Hay festival was my first international literature festival – as a visitor and as a writer. I had no idea what to expect! I knew just one thing – I was so honoured to be invited because even after having published six books, saying "I’m a writer" always ended with an invisible question mark. With the help from artists and visitors three days in Hay removed that question mark.
Jenny Valentine told me about a game "Well bragged" where you can forget being humble and be proud of yourself. Mr Bingo said to decide who you want to be and then start calling yourself it. No need for affirmation from others although occasionally its nice. After my talk one participant commented on my Instagram account that I was brilliant and the talk was interesting. I think I had a smile plastered on my face for hours.
Sarah Crossan saying she had to redo her latest book three times just proved that rewriting is okay. And Jonathan Drori talking about trees so passionately that every person would want to venture to the forest with him. There were more wonderful encounters but all sadly won’t fit here. I can just assure everyone that when I left Hay, I had some extra things to take away with me: motivation and inspiration to continue working on my new book and courage to be and to call myself a writer.