THANK YOU, Jami, for this helpful, hopeful, start to the New Year. The Leavers was a freaking amazing book, & if Lisa Ko can have a bad year, I guess I can greet my writing self with a more open heart. I'm a finalist in the Tucson Literary Awards & getting to go to their writers workshop in March, so I am not completely without hopes & plans as a writer. The novel I started last year remains recalcitrant. If I measure my output by work that feels finished, this past year was pretty feeble. But it wasn't nothing. Greeting you with love, fellow writers, and I'll be thinking of everything, anything, we write this year with our own striving to think a thought, express an idea, as an act of resistance to our current national condition. Good luck, writers!
The place between commitment and self-castigation must be infused with compassion! Sorry if that sounded pretentious, I have to make up little slogans for myself to remember to practice these things. Thanks, Jamie!
Jami you’ve shared the most affirming description of the writing life, and process and hope, and all the feels. Great counterpoint to some other "end of year/ start of year" stuff being posted . Thank you, and I thank Lisa too
This is very encouraging. A thing I have come to, as a way of showing my effort since results are somewhat out of my control, is writing things on a paper calendar. I started this the last 6 weeks or so. I use a specific colored marker for each thing, like morning pages, meditation, walking, novel work (even if I’m just staring at it), and other things that matter to me. The color-coding seems to help me because I can tell at a glance what I’ve done throughout the month. It’s not necessarily a don’t-break-the-chain kind of thing. I don’t know. A brain log? It seems to ease my anxiety and makes me feel better to see my effort.
I like this idea. I think it's so easy to forget all the small wins we've done and it all adds up. Your method honors the writing time in all it's manifestations.
From the day my Dad told me he had been given a terminal diagnosis to the day he died I didn’t work in my novels. I just focused on him, and learning to sew. I’m back writing now and doing an MA in it. It was part of my journey
You’ll never regret those kinds of prioritizations— I had to do that when my daughter was in a deep post partum depression. Drain my savings, drop my work contracts, suit up and show up. I am so sorry for your loss. Much love.
THANK YOU, Jami, for this helpful, hopeful, start to the New Year. The Leavers was a freaking amazing book, & if Lisa Ko can have a bad year, I guess I can greet my writing self with a more open heart. I'm a finalist in the Tucson Literary Awards & getting to go to their writers workshop in March, so I am not completely without hopes & plans as a writer. The novel I started last year remains recalcitrant. If I measure my output by work that feels finished, this past year was pretty feeble. But it wasn't nothing. Greeting you with love, fellow writers, and I'll be thinking of everything, anything, we write this year with our own striving to think a thought, express an idea, as an act of resistance to our current national condition. Good luck, writers!
Melanie, congrats on being a finalist! And thank you for this inspiring comment!
This arrived at a perfect moment. Thank you for sharing.
So glad it helped!
It really can feel like a long, lonely slog. Thank you for sharing this.
Happy to, Teri!
A timely reminder, so true of the process! Thank you Jami and Lisa!
What a wonderful, inspiring, depressing, real, heart-felt post. Thank you Jami!
The place between commitment and self-castigation must be infused with compassion! Sorry if that sounded pretentious, I have to make up little slogans for myself to remember to practice these things. Thanks, Jamie!
Thank you — I didn't realize I needed that until I read it. It boosted and inspired me.
Jami you’ve shared the most affirming description of the writing life, and process and hope, and all the feels. Great counterpoint to some other "end of year/ start of year" stuff being posted . Thank you, and I thank Lisa too
thank you (and lisa) for sharing this. some years are fallow, but i do think also, something is always happening. some of that will feed the art.
Great post, Jami. Really appreciate this one
This is very encouraging. A thing I have come to, as a way of showing my effort since results are somewhat out of my control, is writing things on a paper calendar. I started this the last 6 weeks or so. I use a specific colored marker for each thing, like morning pages, meditation, walking, novel work (even if I’m just staring at it), and other things that matter to me. The color-coding seems to help me because I can tell at a glance what I’ve done throughout the month. It’s not necessarily a don’t-break-the-chain kind of thing. I don’t know. A brain log? It seems to ease my anxiety and makes me feel better to see my effort.
I like this idea. I think it's so easy to forget all the small wins we've done and it all adds up. Your method honors the writing time in all it's manifestations.
From the day my Dad told me he had been given a terminal diagnosis to the day he died I didn’t work in my novels. I just focused on him, and learning to sew. I’m back writing now and doing an MA in it. It was part of my journey
You’ll never regret those kinds of prioritizations— I had to do that when my daughter was in a deep post partum depression. Drain my savings, drop my work contracts, suit up and show up. I am so sorry for your loss. Much love.
one hundred per cent, thank you for saying that. Youre so right
It’s so hard to lose a parent. I’m really sorry.
thank you