How I Got Here: GP and author Susannah Begbie
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success. This week we meet Canberra GP Susannah Begbie, whose debut novel, The Deed, has just been released by Hachette.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a Canberra GP and writer. My current GP work is locum work in rural towns – all over the country, but currently mostly in NSW and Victoria. My first novel The Deed was published by Hachette on 2 May, and I am working on my second novel.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
Medicine, yes. Writing, no. I grew up on a sheep farm and loved it. I was always fascinated by the ‘medical’ side of looking after the animals. Maybe that’s what put me in the direction of studying medicine. I’m not sure, but I’ve wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember.
Writing as a career had never occurred to me. I didn’t particularly like English at school. Maths was my thing. I started writing as an adult, just for fun.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
Studying medicine was a simple decision, because I’d always wanted to do it. I don’t know if I’d call it a fire in my belly – more like a slow burn. I got through medicine the same way any student does, I guess. One year at a time.
Writing was unexpected. I was working in Ireland, doing locums all up and down the West Coast. It was incredibly beautiful, and often entertaining. Every day things happened that were worth writing home about. So I did. I enjoyed the process of turning an event into a written story. When I got back to Canberra, a friend recommended I do a writing course at Canberra University. It was excellent. Poetry, screenplay, writing for young people, short stories – there were units in all of these and more.
At a plotting workshop at Marion (then the ACT Writer’s Centre) I presented an idea for a short story. It was about an old farmer who plays a bitter joke on his kids.
If they wanted to inherit the family property they had to build his coffin first. Everyone in the workshop said it was too big an idea for a short story. It would have to be a novella, or a novel. And that was the start of The Deed.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
I did a Bachelor of Medicine at UNSW, which is a six-year degree. It’s hard. Towards the end of fifth year, I was sick of studying and going to hospital and not doing anything else. My sister suggested doing a Diploma of Primary Education, which was a one-year course at the time. I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed teaching and being around kids.
I was ready to take a job as a kindergarten teacher at Singleton when I got a letter from UNSW. It said I had to finish medicine the following year or I’d have to start again. I decided to do sixth year and finish medicine. Looking back, I think it was a good choice.
Writing is a whole other matter. I want to chuck it all in and stop at least a couple of times a week. But I don’t because I love it. Even when I hate it.
What was your biggest break?
Winning the Richell Prize in 2022. It was incredible. I’d been writing The Deed for over ten years before submitting the manuscript to the Richell Prize. Manuscript prizes are so important for debut writers. They give you a deadline and a reason to write your best. And if you are lucky enough to be recognised – to be longlisted or shortlisted – it can be the take-off point for a career in writing. Winning the Richell Prize started my writing career. It led to me getting a literary agent, Jane Novak, and a two-book contract with Hachette Australia. It’s been amazing.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
In my medical career I have had the privilege of working with many admirable doctors. My practice is built on learning from my peers. One of the best pieces of advice I have received is – ask for advice. If you don’t know, find out.
In my writing career the best advice I’ve received is even simpler.
Write. That’s it. No matter what, keep writing. Anthony Eaton, a lecturer at Canberra University, said that when he was studying there was talk of who had the most talent, who was destined to be a writer. The only thing common to the writers who got famous was that they wrote. It’s that simple, and that hard.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
Practicing medicine is a great privilege. A GP sees and hears the best and worst of people’s lives, and people trust you with their stories. At the moment we are in a GP crisis in Australia – especially in rural areas. It is difficult to be part of a system that is failing.
With writing, I have wanted to pull my hair out many times. Writing a synopsis. That’s one of the worst. Finding a good title. Navigating the publishing landscape. The blank days, when the words won’t come. Forgetting to back up a manuscript and the disappearing document. But the good outweighs the bad. One of the best things about writing is the industry. Other writers, publishers, agents – all these people are doing their work because they have a passion for it. They’re good people to be around.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
My favourite source of medical information is Therapeutic Guidelines Australia. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Informative. Up to date. Sound medicine. I’ll use YouTube clips to look at surgical techniques, blogs for ECGs – the thing is knowing whether the information is relevant and/or correct. Dr Google is not always the best source of medical knowledge!
With writing, I research on an as needs basis. How to build a coffin, for example. That took a whole lot of working out. Wills and estate law. I had no idea where to begin with that. I got advice though. An essential part of writing practice is reading other books. I don’t do enough of this. When I’m writing I tend not to read, but in between times I love it.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Here!
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
They shouldn’t. They absolutely need to make their own path. But I’ve been reading about other Canberra women in this column, and it seems to me there is one thing we all have in common – discipline. The practice of work, and the work of practice. I’m not sure how far you can get without it.
What advice would you give your past self?
It all works out. And if it doesn’t, the problem that arises will not be the one you were worrying about anyway.
