Laura, whenever I read your posts, it's almost as if I wrote them myself. Your words struck a chord within me and remind me that I am indeed a writer. Thank you for sharing.
I am glad I am not the only one who just watches the water come in and out on the coast at a writing retreat. I took myself on a personal writing retreat with the goal of finishing my novel - no excuses. I paid for this time away and i felt pressure to use it "wisely" but I found I also spent time walking on the beach and looking at the sunset each night. I did finish, but I don't think it was the added pressure. Perhaps it was the waves.
Oh, yes! I love this. Thanks for sharing! I've totally felt pressure on retreats and ignored the beach (or the woods) in favor of the page and getting a certain quantity of pages done. Letting go of that, this time, was so freeing. I especially loved that my room had those water glasses on hand. I'm so glad you had a restorative retreat as well!
Haha, YES! I am not one for aggression of any sort, but I feel like I've really had to fight myself for the chance to keep my creativity in the center of my tasks. Today after school drop-off, I bypassed the grocery store (we need eggs) and the pet store (the guinea pigs need vitamin C) to come home and send the newsletter out. Now I have to walk the dog. THEN--haha, because it's always a balance--I hope to light a candle and write for an hour before it's time to think about picking up my youngest, who has half-day Fridays. I will deal with the eggs and the guinea pigs later!
Just ordered a couple gift boxes from Rancho Gordo. Thanks for the tip! As far as self care this month, my head chatter reminds me to slow down. I have a big developmental edit project, but giving myself a month to work on it. Trying to remember to savor the joy of having meaningful work, a healthy herd of grandchildren, a book coming out in spring and one a year later. My big (slow) project is a makeover of my 9X9 office. I’m at Powell’s as I type, waiting in the rather robust book-selling line, and I spent a good part of yesterday ridding my space of 10-year old papers. My word for this month is “shed.”
Thanks so much for the vulnerability of this post, especially from such a literary leader, as yourself. Making time for our own work can be so hard in this hectic world we live in.
And this, "When I write, I slip out of the analytical constraints I’ve set for myself. I lose track of time. I get messy with words, wrecking perfectly decent paragraphs so I can see what I’m doing and make them better."
And your work to let people in behind the scenes, with you and Liz, is awesome!
I really relate to the struggle to shut out distractions, especially as a writer who struggles with ADHD. I used to need the "perfect" conditions in order to write (quiet, chores and homework done, no one looking at my screen, etc.). I've overcome a lot of that, but I still have to remind myself that a distracted writing session is better than no writing session!
Laura, whenever I read your posts, it's almost as if I wrote them myself. Your words struck a chord within me and remind me that I am indeed a writer. Thank you for sharing.
I'm so glad it resonates with you, Carrie! Thanks for saying so.
I am glad I am not the only one who just watches the water come in and out on the coast at a writing retreat. I took myself on a personal writing retreat with the goal of finishing my novel - no excuses. I paid for this time away and i felt pressure to use it "wisely" but I found I also spent time walking on the beach and looking at the sunset each night. I did finish, but I don't think it was the added pressure. Perhaps it was the waves.
Oh, yes! I love this. Thanks for sharing! I've totally felt pressure on retreats and ignored the beach (or the woods) in favor of the page and getting a certain quantity of pages done. Letting go of that, this time, was so freeing. I especially loved that my room had those water glasses on hand. I'm so glad you had a restorative retreat as well!
Permission to BE is a gift to the self. ❤️
Yes--not to BE creative, BE bold, BE productive, or __________. But just to be. Well said.
"aggressive self kindness" is the phrase of the year!
Haha, YES! I am not one for aggression of any sort, but I feel like I've really had to fight myself for the chance to keep my creativity in the center of my tasks. Today after school drop-off, I bypassed the grocery store (we need eggs) and the pet store (the guinea pigs need vitamin C) to come home and send the newsletter out. Now I have to walk the dog. THEN--haha, because it's always a balance--I hope to light a candle and write for an hour before it's time to think about picking up my youngest, who has half-day Fridays. I will deal with the eggs and the guinea pigs later!
Just ordered a couple gift boxes from Rancho Gordo. Thanks for the tip! As far as self care this month, my head chatter reminds me to slow down. I have a big developmental edit project, but giving myself a month to work on it. Trying to remember to savor the joy of having meaningful work, a healthy herd of grandchildren, a book coming out in spring and one a year later. My big (slow) project is a makeover of my 9X9 office. I’m at Powell’s as I type, waiting in the rather robust book-selling line, and I spent a good part of yesterday ridding my space of 10-year old papers. My word for this month is “shed.”
Thanks so much for the vulnerability of this post, especially from such a literary leader, as yourself. Making time for our own work can be so hard in this hectic world we live in.
I love this!
And this, "When I write, I slip out of the analytical constraints I’ve set for myself. I lose track of time. I get messy with words, wrecking perfectly decent paragraphs so I can see what I’m doing and make them better."
And your work to let people in behind the scenes, with you and Liz, is awesome!
I really relate to the struggle to shut out distractions, especially as a writer who struggles with ADHD. I used to need the "perfect" conditions in order to write (quiet, chores and homework done, no one looking at my screen, etc.). I've overcome a lot of that, but I still have to remind myself that a distracted writing session is better than no writing session!