My writing life this month: resistance and new rhythms; writing in, about and through the body; slow progress is still progress; and reading memoir with a writer's hat on
so much richness and things we have overlapping here Ellen - acknowledging all that's going on in our lives as we try to write - from world events (enough on their own FFS) to school holidays to solo parenting to working our way towards what we really need to write. Not all writing is words on the page I'm learning. Composting as you describe.
and wow yes to the thought that it is THIS body of yours NOW that is the one ready to be a portal for what you need to write. that feels very profound.
and it's a BIG deal to write 'manuscript' or 'book' or 'draft' or 'writer', well they all were and are for me anyway - I expect the writer police to appear at any minute... but less and less these days, much due to the welcoming community here on Substack.
Thanks for sharing all of your goals and journey, it's wonderful to read along side your achieving your goal. well done x
Thank you for such a thoughtful response Layla 🥰 In a funny way it’s reassuring to know the discomfort of using words like manuscript or writer sticks around - I feel more able to push through the self consciousness somehow.
I woke up at 5am today (warming up for your first sitting in the dark session on Friday?) and spent the time journaling because that’s what my gut was telling me to. So no increase in word count but LOTS of ideas to explore in May.
I love that you're reminding yourself all the way through this post that goals are all well and good but reflecting on whether they were achievable and the reasons why they might not have been ticked off is even more valuable. Congratulations on both submissions, Ellen, and also thank you for the mention of the conversation I had with Louise. This feels like one that's taken on a bit of a life of its own with new people coming to it in their own time. Ro everything there is a season and that applies in our work as well. Happy Sunday!
Thanks Lindsay 🥰 I’m really appreciating how much writing these reflective posts each month help me to organise my thoughts - there’s definitely an element of therapeutic journaling to it in places.
so much richness and things we have overlapping here Ellen - acknowledging all that's going on in our lives as we try to write - from world events (enough on their own FFS) to school holidays to solo parenting to working our way towards what we really need to write. Not all writing is words on the page I'm learning. Composting as you describe.
and wow yes to the thought that it is THIS body of yours NOW that is the one ready to be a portal for what you need to write. that feels very profound.
and it's a BIG deal to write 'manuscript' or 'book' or 'draft' or 'writer', well they all were and are for me anyway - I expect the writer police to appear at any minute... but less and less these days, much due to the welcoming community here on Substack.
Thanks for sharing all of your goals and journey, it's wonderful to read along side your achieving your goal. well done x
Thank you for such a thoughtful response Layla 🥰 In a funny way it’s reassuring to know the discomfort of using words like manuscript or writer sticks around - I feel more able to push through the self consciousness somehow.
I woke up at 5am today (warming up for your first sitting in the dark session on Friday?) and spent the time journaling because that’s what my gut was telling me to. So no increase in word count but LOTS of ideas to explore in May.
I love that you're reminding yourself all the way through this post that goals are all well and good but reflecting on whether they were achievable and the reasons why they might not have been ticked off is even more valuable. Congratulations on both submissions, Ellen, and also thank you for the mention of the conversation I had with Louise. This feels like one that's taken on a bit of a life of its own with new people coming to it in their own time. Ro everything there is a season and that applies in our work as well. Happy Sunday!
Thanks Lindsay 🥰 I’m really appreciating how much writing these reflective posts each month help me to organise my thoughts - there’s definitely an element of therapeutic journaling to it in places.