#writersnotebook 18-27 August 2023
💆🏻♀️ self-care: I love to schedule an indulgent massage when summer ends and the kids go back to school, preferably before I get back in my graduate school classroom. It helps those end of summer blues and calms my back-to-school nerves. I am a firm believer in taking care of myself as an asset to accomplishing my goals and have a dream of monthly massages one day. My massage was amazing!
Our 18th anniversary was on August 20th so Curt and I had a little one night getaway to beautiful Alexandria VA, which is close to home but feels like a vacation spot. No work, no writing, just good quality time (and food) together. 💗
I have loved personal development podcasts from the start, but lately I’ve needed a break from that genre. True crime podcasts somehow keep my attention, but are also calming in a surprising way. I just finished “In the Land of Lies”.
🖊 writing: This week I did not do any first draft kind of writing for essays or my book. It was the first week of school for my kids and back to commuting for me, so my available time got squeezed considerably. That’s what it’s all about though, finding the ebb and flow of what works right now and not beating myself up about it. I did my morning routine journaling twice which includes:
writing down my goals and saying them out loud
writing down three gratitudes for things that happened in the past 24 hours
I did a cool “I wish” abundance practice from meditation teacher Carrie Suwal. Where you write for a few minutes, starting each sentence with “I wish”.
💻 writer admin: A new rejection for a creative nonfiction (CNF) essay popped into my inbox this week. I’ve gone back and forth about whether I should say where I’ve submitted and where I’ve been rejected… Right now I am planning to disclose where I’ve submitted, because I feel like that could be helpful to you as you find your own path. But not name the rejecting publications. This was my fourth rejection this summer and it didn’t sting as much because the email was kind and encouraging. I do find it hard to keep up the momentum following a rejection, but a couple of days later I submitted a CNF essay to Abandon Journal. Submitting involves several pieces, including a cover letter and an online application Submittable, that maybe I’ll talk more about in the future. I also reached out to ask some questions about a writing retreat I’m considering attending.
And of course, I’m writing this blog and prepping the content to support it!
💫 writer community: I don’t have people in my everyday circles who are focused on writing, so it’s something I intentionally seek out and bring into my life. Being in community with people who have similar goals and values and who can understand the struggles is a critical part of me staying engaged in this process. There are many meetups I cannot attend because of conflicts, but when I am able to show up I, my cup is refilled. This week I was able to attend a meetup with one of my writing teachers, GG Hill, and it energized me!
Get my monthly Healing Kit and #writersnotebook updates to your inbox. Click here to sign up 💌.