus, 15+ years experience in the field of writing and publishing. All this works together well in helping others become their true selves.

When I first advertised and started a pilot course for Writing Well in Louth, last September, the public interest was vast. People from all over Lincolnshire wanted a group. I received enquiries from Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Lincoln, Boston, Alford, Horncastle, even as far as Kings Lynn! So, with baby steps, I am working on this.

So far, we have a regular 2 weekly creative writing wellbeing group meeting in Louth, plus pop-up groups at other locations, the last one being in Horncastle.

Writing Well groups are for any level of experience (or none at all), whatever area of writing takes your interest - the basis is for me to facilitate your process to help you discover the 'real and authentic' you. Then you learning and writing through this congruence.

I am absolutely loving the work in all of this and have received lots of support and advice as I continually reach out and ask for different information at different times.

My next step is to again offer pop-up groups. These might be single events, focussing on 1 particular theme. For instance, at Louth yesterday we each read aloud our homework, shared mutual respect through feedback, and took part in exercises for comedy writing. It was brilliant to see how group members can go from suddenly realising how to turn something so serious in life, into something laugh-out-loud funny. There was a real buzz in the atmosphere before we finished the session yesterday. And, next time we meet, our focus is 'spontaneous' writing to our favourite piece of music.

So, I can provide workshops like these.

Also, I enjoy bringing people together, so if you are a newly published author, I can help you to arrange your first book signing. Having worn the several different hats in writing and publishing, I can be the guidance you may need.

Plus, one other thing, I provide one-to-one mentoring. This is for anyone. (I am working on developing mentoring for professionals who work with clients using creative writing wellbeing tools too, This is Continuing Professional Development/Personal Development - a requirement for most registered professionals.) This is another source of income to keep the community focused Writing Well groups afloat. I do my best to make the Writing Well groups accessible to everyone, especially financially, suggesting a donation of £3.50 per person and £1 for tea/coffee.

It's a great deal of hard work, but it seems to be becoming successful.

My question to you is this, would you like a pop-up group/workshop in your area? Or for your team at work?

Please do get in touch and let me know. Then we can arrange something.

If you take look around this website, you'll see the kind of work we have been doing.

Thank you for letting me share this. I Hope you enjoy the remainder of your day 📚👋🌟✨️

"We are who we believe we are." C.S. Lewis.

My contact email is paulaanne@writingwell.net or phone 079 69 849 294.