MA Professional Writing student’s blog has struck a chord in Ireland and beyond

When Joan Mitchell lost her job as Irish Sales Manager for a global entertainment brand in March of this year, some degree of gloom and despondency would have been more than understandable. Especially as this was the second major blow she had experienced in six months, coming after her husband suffered a heart attack in October.

After the initial shock wore off, however, Joan began to think about ways in which her experience and new-found time could be turned to advantage. And, having recently started a part-time, distance-learning MA in Professional Writing at University College Falmouth, one immediate benefit of redundancy was that it gave her more time to focus on her writing.

Joan Mitchell Like all students on the MA course, Joan is required to write a regular blog. Remembering the advice frequently given to writers, "Write about what you know", she decided to focus her blog on the experience of redundancy, but from an unusual angle. Rather than dwelling on the downside of being without paid work, she would celebrate the positive aspects.

Joan said: "In the first few weeks after losing my job I'd done plenty of moaning to anyone who would listen, and I suppose I'd reached the stage of being sick of listening to myself. I realised I could either wallow in it or start doing something positive. By calling the blog ‘200 Positives about Redundancy' I was setting myself a tough challenge, but the surprise has been to discover just how many ways my life has improved. A few months ago I had all the trappings of a successful career - meetings, deadlines and an expense account. Now I have a welfare card, can get free eye tests and know the first name of my butcher!"

Joan's witty, self-deprecating blog charts her rediscovery of the things that really matter in life - the new friendships that have flourished, the time she's able to enjoy with her husband and young children, and - perhaps most importantly - the way that she's been able to get back to the essence of the person she was before the demands of a high-pressure job took over her life.

Since March, Joan has volunteered at the Roddy Doyle Writers Centre in Dublin, had her first ever ‘Daughter Day' at the theatre, and walked the Dublin Women's Mini Marathon to raise money for her children's school. "And I now also have the best manicured nails of any of the school mums," she jokes.

Joan's upbeat take on her experiences seems to have struck a chord with an online audience. Her blog rapidly began to gain followers in Ireland and beyond, and it's also been attracting media attention. She recently gave a live interview to the Irish national radio station Newstalk FM that sparked a big response from listeners, with the podcast version attracting more hits on the station's site than any other item last week.

With the help of her tutors on the MA course, Joan is now exploring the possibility of developing her blog into a non-fiction book. "One of the best things about the MA at Falmouth is the focus on taking advantage of publishing opportunities," she says. "Many thousands of people are going through experiences similar to mine, and I think there'd be real demand for a humorous book about redundancy. Not just on how to survive it, but on how to seize it as a chance to turn your life around."

Joan's blog is at 200positivesaboutredunancy. You can hear her interview with Newstalk FM at www.newstalk.ie.

Ends

For further information about MA Professional Writing at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/professionalwriting, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214374.

For further information please contact Suzanne Bull, Marketing & PR Manager , School of Media & Performance at University College Falmouth,, Telephone: 01326 213762, or email: suzanne.bull@falmouth.ac.uk

‹ Previous article
Next article ›

MA Professional Writing student’s blog has struck a chord in Ireland and beyond

Undergraduate courses

Postgraduate courses

Research MPhil/PhD

Foundation courses

Professional development short courses

Learning & leisure courses