Borne Ceaselessly into the Future
How is it almost February??
Hi Writer!
Have you written today?
If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t. You mean to. You want to. But life gets in the way.
For most of us, there are a whole crew of little electronic bells chiming and buzzing for our attention – never mind the actual living, breathing interruptions – preventing us from finding the time to pick up a pen or open a blank doc and get started.
I’m not bringing this up to make you feel guilty. There are more than enough difficult things going on in the world right now to make you feel bad. But, I do want to remind you of some of the great things that a bit of writing can bring you.
That’s why for the rest of the spring, each week in this newsletter I’m going to share one reason for you to write. My hope is that these reminders will help keep writing at the front of your mind for when you are able to put aside the chiming, buzzing outside world and spend time with your own thoughts.
Today’s reason to write is … to hear yourself think.
If you’ve ever kept a journal, you’ve probably had the experience of changing your mind mid-paragraph. It’s an amazing thing – one moment you’re spiraling out, worrying about the future and the next … the sun peaks through the clouds.
Recently I had this experience while I was writing in my own journal, and I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time something I read on social media had taken me on the same trajectory. Over time, it seems all the social media algorithms learn that disaster sells and so our feeds fill with increasingly negative prognostications of the future.
But journaling is like running the filter in a fish tank. The bad news is still there, but the brain’s natural methods of processing and dealing with worry are able to sort through it and return us to a healthier stasis.
Try it:
If you’re struggling with current events this week (I am, too), consider spending half the time you usually devote to social media writing in a notebook, or even on your notes app. You don’t have to cut out social media or news completely – it is important to know what’s going on -- but try giving your own brain the equivalent amount of time to sift through your thoughts as you do to taking in other people’s.
And if you do try it, let me know how it goes.
This Week I’m:
Reading: The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman. I’m enjoying this book even more than I thought I would! I was initially intimidated by the size, but it turns out many of the chapters are sidequests and backstory focused on individual characters, so it goes by quickly. Grossman’s The Magicians was turned into a terrific tv show, and I’m excited to see what becomes of this one (in development now).
Watching: All Creatures Great & Small on PBS. So charming.
Listening to: All Creatures Great & Small, audiobook edition. Equally charming.
Snacking on: Gold Emblem brand chocolate topped butter cookies. CVS was selling these on a crazy good discount a few weeks ago and now I’m hooked. It’s surprisingly tasty chocolate for a store brand cookie, and the proportion of cookie to chocolate it’s about 50/50.
Writing Quote
"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."
- Terry Pratchett
Happy Writing!
Kayleigh