Days 24-28

we've come to the end 😈

Between weddings and deadlines and first dates and fiction writing, I didn’t take time to write here these last five days. I wanted to, and even sort of meant to, but I realized I had already achieved my goal of reigniting whatever spark I’d been missing when I started this Writer’s Notebook write-a-thon. Instead, I focused on getting back into my freelancing groove, submitting a piece of flash fiction to a literary journal (the first time I’ve ever submitted flash fic), and thought about what direction I want to take this Substack next. I worked on things for Unruly Figures, including a new episode coming out Tuesday just in time for Halloween and found myself enjoying the work again.

When you’ve built your life—and income—around a favorite hobby, it can be scary when your interest in it fades suddenly. What if it never comes back? What if it’s now your fate to be miserable? What if you have to quit and move on?

Of course, what I was actually feeling was burnout. I knew what I needed was to pare back and rest. I tried to meet deadlines as best as I could, but other than that I just let myself *be* for once. And hey—it worked. Whatever anxiety and dread I was feeling around writing has faded and I’m ready to dive into NaNoWriMo in a week(ish).

Source.

Today, I ran across this brief history of exorcisms. It got me thinking about all the ways humans have tried to exorcise their demons, religiously or secularly. I used to think of writing as an exorcism of sorts, or maybe just a prayer. For many of us, praying can feel like speaking into a void when you’re not sure someone is listening. Writing, too, sometimes feels like speaking into a void and hoping that someone will hear you and love you anyway.

Getting ready to write a novel for NaNoWriMo? Come to our virtual write-in this Sunday—the third of three for Preptober! Learn more here.

While you’re here—would you be interested in doing more write-ins during November for NaNo? We got so much done in these first two, that I think it might be fun to keep the habit going!

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 and I’ll check out your work!