back to writing/week 7 check-in
Happy Friday! How is your writing going this week?
On Monday we talked a bit about time and claiming time for writing. I’ve returned this week to blocking out time on my calendar for writing and sticking to that intention. I’ve also found it helpful to set an intention for an amount of time (I’ve been doing an hour because it feels like a stretch, but a doable one) and then run the timer on my computer as a way to keep track. I’m not making as much time I might like, but I am making progress in the time I have.
There were some great comments in the last post about how folks are sticking with their writing. Annie wrote about asking herself “what’s interesting to me?” about the project she’s working on, which is such a great small intervention in a writing practice.
Thanks, all, for the lovely birthday messages. I’m continuing my birthday season celebration with a little getaway this weekend—my husband and I are going to the Poconos, and my mom is staying with our kids. (Thanks, Nana!)
I’ll be back on Monday with our last interview of the Back to Writing series, a conversation with scholar, writer, and all-around rockstar Kate Vieira.
notes and reading suggestions
Two pieces about writing I read and loved this week: Kicking Over the Ladder in Your Mind by Lincoln Michel, about writing and jealousy, and Structure by John McPhee.
And! In very exciting news, The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood has a cover. This is always the part where it begins to sink in that the dreamy word document thing is actually going to be a book—a real, physical thing that you can buy and read and give to the folks in your life who might need it. I’m so proud of the work we’ve gathered in this book, and I couldn’t be happier with this uterine roller coaster of a cover. The team at UGA has been really amazing to work with, and designer Kaelin Chappell Broaddus did such beautiful work with this cover. (And don’t worry, the minute it’s available for pre-order, I’ll let you know!)
How is your writing going? I’d love to hear from you. You can always reply to this email, comment below, or find me on twitter (@nancy_reddy) and instagram (@nancy.o.reddy).