š Congratulations, Kathy Sparrow! Your story āLiving A Writable Lifeā shines so brightly.
It's an honor to have your story included in Fave's 'Being Brave, #Celebrating1mWomen and Their Courage' anthology, coming this December 2024.
From a young girl enchanted by books and dreaming of becoming a writer to facing crushing doubt from a high school guidance counselor, Kathy's path was far from easy.
Yet, the call to write never left her.
Through perseverance and unwavering belief in her dream, she navigated life's challenges, from motherhood to overcoming fears, to finally embracing her true calling.
Together, we celebrate the strength and resilience of women everywhere.
Join us on this empowering journey! Sponsor a Story and Empower Women's voices globally! Learn more.
Kathy Sparrow is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, screenwriter, publishing consultant, and university professor who has been mentoring aspiring writers of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry for over two decades. She was recently named by LA Weekly as one of the āTop 15 Book Coaches to Watch in 2023.ā With a three-decade tenure in publishing, Kathy specializes in the areas of personal growth and wellbeing, leadership, memoir ā and childrenās books!
Visit her websites: awritablelife.com, kathysparrow.com, stankyandcece.com
**This story is proudly sponsored by Joanie Elizabeth, a licensed mental health counselor, mental performance coach, author, and speaker. Joanie is passionate about empowering individuals to align with their true desires and embrace fulfilling lives. Her support of this story reflects her unwavering commitment to helping others uncover their inner brilliance and courage. Thank you, Joanie, for championing this brave story.
Wellness With Joanie
Describe the moment when you knew you had to tap into your inner courage and make changes in your life.
The call to be a writer has been with me since I was eight years old. I have always loved books and spent hours in the hammock during summer vacations reading The Chincoteague Pony series and Seventeen magazine. On Saturdays, my Aunt Veen and I would go to the library, and Iād bring home as many books as I was allowed. The Scholastic Book Fair was a highlight of my elementary school days. My mother always made sure I had money for a book or two. Iād also journal and write stories that no one saw. Words were my world, my happy place.
But when I was entering high school, my guidance counselor asked what I wanted to be when I āgrew up.ā I responded, āI want to be a writer, and Iām interested in the theatre.ā
He removed his wire-rimmed glasses from his round, portly face, his bald head glowing from the overhead fluorescent light. Peering at me, he said, āYouāll never be a writer.ā He didnāt even address the theatre.
I felt my life force dim as I sank into the hard oak chair in front of his desk, staring at the file folder with my name on it. My mother, sitting next to me, said not a word in my defense. My dream of being a writer faded that day and almost disappeared forever as I pursued the business path he had set forth for me.
Walk us through the pivotal moment when you decided to act courageously. What was going through your mind? How did you feel at that moment?
Thankfully, the call to write never left me, and after getting married very young and having my two children, I began writing in earnest. I returned to school, this time in a liberal arts program, and one of my professors encouraged me to write about my Aunt Veen. I penned a piece about how she taught me to knit with pink knitting needles when I was five years old.
A short time later, I wrote an essay about overcoming my fear of heights while hiking with my children. We met their aunt and uncle at Mt. Everett in the Berkshires. When I was at the summit, a whopping 2,000 feet, I crawled along the rocks, not trusting myself to stand. My children, however, were completely comfortable, especially my daughter, who was sitting on a tree branch, one that jutted out over the precipice, with her uncle. Slowly, I began to relax and found the courage to peer over the edge and watch a hawk soar below me. Something in me soared as well, and the next week on my day off, I brought home the IBM Selectric typewriter from the office where I worked. The words for the essay flowed through me.
A couple of revisions later, with shaking hands, I placed the envelope containing my essay into the mail slot at the post office. My heart raced. That was the first brave ā and vulnerable ā step to becoming a writer. Lael Locke, the publisher and editor of The Paper, a community arts publication in Upstate New York, called me a few days later and said, āI canāt use the piece you wrote, but Iād like you to write for me.ā That gig lasted six years and only ended when I left the area.
What inspired or motivated you to take the courageous step you did? What were a few of the first steps you took? What major actions did you have to take?
Writing that essay was only the first step in beginning my life as a writer, and I knew I had to say āyesā to that desire. It was a calling, and as Kobi Yamada says, āBut there was something magical about my idea. I had to admit, I felt better and happier when it was around.ā While he is referring to a specific idea, for me, the idea of writing and being a writer made me happy. I am happiest when Iām wordsmithing.
That idea, that calling, had to be nurtured, so I took a class on āBecoming a Freelance Writer.ā This required that I leave my family on Monday nights for about six weeks, something my husband at the time wasnāt happy about. But I did it. I made supper and hopped in my car for the hourās drive from Philmont to Schenectady to attend this non-credit class. I also hired a graphic artist to create a logo and letterhead for me so my pitch letters would be nothing but professional.
Paint a picture of what your life was like before you encountered the challenge that called for you to summon your courage.
Because of the guidance counselorās misplaced mandate, which only served his misogyny, I lowered the bar for the vision of my life. Instead of studying literature and creative writing, I built my speed as a typist, learned the āartā of stenography, and yawned through bookkeeping class. At the local community college, I earned an associateās degree in accounting instead of pursuing my second choice for a career ā that of being a lawyer. (Darn! I could have been like John Grisham and David Baldacci!)
I couldnāt see a life for myself other than being a wife and mother and having a part-time job. No one around me did, except for my Aunt Veen, whose advice to use my intelligence went unheeded. When my kids started school, I went to work for a local assemblyman, handling constituent problems with the government. Three years later, I became the youngest congressional liaison for our local congressman, responsible for constituent affairs in three counties. Both were respectable positions that had many perks, including health insurance for my family. But always in the back of my mind was the idea of writing, and I devoured books in my spare time.
Were there any doubts or fears you had to overcome before taking action? How did you manage them?
That guidance counselorās words have haunted me at every juncture of my writing career, sparking the fear of not being good enough. The night before I was defending my thesis, over twenty years after his misplaced mandate, I was in a heap of tears on the floor, his words taunting my soul. The next day, after my defense was over, one member of my thesis committee said my work was dissertation material, far above what he expected in a thesis.
Even though these fears arise occasionally, I shake them off. I refuse to let that man who never really knew me chart my life. Not writing is the biggest sin to my soul, and even though I may have to dig deep, I tap into my courage and do what Iām being called to do ā write.
What were some of the challenges or obstacles you faced during your journey to overcome this particular challenge?
One of the biggest challenges Iāve had is allowing other people to come before my dreams and goals. I always wanted to make sure everyone around me ā my kids and husbands in particular ā have been stable in their lives before I allowed myself the time to write. Itās been difficult to put myself and my writing first, especially when thatās been deemed āselfish.ā Now, my writing has to come first. Itās when Iām the happiest. I also know itās my gift to the world.
Ironically, not too long ago, I found a note from my daughter, written when she was in college, encouraging me to write and make that my spiritual practice. I wish Iād fully embraced her wisdom and her permission when she first gave me that gift. Now, writing is the place where I tap into God, Spirit, the Universe, and surrender to what Iām being called to do. I do this each and every day.
Recently, I had the opportunity to create three scripts for the animation series for Stanky & Cece Adventures ā just eleven pages each ā and I procrastinated. I almost turned the task over to my agent. Then, I realized this was a moment in my life where I was up-leveling my skills in a different genre. There have been many moments like this throughout my career as a writer. I dusted the guidance counselorās words from my shoulders and now have scripts that my agent wants me to submit for contests, which is a way to garner studio attention. She said, āThere is no doubt that you are a talented writer.ā As silly as it seems, I needed her acknowledgment.
There have been many moments like this ā where Iāve had to rise above my fears and doubts about my writing not being good enough. Iāve had to quell the thoughts of Who am I to be writing? Who will read what I write? Writing my novel, The Whispered Teachings of Grandmother Trout, and my fly fishing memoir, On the Mother Lagoon: Fly Fishing and the Spiritual Journey, are examples. Each one signified a new step in my role as a writer in this world. Even returning to school at age forty to complete my degrees so I could teach writing took courage.
What role models or sources of support helped you stay strong and resilient?
The support Iāve received from editors and professors has been priceless. I owe a great deal of thanks to Lael Locke, Pam Schmonsky, Joe Dunn, Emily Perez, and others who have seen my talents and nurtured my skills.
I have a long list of writers that I admire ā Sue Monk Kidd, Pam Houston, Frederik Backman, and David Whyte, to name just a few. By reading their works, my writing becomes better. Recently, I was listening to Tom Hanksā The Making of Another Major Motion Picture, and I marveled at his choice of words. Building strength and resilience as a writer requires that I continually write and read to hone my craft.
How did this experience impact your life and your perception of courage?
Any step we take to live the life weāre meant to, demand respect for our unique expression in the world, and free ourselves from the expectations of others takes courage. Courage builds over time. Itās like adding money to our savings account. Each moment we embrace who we are and make decisions that align with who weāre meant to be in this world adds precious energy to our courage account.
What lessons or wisdom have you gained from this experience that youād like to share with others?
Honoring myself and respecting the gifts that I was endowed with has been my biggest lesson. Iāve learned that I matter, and I do make a positive difference in peopleās lives when I use my gifts and talents.
What unexpected or positive outcomes emerged from your courageous actions?
I see every experience as an opportunity to add more clay to my writerās wheel. Whether Iām watching the birds on my balcony, going to Sweat Cycle class, traveling with my partner, or spending time with my grandchildren, there are so many ways I can weave those moments into my storytelling adventures. I do not lack ideas that I can share with the world. I am a writer of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and childrenās books. I can also call myself a screenwriter. I am living the life of a writer.
How do you define courage, and how has your definition evolved through your own experiences?
Courage is the wisdom to listen to your heart, discern whatās calling you, and have a vision of your very next step. I didnāt need to see my entire career laid out in front of me. I could never have envisioned that Iād be living in the ābackyard of Hollywood,ā writing in multiple genres and guiding aspiring writers to their publishing dreams.
As Oprah said, āThe way through the challenge is to get still and ask yourself, āWhat is the next right move? What is the next right move?ā and then, from that space, make the next right move and the next right move.ā I made my next right move and the next and the next. Courage requires that we move into the unknown and trust that all is well.
Is there a particular message or advice youād like to convey to other women who may be facing similar challenges?
Our lives matter, and that yearning to do āmoreā than what weāve settled for is a mission from God. Itās our unique way to serve in this world. Weāve all been gifted with talents and skills that humanity needs. Itās up to us to embrace the responsibility required to bring our yearnings to fruition.
In retrospect, do you have any regrets or things you would have done differently?
I wish I had started writing earlier in my life ā and had a consistent writing practice over the years. I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do ā many more words to bring into this world.
How has this experience shaped your identity or sense of self?
One of my spiritual mentors said that the guidance counselorās mandate was like weights to build muscle. I became a stronger writer because I had to choose to believe in myself rather than someoneās misplaced expectations for me. My mission is āI Bring Light to the World with Words,ā and I do that through what I write and by helping aspiring writers tap into their courage and write the stories that want to come through them. I am living A Writable Life.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant or afraid to take a courageous step in their life?
If you have an idea to write a book, a blog, or an essay, that idea has been gifted to you by the Universe. Someone needs to hear your message. Your responsibility is to say āyesā to it and listen to what wants to come through you. The Universe will support you in your creation. Youāre never alone.