reader. writer.

A few thoughts this week.

What’s working: 

A strategy that has helped me when everything has been so distracting and upsetting is to focus on why I believe what I do matters. Try it: Identify and acknowledge the intrinsic value of what you do. For me, writing is how I create and contribute. For you, is it your kindness? Your attention? Your talents? Your ideas? Your service? Your compassion? Your humor? Your friendship? Your insights? Whatever it is, recognize it, honor it, cultivate it, protect it, and channel it in positive directions.

What I’m writing: 

I’m still revising and strengthening character descriptions and storylines in my series. The hard part is that I get sidetracked with minor edits that should wait, so I keep reminding myself to focus on these global issues before addressing word level concerns. Easier said than done.

What I’m reading: 

I decided to try the Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradley, a series in which a precocious eleven-year-old girl uses her knowledge of chemistry to solve mysteries in 1951 England. My local library has an e-book that contains a collection of seven books, so I am binge-reading them. The stories are written in a lively style, with rich setting and characters, and lots of humor. There are a few parallels with my series (and countless differences!), one reason I was curious to read it. It’s also fun. Here’s a line that made me grin: “Although it is pleasant to think about poison at any season, there is something special about Christmas…”

Democracy, yes, please:

Recent events have been unbearable, but taking part in the local march/rally on Saturday helped. It reminded me of this idea: progress is a process, not an endpoint. As someone committed to democracy and justice grounded in compassion, I remind myself these goals never go away, the work is always the work. When things are going well? Show up and do the work. When things are going wrong? Show up and do the work. Rinse and repeat. (And sometimes curl up with a good book and recharge—that helps, too).

Quote I like:

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid. I cannot perform fearlessness for you. But I do want to remind you to be wary of despair. Despair is a tempting emotion, rich and theatrical, but it is anesthetizing. It blots out what we are capable of. Art, on the other hand, pricks. It pricks the conscience, it accesses consciousness, it generates its own atmosphere. We make art to create connection across time and language and circumstance, to find our shared humanity, to wrestle others from their sleep, to wrestle ourselves from our own sleep, like a thick, unplanned afternoon nap. This is history’s gift. We are never free of its grasp, but beloveds, we are also never alone.”

Carmen Maria Machado from Writing Co-Lab’s 100 Days of Creative Resistance