After a career in travel and teaching, VANESSA DE LA RIE-TOMS faced retirement with anticipation and uncertainty. She shares how an online writing course rekindled a lifelong passion, renewed her confidence and gave her a fresh sense of purpose.
Retirement promised leisurely mornings and time for long-neglected hobbies, but it also raised an unsettling, niggling question: without work, where would I find purpose? A chance encounter with an online writing course offered an unexpected answer, turning my uncertainty about retirement into the start of a creative new chapter.
Planning for retirement beyond the teapot
As retirement approached, I considered how best to use my newfound free time. After all, there are only so many leisurely cups of tea one can drink before needing a plan. Though the transition felt daunting, I began to welcome the chance to pursue new interests and embrace a more flexible routine. However, I knew it was time to plan now, not after the fact.
Realising the value of planning, I attended a conference, ‘Planning for Your Retirement’, a title less enticing than a holiday brochure, but more useful. There, I heard that around 47 to 50 per cent of retirees in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK reported lower happiness or fulfilment because they were inadequately prepared for retirement.
In the UK, OnePoll carried out a survey for Oddfellows, called ‘Retirement’s emotional rollercoaster’. This showed that from April to May 2024, 39 per cent of the retirees in the survey were unhappy and had a reduced sense of identity and purpose.
I decided to explore different ideas and speak to friends who had already retired, hoping to learn from their experiences. Many were content to spend their newfound freedom socialising, pursuing hobbies or volunteering. Their lives sounded fulfilling, but I was searching for something with a little more creative spark and, as luck would have it, inspiration was only a click away.
Choosing an online writing course: one click, a new chapter
That click led me to an online ad for a writing course, and suddenly retirement looked much more exciting, proof that not every online advert leads to that inflatable flamingo drinks holder you really don’t need. I had loved writing since childhood. Having written some marketing pieces while I worked for Greenpeace, and short stories for my students, I could no longer ignore this recurring thread in my life.
After comparing the various writing course options, and with the seriousness of someone choosing a new career rather than a new kettle, I enrolled at The Writers’ College for the Freelance Journalism Course.
As the first session approached, I wondered whether the course could turn a lifelong interest into a new chapter and lead to more inspiration and fewer prolonged negotiations with first sentences.
From teacher to student: how a writing course built my confidence
The answer was yes on all counts, but it wasn’t easy at first.
After 24 years of teaching English to Dutch secondary-school students, I expected the leap from teacher to writer to be effortless. Instead, I discovered that my own language had become simpler, more practical and less expressive.
Gradually, I found my rhythm. After years of marking other people’s work, it felt strange and liberating to be the student. Each assignment strengthened my confidence and reminded me that new beginnings have no age limit. Frank McCourt, who wrote one of my favourite books, Angela’s Ashes, was in fact 66 when it was published and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize (source: ‘Late-Blooming Literary Icons: 6 Writers Who Debuted at an Older Age’, EQT Creative).
The course was exactly what I needed. It sharpened my writing and language skills, helped me find my voice and introduced me to an experienced, encouraging mentor: Donna Dailey. Donna has written for national and international publications, including The Sunday Times. She has received many prestigious awards, including Best UK Feature (2002 and 2003) and a travel writing award from The British Guild of Travel Writers.
I found it difficult to reduce the word count in my articles. My mentor Donna gave me a very good piece of advice: ‘Look for low-hanging fruit, cut a word or two, then look for repetitions. Trimming improves the pace. Read it out loud; that’s the best way to hear the cadence of your words, to help you trim and tighten.’ This advice really helped my writing style.
This course also filled the gap left by retirement and restored my sense of purpose. Although one career had ended, I began to believe another could begin.
Creativity in retirement: a new direction in writing
Retirement, I discovered, does not end productivity; it simply redirects it, preferably away from alarm clocks and Monday-morning inboxes. With more time and a clearer mind, I can now explore the creativity that working life often left little room for. This new chapter gives me space to flourish, helped along by a good cup of coffee and the occasional ‘choccy bicky’ for editorial support.
Then came the moment that made all the planning worthwhile. I submitted my final article I’d written on the course to the features editor of a major UK national magazine, and it was accepted the very next day. Such a swift response exceeded all my expectations. I am over the moon and deeply grateful to the Freelance Journalism course and my supportive, experienced mentor for helping me turn a lifelong passion into work that a national magazine wants to publish.
Retirement, it turns out, has a plot twist or two, and mine has been a very welcome one.
READ MORE
Why I Became a Writer (Finally!) | SA Writers’ College
You Too Can Be a Successful Writer After 50 | UK Writers’ College
Writing Through Menopausal Brain Fog | NZ Writers College
Start writing after retirement: your next chapter begins here
Instead of seeing retirement as the end of a useful, creative life, you can see it as the start of a new phase. Learning to write has renewed my confidence, given my days purpose and provided a therapeutic way to reflect, explore and express myself.
You don’t need years of experience, just curiosity, a willingness to learn and courage to begin. Open a blank document and see where your next chapter takes you; at worst, the delete key gets a little extra exercise.
About the Author
Vanessa de la Rie-Toms is a freelance English-language examiner in the Netherlands. Originally from London, she moved to Amsterdam in her twenties and is a former high school and college teacher. A lifelong enthusiast of writing, theatre, concerts and films, she now writes articles on a broad range of subjects and still rocks out at music festivals, proving that retirement can be the start of a lively new chapter.
