Writing Dilemma! Can You Help?

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I can’t believe it’s been 5-6 months since I posted here. I took a break but it was only meant to be a short one. Summer came very fast and Little Miss Six – Oh, she’s seven now – Little Miss Seven takes up more of my time when there’s no school. She’s a great wee girl though and she’s quite good at occupying herself when I’m busy. We also have lots of people calling during the summer so it’s all go!

Roll on September. I miss my routine and I want it back!

My book is progressing….slowly but surely! God, the research is never ending. I must say, the people in my writer’s group are a great help and very encouraging.

While I was researching life as a school teacher in rural Ireland in the late 40’s, I found out that when a female primary school teacher got married, she was no longer entitled to her job. Banned! What? Not only teachers but all civil service workers. 

This ban wasn’t lifted until 1958 – earlier in other countries. Now, this information created a wee obstacle for me because in my story, Flossie is a young primary school teacher who just got married and the year is 1948!

I pondered over this for days wondering what to do about it. I really wanted Flossie to be the teacher and she HAS to marry this man! I thought about bringing the dates forward by 10 years; but I’d prefer not to.

So…..I asked my parents and my mother-in-law about this and they said that all their school teachers were married. Yes, it was true that they weren’t entitled to remain in their jobs but as they say, “There’s ways around everything.” It was who you knew back in those days (still is in some cases). If the school ‘couldn’t get anyone else’ to fill the position, the married teacher had to stay!

wink wink

So can I keep my Flossie in her job in my story? What would you do my writer friends?

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15 thoughts on “Writing Dilemma! Can You Help?”

  1. Welcome back 🙂 Interesting information regarding teachers having to leave their jobs if they married. In New Zealand during the 1950’s my mother had to leave nursing as she married and I wasn’t too long on the scene!
    Maybe societies logic was that teaching and nursing require more dedication to one’s calling and marriage had the same demands.
    The two were not a good combination!

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  4. Orla is right if your book is based in truth and authentic you have to find another way. If a doctor qualifies as a Miss and years on marries she has to keep the name she qualified in … so maybe they work in schools that did not know them before and she keeps her maiden name. A twist could be the new head down the line knows/finds out her status. Depends how twisty you want it to get. She could get pregnant and start a school in her converted out house! Still options there you just have to brainstorm them. Good luck.

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    • Thanks Ellen. I’m in two minds with it. She’s not the main character in the story so I don’t want to get too twisty with her. But I have to say, I’ve already got carried away with her – she started of with a very small and she grew legs 😂

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  5. Welcome back. I did wonder where you went! If your Flossie isn’t the main character I think she needs her own book, and the catalyst could be fighting the law.

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    • Do you know what Lorna….Flossie wasn’t part of the plan at all and she has such a story. I was actually considering giving her a book of her own! But I fear that by the time I get this one finished, I’ll never want to do it again and Flossie will be lost forever! 😭😭
      Thanks Lorna!

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