So, what do you think? Do you think you want to come along on my month of writing adventure? I thought maybe it would be fun, with me pursuing my dream for the first time in my life, to have company. So I’ve decided to TRY to write a blog post every day noting what I’ve done that day and how it has gone. Short as a post may be.
I know that my month technically started the day after my last day – so the 4th, but it seemed so much more real to start it today, on a Monday. And today is the first day I legit feel like I am FREE! I can’t believe how happy I am (you can see more on The Writers of Ingleside, if you want) – I seriously expected there to be more angst. There IS some, of course, but that is more surrounding how to fit in ALL THE THINGS and WHAT TO DO FIRST. In fact, I was almost getting anxious trying to figure out how to schedule everything, but then, last night, I read a chapter in “Love Letters to Writers” and it was all about figuring what works for us, vs. all the “shoulds” we hear and read about in books and online as writers. I was like, FINALLY, someone understands me! I felt like she was reading my heart when she said, “I don’t know about you, but I”m weary of writing advice.”
I loved this part: “For writing, there is no one way. There is only your way, the way that gets your words onto paper and fills you at the same time. Sometimes it takes us years to find that way and that’s okay. We read advice and try it out. We toss some aside and pull some close. We craft our own doorway in and sometimes we have to lock on door and build a new one. . . .each of us has a different doorway into our own rooms in the big wild house that is made of words.”
And that made it feel okay for me to just. . . experiment the first part of this month and see what works.
So, today was about embracing this newfound freedom. This happiness. I slept in, woke up at like 11 (based on the amount I’ve been sleeping since quitting, I’m guessing I am far more weary than I realized), and then basically bounced out of bed as I realized I didn’t have to work. I got dressed, without a shower because I was too eager to start the day, Daniel made me a latte, and posted on instagram and . . just loved life for a little bit. Then Daniel and I ate a late breakfast outside, I put the aforementioned post on The Writers of Ingleside, and then we went for a super long, glorious walk. We discovered a random path through the woods that led to a manmade lake next to a waterway, a giant open field – and, yes, I did actually run through the field for a few minutes. We meandered and stopped to smell flowers and admire water, and lean over a bridge, and pressed to the edge to pass anyone (maintaining that 6 foot distance), and Daniel even lifted me to a tree branch so I could sit in it for a few minutes.
Once we got back, we made more coffee, and have been enjoying the outdoors ever since. I wrote in my journal, wrote this post, and began reading a writer’s digest (didn’t get too far before I decided to write in my journal and here instead). And now Daniel is mowing the lawn and I’m feeling about ready to calculate how many pages a day I have to edit in order to finish that book by the end of the month.
And that’s it for now. Thank you all for coming along on my journey, and I’ve never been so excited for something!
Forest Idylls 