Jan Redford: Shextreme Best Non-Fiction Adventure Book

At some point in our lives, many of us have considered writing a book, whether it be fictitious adventures of a world unknown, or something more local to home, written from experience and a place much more personal. Sharing our journeys with the world can help inspire others to forge their own path in life, or act as comfort for those in difficult times.

Jan Redford is an esteemed author based in Squamish, Canada with work published in media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, National Post, Mountain Life, and Explore, to name but a few. After twelve years of penning thoughts to paper, Janice published her first book; End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood, which is this year's Shextreme Film Festival Best Non-Fiction Adventure Book. Jan's memoir details her trials and tribulations throughout life, and how climbing was her anchor, her comfort and way out of difficult times.

Jan explained, "I started writing my story because even after getting out of my marriage and becoming a teacher, I still struggled with an inner punishing voice telling me I wasn't good enough. My past still had too much of a hold on me. By getting my story down on paper, I was trying to write my way to a new voice. Or maybe replace the voices from my past with my own." Knowing what to centre a book upon was the first challenge overcome, but what motivated Janice to see her book through to worldwide publication? "Reading other women's stories over the years really lifted me and eased my isolation during some rocky times in my life. I gained hope and courage by seeing how others dealt with adversity and grew from it. I wanted to connect with readers in the same way by sharing my own everyday experiences—motherhood, relationships, climbing, and my wacky fears, insecurities and anxieties. Sharing my stories has become as important as the act of getting them down on paper."

"I believe in extreme openness, in sharing our honest, ugly, messy, triumphant stories. I adhere to what Sally Armstrong said: "If you can't talk about it, you can't change it."

As the wise old saying goes, "nothing worth having comes easy", and just because Jan was writing from lived experiences, doesn't mean the process of writing a book was easy. "This book was my training ground. I began by taking a couple of university writing courses, wrote until I couldn't get it any better on my own, took another course or workshop, kept writing until finally, I had my Master's in Creative Writing at UBC and a full manuscript. I'm glad it took as long as it did though because the person I was at the beginning of this process wouldn't have been able to deal with the fallout of having such a personal memoir out in the world. I needed time to internalize the right to tell my own story. Getting my story down on paper, and especially publishing it, helped me make the shift to my own approval being enough."

With one book published and under her belt, Jan is already looking forward to her next written adventure. "I have about half a coming-of-age memoir already written, but my main project right now is a multi-generational, memoir/historical novel set in Scotland and Quebec. I'm an avid genealogist and have been researching my Scottish ancestors' lives. I even went back to the Scottish Highlands this spring to follow in their footsteps. I've discovered that the women who came before me were paradoxes. They displayed grit and courage, along with self-doubt and hesitation. They were bold trailblazers but struggled to retain their voice and personal power after marriage. I got the sense that my life has followed a groove, set out generations before, and I'm interested in the idea of exploring how traits and traumas and triumphs are passed down the familial line."

After writing her first book, Jan has certainly learnt a thing or two, and so, here are some wise words for aspiring writers: "One of the best things I did was develop a strong literary community. I didn't try to write in a bubble but exposed myself to feedback, criticism and praise right from the get-go. Constant feedback was what helped me improve my writing, and then weaning myself off the need for that continuous feedback allowed me to learn to trust myself as a writer. Even when I wasn't in a writing program of some sort, I was in a writing group, and going to writing conferences, festivals, readings, etc. And I read a lot — memoirs for sure, but also novels to instil strong story-telling. I read a lot on craft too. Putting life on paper is tough, and there are so many good writers out there who know how to convey what they've learned. And some immediate advice I'm giving myself for my second book is: write from a good outline. Maybe that way I can cut about eight years off my next time-line!"

Jan's book, End of the Rope: Mountains, Marriage, and Motherhood, is available to buy now.