With author Anita Belli, writing as Rose Parry.

In this fourth episode of season three, The Mindful Writer, I chat with my friend and writing buddy, Anita Belli about her new venture The Glorious 3rd Age.

Before I introduce Anita, let me update you on my writing journey. I am delighted to tell you that I am about to write the last three chapters of The Evacuee’s Secret. I have rewritten the ending after some valuable feedback from an editor. I’m really pleased with the end result. Now, I can’t wait to get it ready for publication. And I have a sequel planned so when my foot is in a surgical boot this summer, I will have plenty to keep me occupied.

Last week I was invited to talk about my books and writing journey to a WI group. My talk was ‘How Friendship, Community, and Emotional Courage have inspired my novels and why it is never too late to follow your dreams. This talk, I am pleased to say, excited and inspired the group of mostly mature women of fifty years plus. Several came up to me afterwards to share with me their dreams and aspirations. My first novel was published when I was sixty years of age. As the main wage earner for our family I did not have time to write when I was younger. Working full-time and raising a family takes a lot of energy. I have huge respect and admiration for anyone who manages to do this and still find time to write.

There is never A right time to write but being older has its advantages. I love being in my sixties as I now have the time to do more of the things I enjoy. I have learnt new skills and achieved things I didn’t believe possible. So, I am in agreement with this week’s guest – there is a glorious third age!

Now, let me introduce you.

Anita Belli is a writer and creative tutor. A former dancer and filmmaker, she devised and taught an MA in making dance for the screen, which led to a love of developing creative ideas with others. Anita is the author of The Traveller and the Rose and other novels, and books for creatives including Kickstart Your Writing.

Rose Parry, Anita’s alter-ego, is the founder of G3A Your Glorious Third Age: A writing, publishing, and learning programme.

It is a pleasure to introduce you to Anita Belli today, as Anita and I have known one another for many years. Living I the same geographical area, we met through a local writers’ group and since then we have been supporting each other in our writing journeys. I invited Anita to the Mindful Writer to talk about her new venture as Rose Parry. Your Glorious 3rd Age.

You can listen to the podcast here: How Older Women can Change the World Episode 3 season three

Or read a summary of our interview below:

Deborah: Hello Anita and welcome. Please tell us about G3A and what inspired you to create this programme.

Anita: Your Glorious 3rd Age is about where I am in myself and writing career. I wanted to be authentic and to find what inspires and motivates me. G3A is a writing, publishing, and learning programme empowering women in their third age to discover their truth and life purpose through writing, publishing and well-being.

I got to a stage in my life where I felt as though I was invisible. Older women have an amazing track record and life experience.

Staying well is really important if women want to enjoy a glorious third age. 

I was working in schools delivering a well-being programme for children with a wellness practitioner and his teaching inspired me. I wanted to understand how I could enjoy my own glorious 3rd age and share this with others.

Deborah: When is the third age?

Anita: For me, it was when I became a pensioner. My son expressed concern that I would hurt myself if I took risks. I had just fallen off my grand-daughter’s Segway. I didn’t want my children worrying about my health. I also wanted to share what I had learned throughout my life with the next generation of my family, as well as others. So, for me my 3rd age began at the age of sixty.

Deborah: One of my guests on the Mindful Writer, Sandell Morse told me about her skiing group of older people, which included a 90-year-old skier. Sometimes our children can be a little over-protective.

Anita: You wrote about that, Deborah, in your novel, The Forever Cruise, society’s expectations of how you should behave at a certain age.

I like the metaphor that we are like Russian nesting dolls. We can identify with all those versions of ourself at the same time. It is the gap between each doll, the pauses where the learning happens.

Recently I moved the venue for a programme I was running to a community stadium. Somebody joked that I would be a WAG (Footballer’s Wives and Girlfriends) and I thought, why not a WOW? A Wiser Older Woman. And that stuck.

I wrote about a wiser older woman in my Ruby Sixpence series.

Deborah: I love your Ruby Sixpence novels. Am I right in describing them as magical realism?

Anita: Yes. Magical realism is where my heart is in my novel writing.

Deborah: I met an older woman at a community cafe I facilitate. She was late eighties. I asked about her working life and she said, catering. Then added, high end. I discovered that this amazing woman had a location catering business. She had provided on location catering to film sets, TV productions, and music festivals working with stars including Lawrence Olivier, and Dick Emery. If I had not drawn this information out of her she wouldn’t have mentioned her incredible career and experience. Why do we do this? Is it because when we are older, we no longer feel the need to promote ourselves? Because we have become used to being overlooked and put in a box? Or that nobody would be interested in what we have to say?

Anita: I don’t know, but that’s an interesting question. I’ll have to explore it in a blog. Many older women have a nagging doubt that they have not yet fulfilled themselves. I have a feeling that I still have something to prove. This has come out in my daily journaling practice. I think it goes back to my childhood. The G3A programme is about fulfilling our potential whatever our age. 

If we could harness the power of older women, we could save the world.

Deborah: How can listeners access and participate in the G3A programme?

Anita: There is a weekly blog post on a topic that has inspired me. My blog focuses on mind, body and spirit. By spirit, I don’t mean religion. It’s about our inner understanding. The things we cannot make sense of. There is so much out there it can be a bit overwhelming. I’ve done so much reading and research I could have been studying for a Masters!

In January I wrote 31 blog posts, one for each day of the month, following a writing prompt. Despite all that was happening in my life, a minor surgical procedure and the birth of my grandson, I still achieved it.

There are also a couple of G3A publications. If you sign up to the newsletter you will receive a free book of 101 writing prompts. This is a fantastic way to kickstart a daily writing habit.

I want to gather together a community of women with a similar mindset and of a certain age, so we can be of service to the next generation – recording ourselves for prosperity. History has mostly been written by men. I want to create Her-story. The stories of women need to be recorded and heard. This is a project for the future.

Another of my publications is a book of writing prompts written as a road trip over thirty days.

Raw Writing: A 30-day road-trip down memory lane, to uncover your wellbeing through writing

If you practice anything over 30-33 consecutive days, it becomes a habit. 

Deborah: Is G3A just for women?

Anita: I do feel women, particularly older women, lack confidence. I feel an empathy working with women. So, yes. This programme is specifically for women, although men do subscribe to and enjoy my blog posts. 

Deborah: What have you learnt about yourself as a result of developing this programme?

Anita: I have started using techniques to improve my wellbeing:

Breathwork. Breathing is at the centre of all wellbeing practice. I’ve been an asthmatic since I was a child. When I am stressed, breathing can become difficult. So, I have been using breathwork and meditation.

Bio-rhythms. I am developing an understanding of my bio-rhythms.

Gut health. This is an area I am exploring as I find ways to keep healthy.

Physical fitness. When I was younger, I was a dancer and at my peak fitness level. Today, I struggle with physical fitness. I practiced yoga and Tai Chi in the past but stopped because of a medical condition. Now that has resolved, I might try again.

So, four things I am attempting to change in my daily life.

Deborah: What words of wisdom would you give your younger self?

Anita: To my younger self, my daughter, and my granddaughter, I would say: Relx. Go with the flow and stop trying so hard. Be happy with what you have and who you are.

I would focus on who I really am and not what other people think I should be. In my teens and twenties, I focused on what other people thought, but I don’t care anymore. 

And – don’t lose your physical fitness. Use it or lose it. 

Deborah: What is next for Anita Belli or Rose Parry?

Anita: I plan to revise my Write for Life course. Women are the keepers of our stories. They tend to be the ones who hold the family stories. I want to tease out of people their story – its significance and how it has shaped who they are.

It’s only in our 3rd age that we can look back and understand how our story has made us who we are.

It was a pleasure chatting with Anita today.

To subscribe to Rose Parry’s G3A blog and sign up to newsletter for free book of prompts: https://g3a8.wordpress.com

One of the joys of this writing life is connecting with readers and writers. I would love to hear from you. What interests have you pursued in middle-age and beyond that have surprised and delighted you? Write to me at dkauthor@btinternet.com

You can find all episodes of The Mindful Writer podcast here: https://themindfulwriter.buzzsprout.com

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