I committed to this project in part to free myself from the constraints that I’ve put on myself and my writing over the last year or so. And yet I’m sitting here at a coffee shop, chewing on my lips and worrying over what to write. Worried it won’t be interesting or “say something” or follow the right structure or be palatable or or or or…
To write well, I’ve followed so many rules for so long.
But there are times to follow the rules and times to throw the rules out the window.
I started the Writer’s Notebook as a 28-day challenge to find joy in writing again. Traditionally, a writer’s notebook is a collection of observations, reactions, ideas, questions, memories, quotes, sketches, lists, snippets of moving language, or some combination of the above. (Sometimes they’re also called Commonplace Books!) Want to join in? Leave a comment below letting me know and I’ll come check out your work!
Definitely resonate with that concern of the work not being interesting or 'saying something'. My worries about that tend to follow a curve with how chaotic I view the rest of the world: the more that the real world seems to be spinning out of control, the more I feel compelled to write material that has a position, an opinion.
At the same time, though, a lot of audiences in those times look to fiction for escapism.
It's good to see you back!