Compassionate Writer on Substack
Blog: Essays
Compassionately Holding the Writing Process in All Its Shades and Shapes
The thing that we need as writers – more than anything else – is a consistent writing practice that takes into account that there will be days when you feel inspired and days when you feel hum-drum.
For the Love of Letters
…A couple of years ago, we found letters, though. Letter after letter dating back to the 1930s, some barely legible and faded after years of being stored in a shoebox. Letters from my grandfather to my grandmother which explored his deep and abiding love for her. These letters were stunningly expressive, heartfelt, deep explorations of love.
What My Run Reminded Me About My Writing Practice
If there is one activity that brings on my creativity and inspiration it is walking. I am a walker. Nature soothes my soul and allows me to access inner safeness in a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming at times. I like to walk alone. I like to walk with my dog. I like to walk with friends and family occasionally, but mostly it’s just me on my walks and all of my parts that need some soothing.
Productivity and Writing is a Tricky Alliance
We live in a culture and a time where busy-ness and productivity are badges of honor, self-worth, and pride. If you aren’t making the most of your time, what are you doing? Binging Netflix, of course. You are either supremely productive or a lazy sloth – one or the other. And only one of these entitles you to feeling worthy, feeling like you are enough. (Read more…)
How Did NaNoWriMo Work for You?
November was National Novel Writing Month. I hear people start to talk about this in late October, “November is National Novel Writing Month! I’m going to do it this year! I’m going to write my book in November!”
Let’s be clear about something from the outset, here. I think NaNoWriMo is awesome. I think it inspires people to think big and imagine a world where they are writing daily and that vision seems exciting and sexy, and also a little scary. And if you sign up for NaNoWriMo on their website — if you look around a little before November 1 — you will see that the good people who birthed this idea intend a few things…
The Writing Paradox
The writing process is something I love. I have a reverence for it because the process is so similar to living life. To me, the process of showing up for life and all of its ups and downs, ins and outs, plateaus, plummets, and ascensions is sacred. There is a cadence to life and nothing is ever exactly the same if you are really paying attention. The writing process is the life process in a very specific context.
You're Not the Boss of Me! A Writer's Lament
If you’ve ever decided to embark on a big writing journey, like writing a book, you have been in the place where writer’s block takes hold and stops you in your tracks before you even begin.
Our first instinct is to resist: You’re not the boss of me! I will write RIGHT NOW! Sometimes just being there with your rear in the chair in front of your laptop is enough and you can power through for your allotted time or words per writing session. Other times, try as you might, you can’t seem to eek out more than a paragraph and the words that do come forth are not what you would call your best.
GRIEF: Navigating through the Holidays
Here we are in the second week of December. Many of us have been raised with holiday traditions and the shared wonder that makes this the most magical time of the year. I’ve felt this way for much of my life. The promise of holiday gatherings, maybe a favorite gift under the tree, colorful outdoor lights, familiar smells and the generosity of spirit have almost always left me feeling hopeful and loved. I have been truly fortunate. However, as I’ve grown older and experienced the death of loved ones, strained family relationships and a divorce, the magic of the holidays has been dulled by feelings of loss and disconnection.
Every quarter I contribute an essay to Elan Vitae Magazine. For Spring 2024, I wrote an essay entitled “Phosphorescent,” which was inspired by my March 2024 blog. (If you are curious, you can read that HERE.)
Every issue has a theme, and the Spring 2024 theme is Light. I love to create some contstraint when writing—these guardrails give you a place to start—but when I first thought about Light as a starting place, it confounded me. There were so many ways I could go with this essay—not much constraint there!