Would someone be so kind as to explain exactly where the actual fuck this past week has gone? Time is taking the piss this year. Despite this somewhat aggressive introduction, I’ve had a primarily superb weekend.
I video messaged with a friend today without hiding my face. I went live on Instagram for the first in ever. I had a smoothie that was so good it could rival the best orgasm (Alkaline Kitchen in Middlesbrough, in case you’re wondering), and I stocked up my cupboard with all sorts of exotic nut butter I found in a Holland And Barrett sale. (You’ll know all about them if you follow me on Facebook or if you read my previous post.) I had my tarot cards read (everything is looking good, excellent even. The ‘ships are coming in,’ apparently. I just need to stop rushing and worrying and let go of the shit that happened to me in the past). I also finished editing almost all of the poems for my new collection, created some new portraits, made mY ‘to do’ lists for next week, and got a tear-jerking message from a wonderful woman who said what I’m doing is ‘fucking magical’ and ‘hits straight in the soul.’
Now, I haven’t given you a full notebook full of things here, but I think it’s probably enough for a Sunday night. Ha en fin kveld! (Have a good night in Norwegian, for the record.)
Things To Do & Reflect On
My mind and my energy are mine alone.
I need to take charge of my day. I need to make an impact on what matters most.
Advice From Mslexia (The Magazine For Women Who Write) On ‘Crafting A Cure’
Write a detailed account of your ideal day as a writer. Use the present tense and include as many sensory details as possible. Are there any aspects of that ideal day that you could immediately incorporate into your writing life?
How do you care for your writing self? Consider ways you might nurture and safeguard your creative time.
Thought-Provoking Quotes
‘Witches shape the world.” – I think it was Alice Tarbuck who said this; I foolishly didn’t note the author’s name down.
‘Witches transform, hide, leave and return.” I think this is Tarbuck as well.
“Come deeper, it says, in its voice that is not a voice. You have already always been here.” – Definitely Tarbuck
“Time passes. Listen. Time passes.” – Dylan Thomas.
“Everyone carries their own idea of north within them.” – Peter Davidson.
Words From The Book Manage Your Day To Day (Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind) Edited by Joeclyn K Glei
Don’t wait for inspiration, create a framework for it.
Don’t sacrifice your potential.
It takes willpower to switch off from the world.
“A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.” – Anthony Trollope.
“Over the long run, the unglamorous habit of frequency fosters both productivity and creativity.” Gretchen Rubin.
“Patience is a competitive advantage. In a surprising number of fields, you can find success if you are simply willing to do reasonable things longer than most people.” – James Clear.
“Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking ‘I’ll get back on track tomorrow.’ Try thinking of each day as a set of four quarters: Morning, midday, afternoon, evening. If you blow one quarter, you’re back on track for the next quarter. Fail small, not big.” – Gretchen Rubin.
“You can’t TRY to do things, you must simply DO them.” – Ray Bradbury.
“Like every beginner, I thought you could beat, pummel, and thrash an idea into existence. Under such treatment, of course, any decent idea folds up its paws, turns on its back, fixes its eyes on eternity, and dies.” – Ray Bradbury.
“It’s impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you.” – Nigel Slater.
Things To Weave Into My Writing (You could weave them into your writing, too!)
It’s a good time to be dead.
Let your magic happen.
The darker, the better.
Nothing is still, then everything is still.
A place of terror.
Gone are the borders.
We are happily rotting.
Fresh blood in the bones.
I know how to speak to the moon.
I dare not name her.
Only you can hear.
Unchanging and ever changing.
The steaming breath of beasts.
They vanish and nothing can be done about it.
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 