A List of Things To Do Before Your Writing Session

“How do you decompress without your phone?”

“I must drink lots of tea or I cannot work. Tea unleashes the potential which slumbers in the depth of my soul.” -Leo Tolstoy

Do you settle your mind before you write?

Since I write in the evenings, there are some days that have me going going going and sitting down to write can feel like it’s my first moment of the day to sit and actually think. On those days I try to get to my chair earlier.

When my mind is zipping around a million miles a minute, it is hard for me to really read anything. These days I tend to scroll to decompress but that can’t be my only way. Scrolling can go from supporting me and my creativity to over consumption too easily.

There’s other ways to decompress besides scrolling. Hot tea is my go-to. I love the process of making it. And I love the sensory experience. I get to pick a mug I love and appreciate the way it warms my hands and nose as I bring it to my face. And even after all that I get to appreciate the taste. It’s my go to for my evening writing. I’m currently out of my favorite teas so I haven’t been able to appreciate a cup lately, but I’ll have more soon.

Favorite blankets and robes literally make me melt into my computer chair. I have two of my favorite soft blankets designated for my writing space. This eliminates searching the house for a decent blanket to snuggle up in. And I like two small ones because I like one for my shoulders and one for my lap. It’s perfect.

Immediately get into the comfiest clothes you own. I can’t write if I’m distracted by my clothing. I prefer loose fitting clothes that are breathable under my blankets. I also can’t write when I’m cold, so I dress for the temperature.

Having a journal and a few decent pens nearby. My journal isn’t a reflection of the day or a weird place to gossip. My journal is to stay in touch with my story that I’m working through. I use it during the first draft all the way through the editing process.

These are just a few ways that help me decompress rather than doom scrolling. What helps you decompress? What am I missing?

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Build Those Dreams

“A little bit of writing when the house is quiet goes a long way.”

“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.”
-Vincent Van Gogh

When the house goes quiet because everyone is tucked into bed, the words start flowing. It’s hard to write while the house is still full of hustle and bustle but once everything quiets down, I feel like I can think more clearly. Not always. I do write in the evenings so sometimes I’m just exhausted from having such a full day.

If you’re looking for quiet writing time as a busy parent, you get two options. You can write in the morning while everyone is sleeping or in the evening after everyone goes to bed. There’s no real way around it. Even when you’re a stay-at-home parent, days are packed with homemaking.

I’ve written about writing everyday thousands of times, but I don’t talk much about being a parent and writing. Being a writer as a parent is a completely different ball game. One thing is that someone always seems to find you as soon as you sit down to write. It’s odd. But your writing time is precious, and your dreams are worthy of healthy boundaries. So set up your writing space and soak up the quiet time fulfilling your dreams.

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Thanks for reading. 😁

She’s Home

“A poem”

Keys jingle as she tosses them

in a bowl filled with rocks

and sea glass.

Match in hand,

she lit a candle

a symbol of gratitude.

Her doors are locked

but the lights are on.

Her kitchen lamp illuminates

the darkness

without it passing through her mind.

She’s just living.

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Ride the Wave

“We are allowed to live our whole lives.”

“It isn’t by getting out of the world that we become enlightened, but by getting into the world…by getting so tuned in that we can ride the waves of our existence and never get tossed because we become the waves.” ― Ken Kesey, Kesey’s Garage Sale

There’s a time to be home and there’s a time to be out there learning and sharing with others. I have a vague plan of what I want to do with my life. I’m not quite sure how things will work out but I do know I want to work on them as parts of my life. As opposed to making them my entire life.

Sometimes I wake up and dive right in. Other times I just think about it and take small action or have things going on in the background. I’m a whole universe raising and nurturing whole universes. Not that I’m putting my dreams on hold but that I’m taking baby steps toward those dreams.

Have you been working toward your dreams?

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Thanks for reading. 😁

Centuries of Duties

“A poem”

She carries centuries of duties

bare toes kiss the earth

and the weight of todo lists strapped to her back

like a child from the other woman.

Checked off because we must.

Because it’s right.

The pen dragged across the paper

a reminder of how much I hate this.

The list uncurls and warns me that

it goes on

as I do.

But then I write

the list grows wings.

The pen lifts me to a world

where all I must do

is imagine.

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Writing as a Calling

“Do you feel called to write?”

“Writing is not a profession it’s a calling. It’s almost holy.” -Jamaica Kincaid

I think highly of writing. If you’re dedicated enough,

  1. writing can make you question all you thought you knew.
  2. It can be a doorway to adventures of your choice.
  3. You can use writing to challenge yourself and liberate yourself from the person you were when you started.
  4. It can wake you up to new possibilities.

And that’s all great but

We can wake up to all the possibilities in the world, but when it’s time to write, none of that other stuff matters.

The space you create for yourself as a writer is the same place where all else falls away. Doodle all the dreams you want outside of precious writing time. Make amazing plans but do it at a different time. There’s only one thing asked of you as a writer during writing time and that’s to write. Not marketing. Not editing a cover. Writing. That other stuff needs separate time slots.

If we spend all our writing time doing things other than writing, we’ll lose trust in our ability to show up and write. On the flip side, if we show up consistently for ourselves books will be written and edited, novels, poetry, short stories doused in prose and symbols will pile up. And when we have piles of work because we showed up, we can gain a better understanding of the craft and we see all that we can accomplish.

This in my opinion is what makes writing holy and separate from all else. It calls you to show up for yourself. And when you show up for yourself as a writer, the world will be blessed by your work. You have no idea who is being inspired by you living out your calling.

There’s one very important thing that you need when your writing session begins and ends. The truth is, and you must feel this deep in your bones, that writing serves you so that you can serve the world. If you can’t write, you can’t serve. Period. Honoring your craft is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself and those around you.

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” -Marie Curie

-Saschia ✨Jayne✨ Johnson

Finding the Stories

“Give moments in your life value”

“I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.” -Hermann Hesse

We can take what life gives us and make art out of it. And like Herman Hesse says in this quote we can give it value in a new way. I think all life experiences are valuable. We grow and learn so much just walking out of house and chatting to people on the way. Or cruising through new towns. Or just hanging out with friends. It doesn’t have to be some big event. It can be learning that bees nap and getting to see one snoozing the day away on a flower. Imagine the stories that could come from a fuzzy snoozing bumble bee.

What writing are you working on?

Thank for reading. 😁