How the light gets in...

Open windows, ideas, and office supplies

Why, hello there. I have a few things to report this week, so I’m just going to jump right in.

1. I used up all the ink in my favorite pen on my morning pages, so I had to buy more. Yes, this many more because these morning pages are WORKING, y’all. More on that in a second.

   

2. I also required an additional notebook because I’ve fallen in love with the one I have, which I found randomly at Homegoods, and knew it would run out soon. These are by Graphique and have lovely vegan leather covers, ivory pages that you can write on front and back without bleedthrough, and a little line of months/days at the top to mark the date. So, I had to hunt this one down:

   

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3. And lastly, I have a book idea. (!!!)

Yeah, I kind of buried the lede there. :) But I’m trying to be cool and TOTALLY CHILL about this idea so I don’t scare it off. *gently pets Idea and feeds it cheese sandwiches* It’s not a fully formed idea yet. It’s a heroine whose story I know I need to write, though, and that alone has a lot of energy behind it.

I haven’t had an idea with real energy to it in…a significant amount of time. So, I’m honestly stunned that the process of morning pages and opening the windows (like we talked about last week) is working for me—and working this quickly.

I’m not going to make bold declarations that I’m cured of burnout or whatever creative blank space I’ve been living in, but this is a hopeful and promising start.

I’ve been well and truly obsessed over the past week with brainstorming this idea—to the point where it’s waking me up at night and where I was typing a scene (just to get a feel for the character’s voice) into the Notes app on my phone while I waited to pick up my kid from school yesterday. It’s a good feeling. To know that inspiration has returned, that my windows are open.

It’s also interesting to note that the idea contains bits and pieces of things that I’ve been randomly deep-diving into just for my own enjoyment over the past few months.

Sometimes we berate ourselves because we think we’re wasting time, procrastinating, NOT WRITING, but really, we’re foraging and stocking our information pantry with lots of things to one day mix and match and make stories from. It goes back to that empty shelves thing I talked about in a previous letter. If we let the cupboard go bare, we have nothing left to work with.

Speaking of which, I read the first page to the new William Landay novel today, All That Is Mine I Carry With Me, and the opening paragraph spoke to this very idea. (It’s worth noting that, though this is a fictional character speaking, William Landay had a big hit novel, Defending Jacob, ten years ago, and this is the first novel since that one, so I’m guessing he’s speaking from experience.)

“When a writer goes quiet, nothing is blocking and nothing is being blocked. He is just empty.”

I guess it’s somewhat comforting to know that we’re not alone when we have that feeling.

It’s also comforting to know that maybe there are things we can do about it. So far, the experiments I’ve been doing seem to be making an impact. *knocks on wood*

My next experiment will most likely be writing scenes longhand. Since morning pages are working so well, I think pen-to-page for the fiction might help too. Might keep the stress of opening the “Official Document” from creeping in. I’ll save thoughts on that for next time though.

Until then, *feeds Idea another cheese sandwich and offers her a cupcake as well*

How are things going for you? Have you tried any experiments for yourself? I’d love to hear!

*Some links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.