Agua Viva

“Putting my hand in someone else’s has always been my definition of happiness. Before I fall asleep, often – in that small struggle not to lose consciousness and go into the greater world – often, before I get up the courage to go into the vastness of sleep, I pretend that someone has my hand in theirs, and then I go, go to that enormous absence of form that is sleep.” -Clarice Lispector

I have never in my life related so much to a woman writer. Well, I’ve only read Agua Viva so far, but have you seen this woman? She’s stunning. When I read her work, I am transported to a place where I’m finally understood as a woman. And this quote I shared, my God, she’s a gift to life. The way she romances the tidbits of being alive is heaven. The way she speaks from the mouths of our ancestors feels like home. Here are a couple of lines.

“I know what I am doing here
I’m improvising.”

“What I say is never what I say.
Read the energy of my silence.”

“I’m obscure to myself.”

It’s interesting because she says “read the energy of my silence” and then writes books that hold the weight of every woman’s silence. As in, she speaks of things most women don’t share or don’t have the capacity to share, especially in today’s world. The cost is high to spend time examining yourself. We are all busy trying to make ends meet, pay off debts, and do what we do to make a buck. Which leads to another line of hers that says, “I’m obscure to myself.” And aren’t we all a mystery to ourselves these days? No? Maybe it’s just me. She makes me want to write the rest of my days away.

What book(s) are you loving lately?

Featured Image from New York Times.

Write the Story

“A writer is a world trapped in a person.” -Victor Hugo

You gotta set it free! There’s a story inside you and it’s going to find its way out. Sometimes it comes out in other ways like nightmares or fears. The best way to take hold of the story inside of you is to lasso it word by word and throw it down on paper every night. There’s no good reason to keep it crammed inside you, causing all sorts of disarray. Well, the truth is that I can’t promise one gathered story will bring order into your life, but there’s a huge possibility that it will give you the space to be human. Full on 100% homegrown human.

Can you tell me an old story idea you may have had as a child?

I had this one story about a girl running as fast as she could through the woods and she finally came upon a huge castle. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to write that story. But to this day, I can’t believe how real it felt.

Making New Connections

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” – Steve Jobs

I’ve been inspired by innovation quotes lately. Maybe it’s because I’m working on my next novel. It does get me excited to combine the old with the new to make even newer things. The fun part is that it doesn’t always have to be the new with the old; it can be whatever I want. I’m taking this quote as a little piece of inspiration today. It gives me permission to explore my writing in new ways.

How’s your writing coming along?

Lessons from Noah

“Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.” — M. C. Escher

This quote tickles my inner child in a good way. What does it mean to attempt the absurd? To attempt something that doesn’t yet make sense. That’s where innovation begins. It reminds me of the Bible story about Noah. He was building a huge boat, and everyone was calling him crazy. Well, it turns out he was right on time. When the ark was finished, God closed the doors. Noah and his family survived along with all the animals. You see, they were called crazy for the entire building process, but in the end, he wasn’t so crazy after all.

Don’t let outside factors keep you from inside work. Do the thing even if it doesn’t make sense right away.

January 27, 2026

Good Morning

🙏🏽Small Talk: Tonight, I decided to make myself a dark chocolate mug cake. Wow was it rich. I could only take about 5 bites but it made me sit down and close my eyes for a moment. A

☝🏽Gentle thought: The best way to combat fear in writing is to face it head on. And then use it to push you forward.

📝 In case you missed yesterday’s post, here’s a quote I shared.

“Art at its most significant is a distant early warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen.” —Marshall McLuhan

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Writers as Early Warning Systems

“Art at its most significant is a distant early warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen.” —Marshall McLuhan

Writers are the bold ones who are willing to say the hard truths.

“It’s time to hang your hat on the old ways. They no longer work for the betterment of society.”

New beginnings can be scary which is why I’m very comfortable in a steady and consistent routine. I don’t like last-minute plans. I don’t like not knowing what’s going to happen. I like to have a generous amount of energy to do the things I planned to do. But life has got to be part of it all, and sometimes life likes to toss in curveballs. Here’s the good news, those curveballs can turn out better than the original. So with this quote in mind, the best thing to do as a writer when you see the early warning systems is to not panic, just enjoy the writing.

Enjoy the art.

    Write Anyway

    “You have a million excuses. Write anyway.” ― Carrie Kei Heim

    I don’t know what it is, but the exact moment I finally fully commit to writing something shows up and pops out of nowhere. It could be a person, a phone call, a news headline—there’s really no limit. The point is that I have to really sit down and commit to it against all odds. Every. single. night. So the excuses are very real and very accurately timed to interrupt your writing. Write anyway.

    At the same time,

    I’m laughing because of what I’m about to say: when you are a writer, it’s also important to find a delicate balance of welcoming distraction. Don’t cut yourself off from the world. Don’t keep the things you love away from you. But also make sure you put your seat in that chair and write. That’s all.

    Do you welcome limited distraction?

    Art and Love

    “There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” – Vincent Van Gogh

    It’s no easy task, and it does take great skill and commitment to love those around you. Also, it takes a boldness that can at times feel distant. And I’m not only talking about the kind of love that leaves you breathless in a hallway.

    Here’s the thing: when we learn to write, we have to take time to learn from the greats. Learning to love asks the same thing of us. Like any art, we have to stop and take time to learn how to love. It doesn’t have to be in the dark and all alone; we have excellent teachers who left guides for us on how to love. Some of them are still here.

    Here’s the kicker: at the end of the day, the canvas of life is ours.

    We have full permission to paint in detail with love and admiration as our mediums.

    The best part is that we get to decide how that looks.

    When’s the last time you picked up a paintbrush?

    Let Your Light Shine

    “Writing well has everything to do with being able to read one’s own work with an eye toward the unmet possibilities that are there.” ― Lucy Calkins

    As an overthinker… I don’t advise looking for all the unmet possibilities in your near finished work. I’m laughing because I really think I’ve over-edited, and not as in this is the perfect, most flawless first novel ever known to man. But I often overthink and delete parts that maybe aren’t so bad. I do save all my edits, but that’s not the point. The point is don’t do this too much, but definitely during the first few drafts. Dream, inspire, fantasize—whatever gets the work finished. Then trust yourself. Trust your voice. And trust that you’re allowed to let it shine in your work.

    What do you think the quote is saying?

    Come Alive

    “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
    ― Howard Thurman

    Yesterday, I wrote a post about believing in life, and I don’t take back what I said, but I also need to follow up by saying that I had stopped believing in a certain type of life.

    I had to stop believing that this isn’t my life.

    I had to shift from pushing through to welcoming the breath of life. I believe deeply in my life force and all it’s connected to. I believe it’s deeply powerful, and we’re often taught that there is some divine disconnect.

    I don’t believe that.

    I’m not some prodigal daughter, and I never have been. I was always connected. It was only the noise of this world that made me believe that I ever was.

    Life is not just a term to believe in.

    Life is the very breath that fills your lungs.

    Life is not a belief, life is truth.