Living

“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.” -William James

First, I love what the James brothers contributed to the world. Henry James as a writer; fantastic and William with his work in psychology, fascinating.

The thing about beginning now what you will be is that you must have some idea of what that is. I decided I was a writer 10 years ago. Then I dove in. The world expanded more and more as I learned all the different ways writing adds to our lives. I learned very quickly the value of storytelling. But saying I wanted to be a writer was like saying I wanted to be a woman. There are a million types of women in the world. It’s just very vague.

After experimenting with it all, I eventually decided where I wanted to be as writer. I mean, I don’t like to put myself in a box but writing novels is exactly where I want to be. (I also love writing about art. Maybe someday I’ll write a monograph.) The thing is that it’s not just putting words on a page that I love. It’s the entire process, writing, editing hell, cover art, connecting with other writers, inspiring them, letting them inspire me, the culture, the purpose, the sales, the message, and all the other little annoying things aren’t annoying enough to turn me off completely.

The wild thing about all this is that I could decide in 5 years that I want to be something else or some other kind of writer.

That means I’m alive. It means I’m in that state of accepting myself where I am while I continue to be someone that’s becoming. I think it’s something beautiful.

Who are you now?

Allowing Yourself an Optional Out

Well, today felt like a Monday.

The motivation for me today was “Well, we’ll try, and if it goes sideways, I’ll just head home.” It went fine. I was fine. But knowing that I had options was my motivation today. Every day I don’t need that type of motivation. Every day I don’t even need a reason to go because I love what I do. But some days are a little rougher than others, and that’s okay.

What was your motivation today?

Free Inspo for You

Looking for some inspiration? I have got just the thing for you!

I was not struggling today for inspiration, thankfully; a fellow lover of the literary world lit my fire. But since I have been inspired, I have to share one of my secret inspo dump platform. If you haven’t guessed it already, it’s Pinterest. I’m laughing because who would have thought over a decade ago that this platform would be included in my writer’s life. Not me. Well, it is, and there are so many fun ways to use it.

They have journaling prompts, writing prompts, grammar boards. You can make a Pinterest Board just for your character. You can make a board to inspire the cover. You can make a mood board for the novels you’re working on. Writing a period piece? You can gather all the different aspects of culture at the time onto a board for those tiny details that make your research shine. There is unlimited ways to use Pinterest and it’s free.

Do you have a Pinterest account? If yes, do you use it for your writing?

In case you’re interested here’s a link.

Doors to Possibility -Happy Birthday C. S. Lewis

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say ‘infinitely’ when you mean ‘very’; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” -C. S. Lewis

In honor of C. S. Lewis’ birthday, I wanted to share one of his quotes. This one made me laugh because I actually used the word ‘infinitely’ in one of my school papers where ‘very’ would probably work just as well. Interesting timing that this would show up and grab my attention.

Another interesting thing I read was his last book,  Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer. I listened to just the first chapter, and it’s interesting that we still bring up the same questions today. I wanted to look at his last work because I truly love to see the evolution of artists. I can’t tell from the first chapter whether he changed any of his views. He seems to be pretty consistent over time, but I’d like to see if his last book shows some shift in his views on religion, or even if it just opens the door to possibility. If you’ve read Narnia, you know doors to possibility are kind of his thing.

Final Part of the Process

“Healthy self-expression can make your life more fulfilling, allowing you to tap into your own, unique creativity, desires, and passions.” -Karen Sosnoski, PhD on Psychcentral

This first novel of mine focuses on self-expression. It’s a collection of moments, thoughts, and ideas, and it’s a work of fiction that I feel expresses so many little parts of me. I have learned pretty quickly that I prefer novel writing over all other forms of writing. I have also learned that I love the entire process of novel writing. Now I get to learn the final part of the process: sharing my work with the world. There’s still some work to do when it comes to how. There are a million options these days, just have to narrow it down.

What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

Do You Write Alone?

“The writing process for me is pretty much always the same – it’s a solitary experience.” -Sheryl Crow

It’s interesting because I speak often of the writing process being solitary. I speak often of taking intentional time for yourself. But I also must admit that when I sit down to write, I bring so many people with me. They may not be there in the physical sense, but each individual is a thread being woven into the story. It may not be an entire character that is them, but maybe I remember the unique way they hold a spoon, or the way they curled their lip at a strange smell, or even the way they bring that amazing energy that lights my fire. And so yes, writing is a solitary act in the physical sense, but at the same time, there’s a world of people that show up on that page.

How’s your writing going?

I’m Home

“Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. Then look at, or think of, the person triggering this emotion: With mindfulness, you can see that she is unhappy, that she is suffering. You can see her wrong perceptions. You can see that she is not beautiful when she says things that are unkind.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

Tonight, I took a moment to collect myself. I don’t feel scattered or anything, but I do feel very excited about where I am in life. My home is inside me. It’s not really something that can be taken away. I built it myself, bone by bone. I walked around with rage, fear, and insecurities for a long time. Now I have the discipline to put those things down and exchange them for joy, gratitude, and curiosity. Some days, I’m just so hungry for life that I want to do it all at once.

It did take a mentor. It did take my husband’s stability. It did take writing with people who were once strangers. I didn’t do it all alone, but I did build my home, and I love it here, inside me.

Did you take a moment to be mindful today?

There’s Always a Good Reason to Write.

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” — Anne Frank

There’s always a good reason to write. I think one of the greatest reasons to write is when I feel completely out of control. I don’t write to gain control; I write to find my calm in the chaos. It took some time for me to find my calm. I think—and I’m not committed to this—but I think that writing has become my anchor. When I need my little heart to be still, I write. And so that’s why I liked this quote for tonight. I like it because I can completely relate. I think how I feel in this world matters more than all the things I can’t control. When I say how I feel, I mean the way I allow myself to feel my way through things. Not placing blind faith in my feelings, but listening to what they are trying to tell me and going from there.

Can you relate to Anne Frank’s quote?

Serenity

“The key to serenity is trusting that the universe has your back.” -Gabrielle Bernstein

Serenity sounds like such a pretty word to me. I’d love to have a home that exudes serenity. Exude is significantly less pretty of a word, but that’s irrelevant. The thing is that serenity is a feeling inside you. Some days I like a little dancing and loud music; I enjoy playing games and having fun in our home. And sometimes we have to have difficult conversations, but generally, peace is my priority in my home.

A peaceful life is a lot less boring than I thought it would be.

Here’s some ways I create a peaceful environment:

  • I greet everyone when they get home.
  • I try to always have the hot water ready.
  • I love simmer pots and I’m even more excited to try those simmer pots that you can drink! (These are new for me. If you have any fun simmer pot recipes that are tea please share!)
  • Show grace to yourself and those around you

What am I missing here?