#writersnotebook 25 Oct - 8 Dec

💛 self-care: I’m not surprised I went over a month without an update because November can be really heavy for me. The anniversary of my mom’s passing is Nov 6th and the anniversary of my son Griffin’s open heart surgery (his heartiversary ♥️) is Nov 29th. My body and mind don’t know which way is up all month! I spent my free time streaming documentaries, drinking pumpkin spice lattes from Wawa, and sitting in front of my happy light (message me if you want details on that - it helps). I turned a corner and I’m feeling more energized this month. Happy Chanukah to those celebrating!

🎧 podcast I’m loving: Dear Alana,

📚 books I’m reading: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying by Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush

🖊 writing: All of Nov I worked on one particular revision of my book, which was more of an exercise than revision. The exercise is from Matthew Salesses’ Craft in the Real World and I liked that he was pushing me to examine Leah’s privilege, agency, political beliefs - essentially her positionality, by writing a list of every decision she makes in the story. I found that many of her decisions are passive, that she is lacking in agency, which is how I wanted to write her. I also found that this took me hours upon hours - after a month of working I am only on chapter 29 of 49. And I was no longer inspired by this exercise.

So, I am switching it up for Dec and I can always circle back. This month I am working on making sure my reader understands what was lost in Reba (Leah’s mom) and Leah’s relationship. What was their relationship like before Reba got sick?

💻 writer admin: I submitted to one new lit mag: Hippocampus Magazine

💫 writer community: My writing teacher, GG, held a workshop this week on Creative Project Planning which helped me look at my revisions in a new way and guided me towards this plan I outlined for Dec. Community makes all the difference when I’m feeling stagnant and blah and GG’s community is the warmest place on the internet. Check out GG’s work here.

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#writersnotebookRachel Nusbaumwriter's notebook, Writing practice, Writing, #amwriting, Self care, write your story, Rewrite your story, write where you are, Write To Heal, Creativity, Creative practice, transformational coaching, story coaching, writing, Writing retreat, writing notebook, Writing ritual, aspiring author, amwriting, Book writing tips, tips for writers, author advice, women writers, writers life, Orchid Story