It’s been a pretty busy past month or so, and writing has been more of a challenge for me. We are currently on a visit back to the UK, so very much out of our regular routines, and of course the babba is a month older, and now very much constantly on the move (crawling and furniture walking), so I can no longer really write in moments of playtime. Nothing unanticipated there. I was previously trying to snatch a few moments over breakfast to keep a journal while he sat in his high chair and played, but that too is no longer really possible now that he is (avidly and messily) enjoying eating solids. However, I do intend to try make the most of any windows of opportunity that arise.
As I mentioned in my first post in this series, I am working on a large writing project that is bigger than anything I have attempted before. In order to make it as good as possible, I am trying to actively seek out opportunities to participate in writing exercises and get feedback to refine my technique and style. I very recently learnt about Tanya Shadrick‘s free creative community #TheCureForSleep and resolved to join it. It has already been a learning experience. As I don’t currently have the opportunity to regularly sit and write, I am working on composing in my head and then getting the words down in the notes app of my phone during any spare moments. This is very different to the way I have previously gone about writing. The first piece I tried to put together – for Tanya’s community – was too long, and although I did get it down to the word count, it no longer worked. I almost lost momentum there: I had put so much of my free time into working on it that I felt demoralised. But I was encouraged to try again by a video that Tanya had shared and that I will link below.
So I made a second attempt. And this time I felt happy enough with it that I decided to share it. And I felt so heartened by the response I received! I cannot tell you how much of a leap this is for me – and I know it is small steps such as these that will be crucial in helping me achieve my goal.
For anyone interested, here is the link to my contribution: https://thecureforsleep.com/voices/#zofiakstanley. If you scroll up then you will be able to read the prompt, along with the other pieces that have been shared. I definitely plan on contributing further pieces.
✨ Resources
I recently discovered this podcast: Let’s Talk Memoir. I listened to the interview with Maggie Smith and am looking forward to exploring other episodes.
📚 Reading
Recent reads: The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch, Self-Portrait by Celia Paul, The Truant from Medicine by Ivan Donaldson, The Unmapped Mind by Christian Donlan, We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg.
Mad to Live 