23 Comments
User's avatar
elelea's avatar

Welp. I got laid off today so wrote to process that…whole thing. But 1,270 words is still 1,270 words more than I had this morning so I’m sassy-walking straight to day 8. I briefly considered pausing my 10k words but didn’t want to disappoint myself.

Expand full comment
Kyra Finley's avatar

Sending you love!! So healthy that you wrote about it... Keep up that sassy walk!

Expand full comment
Lynn Sikkink's avatar

Sorry about your job. Congratulations on the 1270 words. You turned dross into gold!

Expand full comment
Timothy Deer's avatar

Sorry to hear that! Sending you good vibes and encouragement.

Expand full comment
Linda Mcgivern's avatar

I really needed Rosa’s post today, acknowledging real obstacles. Thank you, Jami and Rosa, for helping me get back on the page. This is a wonderful program!

Expand full comment
Mica Merrill Rice's avatar

“Progress that leads to something concrete, I find, is most likely when I keep returning to what I've been writing; inevitably, I will get somewhere, it will come together.” I felt this. My writing sometimes takes me a long time and other times, it’s quick. What matters is not the time that it takes me, but appreciating the progress I have made along the way.

This newsletter has been my favorite one of the week, Jami. Thank you for sharing your light and for introducing us to other lights in this world! 🫶🏽

Expand full comment
Maureen O’Connor Saringer's avatar

So many great takeaways from this. I can testify that having enough time does not magically create a finished manuscript. I’m retired and have still struggled. Creative paralysis can be real. But I swear to god, I wrote in my morning pages notebook, just an hour ago, “It takes as long as it takes.” And I understand this now. I’m making progress; the messy is becoming clearer, but I have a lot to do. It will take as long as it takes, but I’ll still show up and do my work. This is my promise to myself and to the story I’ve been entrusted with, that only I can write. Thank you, Jami, for all the work you’ve done and are doing and will do, that helps so many of us as we continue to find our way in our work.

Expand full comment
Rachel Del Grosso's avatar

1282 words this morning!

Expand full comment
Priscilla's avatar

Yesterday, in my #1000wordsofsummer doc, all I wrote was this: "Let’s face it–this isn’t going so well." That was after a couple of days of getting about 200 words each. I wrote that before the day's email came. I live in The Netherlands, so I save each day's message to read before I start writing in the morning. This morning, Rosa's words were exactly what I needed to hear. This might be #1000words, but it's okay if it's only 200. Little steps. Thanks so much, Rosa and Jami!

Expand full comment
Michelle Hamilton's avatar

1016, baby. ❤️

Expand full comment
Timothy Deer's avatar

This post really KEPT ME GOING today. I cannot believe we are already a week done already.

My tarot card of the month is "The Fool". This card is about beginnings. I am so grateful to be beginning with all of you.

Expand full comment
Linda Dunn's avatar

Thank you for all of these beautiful letters!

Expand full comment
Katie Garcia's avatar

So good to know I'm not the only one having existential pauses. And, I really appreciate this letter on the time, space, and energy needed to write. When we remove obstacles getting in our way of actually sitting down and writing, we are then faced with the obstacles of writing the thing and whatever comes up in the process. Oh the irony!

Expand full comment
Diane Sunde's avatar

Another great letter today.

I identified with Rosa’s … inevitably, I will get somewhere, it will come together.

And her mentioning that she was squeezing in her writing to the in-between spaces of her life until she had “All The Time in the World.”

Same here. My “all the time in the world” came three months ago—I am “retired.”

I put myself on a schedule. I was going to get things done. Guess what? Things do not magically come faster nor easier for me. They come as they come.

Seems the same happened to Rosa and for that identification, my thanks to her is immeasurable.

Expand full comment
Karen Bryant Lucas's avatar

Thank you for these thoughts. I find it so difficult to sit still until thoughts arise. I'm learning to sit and wait. Like someone else on this thread, I have all the time in the world because I'm retired. I still have to sit down and wait. Because it is only then that something will present itself. Not because I'm poking at it, or digging at the ground. Just letting something emerge. That's the way.

Expand full comment
Kerry Graham's avatar

I finished the first half of #1000wordsofsummer with 1120 words--way more than I was expecting to be able to squeeze out of that one thought.

Expand full comment
Rosemary Porto's avatar

Rosa’s letter came at the perfect time to confirm something I’m learning about my own practice. I am close to completing the first messy ( lightly revised) draft of my novel. I’m writing it in small sections of scenes. Puzzle pieces on the table leading me to see the picture on the puzzle box but unsure of what comes next, even though I know I’m moving forward. Reading Rosa’s advice I took a deep breath feeling, ok, you’re on the right track. The little obstacle of daily questioning is part of the process. Thank you.

BTW I took a break yesterday too. I’m glad I gave myself time to dream.

Expand full comment
Amanda N's avatar

Very much relate to this!

Expand full comment
Sarah O'Kelley's avatar

Love this ❤️

Expand full comment