I walked away from a successful career because it was lonely. Here's how I pivoted and found my dream job.

• Louise Dean wrote four novels but found writing lonely and needed to work in a team.
• She set up a writing school in 2017 which provides coaching for aspiring authors.
• Dean, whose business has 1,500 people completing its courses, said she's found a new vocation.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with prize-winning author Louise Dean about running a business instead of writing. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Before I became an author, I thought you had to be funny and clever to write a novel.