Why I Am Heading To Berlin

In today’s newsletter, I revealed how in March I’ll be heading to Berlin! So I wanted to write a short post on why I’m going there and what I’ll be doing (my posts are never short – let’s see how this one turns out).

So why am I heading to Berlin? In short – why not? While I was in Germany in December, I kept thinking of how much I loved the country and I made a mental list of all the cities I wanted to visit there. Top of the list was Berlin and the more I thought about it and read about the city, the more I realised it sounded like the kind of place I’d absolutely love to be based in for a while and explore.

A Growing Literary Scene

When I got home from my trip, I came across various articles on writers in Berlin, which looked at the reasons why so many English authors are heading there. I quickly realised that the city not only has a growing literary scene, but it is also very art and creativity orientated. As I want to start work on my second novel early this year, I decided that Berlin could be the place to settle in for a while and get a big chunk of it written.

Me being me, this vague idea quickly spiralled into “I MUST DO THIS!” and before you know it, I had booked an Airbnb apartment and I was announcing I’m heading to Berlin. So one of my main focuses while I’m there will be my new book; I hope to also join people in group writing sessions, as well as a critique group.

Business Matters

Away from my novel writing, I’ve been working hard on the business side of things: my freelance writing and this blog. I have a lot of work to do, so I really want to hunker down and start crossing things off my list. Things are going well, thankfully, with my freelance writing business, and I just got another client on board on retainer, which is fantastic, but I need to do more. So I have a few projects that I need to be working on.

There are also a tonne of things that I want to get done for the blog. For one, I want to write a small eBook to offer for free to those of you lovely readers who sign-up for my newsletter. I’m also trying to build the blog’s readership and writing content that’s in line with the new direction of the site – solo female travel with an emphasis on the transformative power of travel. So there will be a lot more wellness-oriented posts in the near future, too.

An Incredible City

And, of course, what an incredible city to base myself in while I focus on all of this?! Berlin is teeming with history and amazing museums and galleries – I haven’t been this excited about visiting a place in a long time. The thing I’m most looking forward to is just walking around the streets, soaking the city up with no itinerary in mind. I can’t wait to share my finds with you on the blog!

Going Solo

This is also my first long-term solo venture since my breakup. And you know what? I’m so ready for it. There was a time when I did worry a bit about being alone again, but I now realise that I’m over it. How do I know? Because I cannot wait to board that plane and go! I’ve always enjoyed my own company, so I know that I’m going to easily fall back into a beautiful routine. I’m also looking forward to meeting new people while I’m in Berlin; I already know that certain lovely folk, such as Amélie from Mostly Amélie, will be in town!

What’s Next?

Nothing is set in stone at this point; I’ve decided that 2016 is going to be a year of experimenting and working hard on my goals. For one, I want to add more income streams so that my location independence dream is set in stone. Some of you may recall how I said I wanted to settle in one place for a while, but over time my feelings on this have somewhat changed. Yes, I want to settle in one place and have my own little flat some day, but ideally I also want to do it on my terms. This means working on my business for a while longer and seeing where it leads me.

So a month in Berlin and then who knows! If I like it, I will consider making it my base for a longer time. You’ll just have to watch this space.

Have you ever been to Berlin? Do you have any tips?