I’ve been trying for a few days to write a Substack on developing a sustainable writing practice, and I keep giving up because, well, everyone knows what I’m going to say.
This is what I needed to read this morning. The world, my job becoming sad and stressful after years of feeling satisfaction and happiness, my pain after knee replacement surgery, all have given me reasons not to do the writing work. The reading is easy for me so I keep doing that. I know I will get back to the habit and soon. The gnawing is there reminding me that these early mornings and rainy nights and wind storms and dogs are all part of the mystery of my life that I can write down a few nice sentences about. A little or a lot just do it.
We are currently in Florida visiting my husband's elderly Aunt Jane. We are elderly too, so says our doctor. We spent yesterday walking in beauty and watching the TPC golf tournament and the day before at the beach having dinner with a cousin. I have been a golf fan all of my life but I will write about that later. More family showed up last night and we have smiled and laughed. In the meantime my sweet neighbor and cat sitter has lost her job and is devastated, there was a shooting near the golf course that delayed the gates opening and the war is raging on. We go home soon and this trip was planned probably a year ago. I keep thinking to myself beauty and horror are hard to reconcile.
The words are just as relevant, if not more so, than when you wrote them in 2023. Thanks for reminding us that it's our job to use our words to shine a light on the beauty in the world overshadowed by the ugliness.
Life is hard, and sometimes it seems, writing it down is next to impossible. I have been working on teasing out the words from the pain when I can, and writing the pain down when I can't. Better out than in.
I am working on a very difficult essay right now, and it takes me back to some very traumatic times in my life. Not going to post it to Substack (trying to sell it), but I would be curious to hear how my family would react. OTOH, my family doesn't read my stuff. LOL.
My excuse for not writing was that I was the mother of three kids, had a full-time job, barely had time to hear myself think.
I'm very pleased with the concept that "every day, you should do something in support of your writing." (I think that actually came from you, Paul.) Simple, but not easy.
I chuckle at my passive-aggressive approach to getting people to check it out my book from the local library: I go into the branch, find da book on its shelf, then move it to the prominent display when patrons walk in. It works! Obviously, not making money from it, but I love knowing that some people are actually interested in my stories.
This is what I needed to read this morning. The world, my job becoming sad and stressful after years of feeling satisfaction and happiness, my pain after knee replacement surgery, all have given me reasons not to do the writing work. The reading is easy for me so I keep doing that. I know I will get back to the habit and soon. The gnawing is there reminding me that these early mornings and rainy nights and wind storms and dogs are all part of the mystery of my life that I can write down a few nice sentences about. A little or a lot just do it.
Cannot wait to read the words when you return.
We are currently in Florida visiting my husband's elderly Aunt Jane. We are elderly too, so says our doctor. We spent yesterday walking in beauty and watching the TPC golf tournament and the day before at the beach having dinner with a cousin. I have been a golf fan all of my life but I will write about that later. More family showed up last night and we have smiled and laughed. In the meantime my sweet neighbor and cat sitter has lost her job and is devastated, there was a shooting near the golf course that delayed the gates opening and the war is raging on. We go home soon and this trip was planned probably a year ago. I keep thinking to myself beauty and horror are hard to reconcile.
The words are just as relevant, if not more so, than when you wrote them in 2023. Thanks for reminding us that it's our job to use our words to shine a light on the beauty in the world overshadowed by the ugliness.
Life is hard, and sometimes it seems, writing it down is next to impossible. I have been working on teasing out the words from the pain when I can, and writing the pain down when I can't. Better out than in.
Yep!
I am working on a very difficult essay right now, and it takes me back to some very traumatic times in my life. Not going to post it to Substack (trying to sell it), but I would be curious to hear how my family would react. OTOH, my family doesn't read my stuff. LOL.
I do believe you have described how I feel about what my job does to me. And why I have such difficulty writing.
My excuse for not writing was that I was the mother of three kids, had a full-time job, barely had time to hear myself think.
I'm very pleased with the concept that "every day, you should do something in support of your writing." (I think that actually came from you, Paul.) Simple, but not easy.
I chuckle at my passive-aggressive approach to getting people to check it out my book from the local library: I go into the branch, find da book on its shelf, then move it to the prominent display when patrons walk in. It works! Obviously, not making money from it, but I love knowing that some people are actually interested in my stories.