Comfort in Your Writing Space

I have had writing spaces all over my house. At first, I had this huge space down in the basement. I didn’t really do too well with my allergies. Then I had a smaller but still a decent-sized space in the basement, but this time it was in a partially finished room. It still bothered me to be down there, though. Then, for a very short time, I had a space in my daughter’s closet. She was much younger and at an age where I put her to sleep every night. The thing is, none of those spaces really stuck with me. Now, I just kind of write where I feel comfortable. Sometimes I want sunshine. Sometimes I want to write in the dark, and sometimes I want a public space with people and the scent of coffee.

What I’ve learned over the years is that the trick is to be comfortable enough to not be distracted by the physical world. Writing is internal. While the external world may bring you inspiration, it must be digested internally. Having a place where you can really think through complex thoughts is a place where you can produce something of substance. And that’s what works for me.

How about you? What’s important to you about your writing space?

And Here We Are

II.
You see we’re tired, my heart and I.
We dealt with books, we trusted men,
And in our own blood drenched the pen,
As if such colours could not fly.
We walked too straight for fortune’s end,
We loved too true to keep a friend ;
At last we’re tired, my heart and I.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning from “My Heart and I”

I learned about Elizabeth Barrett Browning because I have been listening to a podcast called “Bad Ass Women of History” (and let me tell you, it’s hitting all the right notes). It’s artistic. The balance between the speakers is fantastic, in my opinion. One is brash and straight to the point, while the other is thoughtful and walks us intentionally to the point. Both are educated in the art history field, raw, honest, and interesting. Once I watched Serpent Queen on Starz, I had to learn more about women throughout history. That’s what attracted me to this podcast, and I’m loving it. Learning about all these bad ass women over the past few weeks balanced out my femininity journey because one thing I learned is that sometimes the situation calls for you to wear the pants. (I just laughed out loud at that). Anyway, what I’m saying is as women, we need both femininity and masculinity. We get to choose how we wield it.

My Happy Pill

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.” -Audrey Hepburn

I used to scoff at quotes like this. Now I let the enjoyment come to me as much as it wants to. I welcome joy and ease. The struggle comes on its own too. Like joy, I don’t need to chase it or hide from it. Whatever happens, I do my best to write my way through it all. Writing is my happy pill.

Summer Incoming

In honor of summer, I wanted to share this piece by Amy Lowell from the Poetry Foundation. I love a good bath and I love even more summer flowing in through the windows.

Bath By Amy Lowell

The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air.
       The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light.
       Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sun spots. The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air.

Copyright Credit: Amy Lowell, “Bath” from The Complete Poetical Works of Amy Lowell. Copyright © 1955 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Copyright © renewed 1983 by Houghton Mifflin Company, Brinton P. Roberts, and G. D’Andelot, Esquire. Reprinted with the permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Source: Selected Poems of Amy Lowell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002)

Now What?

Phew! I am feeling this transition, and it’s really overwhelming. So, I wanted to share some things I do to help me through the overwhelm during what can feel like big transitions.

First, I focus on allowing myself to move as slowly as possible. I do my best to prioritize the important things.

Second, no matter how slow I allow myself to go, I still have responsibilities, but I give myself more breaks than normal. I don’t power through overwhelm; I pace myself through it. I feel my way through it and I take note because it’s great writing material. check check

Third, I check in with friends and loved ones. They make me happy, and I love to make them happy when I can as well.

Fourth, I have no choice but to be extremely mindful of my inner self-talk. This cap rising does not like a slow pace. This cap rising wants to get shit done! So I have to remind myself that there are times when I’m a f*cking unstoppable machine, and there are times when I’m a tortoise in the hot desert sun. So cap, I need your order and your drive, but let’s focus it on my hair for the week instead of building empires.

Fifth, I write.

Those are the top 5 things. That about sums it up here in a few words, but let me tell you, the hard part is putting it to work and defending it.

Spontaneous Changes, No Thanks

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” -Lao Tzu

This is one way to live. It’s a peaceful option and one with little resistance to external factors. I often lean toward the route with the least amount of resistance. As I grow older, I also lean toward the paths where the least amount of energy is burned. I only have so much to give, so I have to divvy it up strategically. Spontaneous change is not my favorite. I prefer things to go as planned unless things are changing for the better, which is always easier for me to accept. Vertical change isn’t so bad; the change has little to no impact on my original expectations. It’s the ones where I just have no idea what’s going to happen that get to me. The uncertainty crawls under my skin and lives there. I don’t like it.

How are you with change? Ride the wave? Hate it? Love it?

The Call

If you’re debating whether you want to write, that’s the first call. The next step is whether you decide to answer.

I’m excited for the amount of writing I have on the internet. I’m glad I can take a walk down memory lane and see my old thoughts and my old struggles. It makes me smile to see that I’ve gained more confidence in the thoughts I often think aren’t worth sharing.

A Decade of Blogging!

I’ve been writing a whole decade and all I have to show for it is this.

When I started blogging, I was working on a project called Ambition in Women, which turned into over a decade of working on myself. I’ve always had a fire in my soul to fight for women’s rights. That may have something to do with Legally Blonde, Mona Lisa Smile, and Christina Aguilera. The point is, I knew at a young age that expectations for women were not fair or liberating. And now here I am with a deep belief in a world where women can live without ever being raped, where their cycles are honored, and their voices are welcomed with open arms. And even more so, sinking deeply into the softness that comes with the rest revolution.

I’m extremely proud of the woman I have become and I hope that I fully embrace 40 with my entire soul because getting here was no walk in the park.