Notelets on Nurture #05

On gentle ambition + cultivating happy writing habits

Welcome back to my Sunday series, Notelets on Nurture.

This week, I've been thinking about external motivation and how some of us, myself included, thrive on accountability.

Whether it's working to a deadline or openly sharing my plans, my drive to accomplish tasks is often influenced from the outside. It’s as though I need some kind of commitment or encouragement, since I find it hard to pursue my hopes and dreams without it.

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

— Anne Frank

Of course, there has to be a genuine sense of fulfilment or purpose there too, because it feels more enjoyable and sustainable. So, I try, not always very well, to find a balance between the determination to succeed AND the opportunity to create meaningful work. You might call it gentle ambition.

And in the spirit of ambition (and accountability), I’m joining

Summer Brennan

of

A Writer's Notebook

for Essay Camp: A November Write-Along.

Essay Camp: A November Write-Along

The first five days can be shaped to suit any schedule, and with no strict time or word-count constraints, those with fewer resources can wrap the experience around their personal needs and family life. Summer will then be checking in via Substack Chat.

After some emotional and cognitive distance from it, my plan is to rekindle work on my memoir. There are inklings to explore and scribbles to transfer, but I mostly want to get back into the writing habit now some dominating life events can be put behind me.

I haven’t shared much about this project. Because of the frustration I feel around writing about doing the thing versus actually doing the thing, perhaps? But once I’ve gone through this process and recovered a sense of clarity, I’m sure the words will land again. And as I saunter towards submission, crafting one more chapter would be sweet.

“The ongoing process of writing is one of perpetual drift and return. We are pulled away from our writing practice and then we come back, over and over. Life, the noise of the world, and the constant clamour of our own personal responsibilities can make writing difficult. This habit of return is one of the most important skills that any writer can cultivate.”

— Summer Brennan

I’m smiling as I type because I could, of course, crack on with the thing instead of publishing a second post this week. But I also believe in sharing when we’re in the energy of a piece, and I have a real desire to reflect on the writing life this week.

If Essay Camp sounds like something you’d enjoy, Summer wrote about gathering our supplies, so you have everything you need to make a start on Wednesday.

Since we’re on the topic of writing, I’m shining a light on a guest blog written by

Lindsay Johnstone

for This Creative Life, a series I host about creative living, working and playing.

Lindsay is a writer, literary critic and workshop facilitator, and here she considers how we can resource ourselves in our craft and cultivate happy writing habits.

Nurturing your inner writer
with Lindsay Johnstone

I really welcomed Sarah’s invitation to reflect upon how we can nurture our inner writer, and I’m reminded that when I first wrote for myself, I had yet to understand why I was compelled to do so.

I had no goal. I wrote simply because it felt necessary. As I developed a consistent writing practice, my ‘why’ became clear. I came to understand that I write because forming stories helps me wrestle internal and external chaos into something beautiful. I write because I cannot get enough of those vapoury, blissful moments of flow. Above all, I write because I am fiercely protective of my mental health.

Writing is medicine. It’s not my only medicine, but it is one of the most potent. Its salve is failsafe.

Here are some of the ways I cultivate my practice. From this place of doing, perhaps your own ‘why’ might emerge, too.

1. A, B, C
   Writer and teacher

   Kathy Fish
   publishes writing tips on her Substack, The Art of Flash Fiction. She has a motto: A, B, C. Always Be Collecting. Gather material - squirrel it away - ready to be produced in service to your creativity. You might ‘collect’ images, objects, quotations, anecdotes, overheard conversations…whatever. Carry a notebook and pen with you. A sturdy envelope, too. View these collections as ready inspiration. Use them as writing prompts. And view reading as an exercise in collecting, too. I invite you to read as a writer. What is it you admire about a particular writer’s craft? Their ideas? The way they utilise form or genre?

2. Step into the zone
   Before any planned writing session, pull on your comfiest shoes and pound the pavements, paths or even the parquet. It doesn’t matter how prosaic your surroundings – you could even be walking indoors on a treadmill – the act of rhythmically placing one foot in front of the other has a positive impact on our creativity and literally lays the groundwork for our ideas to spark and take flight. A creative study conducted by Stanford University suggests that the benefit can be reaped for some time afterwards. Maybe you can combine this with tip one?

3. Words beget words beget words…
   Or to quote Parmenides, ‘Nothing comes from nothing’. When we lift our pen or take ourselves to the keyboard and begin without fear or expectation, both inspiration and motivation strike. Perhaps you like to write from a prompt? If so, use material you’ve squirrelled away or seek out writers whose words you resonate with and see what flows. Maybe you have an idea of which genre you’d like to write in or have a sense of a longer-term project? Why not begin with one moment and set yourself the goal of telling that smaller story? You’ll be amazed at what might flow from that one scene.

I hope these insights can support your writing practice and would love to know how you tend to your writer self. Perhaps you have other suggestions or tips to share?

Read the full blog, Nurturing your inner writer, where Lindsay shares more insights and explores playtime and playlists!

Learn more about Lindsay or join her thriving Substack community, What Now?, where she shares more words on writing, mental health and perimenopausal midlife.

In early 2024, registration opens for both of Lindsay’s courses – Writing for Better Mental Health and Memoir in a Month. Before all that, though, tune in for the launch of her new podcast excerpting her memoir, Held in Mind. I, for one, can’t wait to listen!

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