The Sunday Six (3/10)
It's Sunday and Daylight Savings Time is in effect. More sunlight is a very good thing.
Six things on my mind right now:
This quote from author Sarah Stewart Taylor about handling writing slumps:
“…the trick is not to let these unproductive periods mean more than they actually do. It's easy to feel shame about not writing and that shame can lead you to not write even more. I've been grabbing time to write when I can and now, finally, I feel like I'm deep enough into the plot that I have some momentum.
But this month got me thinking about how sometimes we need techniques to trick ourselves back into productivity. When I haven't gone running in a while, I fool myself by just going for a walk. No pressure. Often I end up running for a bit, and then a bit more the next day and so forth. It's the same with writing.”
For that matter, I’d say read the whole post. And then read her books. I read her Maggie D’Arcy series last year, and am looking forward to her new series that begins later this year.
My personal ring binder (purchased from Amazon— I linked to it if you’re curious) has been my workhorse lately for planning, list keeping, and holding all the paper pieces of my life together. I like that with the rings, I can create divided sections to organize the different areas of my life. I have a section for work, for reading, for goals, for home, etc. That way I can access information more quickly and efficiently. In theory.
I realize that techie types do something like this digitally and find those of us who do not terribly antiquated. (Ahem. My husband.) But that just does not work for me. I have to write with a pen on a piece of paper for it to sink in. Plus I just love flipping through this little book of my life. I am also heavily using my Moleskine Daily for 2024, though I’m using it more as a notebook to jot down stray thoughts and less as a daily planner. Again, I thoroughly enjoying flipping through it and seeing my days— my life— caught there. The way we spend our days is indeed the way we spend our lives. (paraphrase of Annie Dillard quote)
These Celsius packets are my new love, introduced to me in February when I was traveling with my dear friend, and writer extraordinaire, TI Lowe. She graciously parted with a packet and I was like “Where can I find these wonderful things that are both strawberry and coconut at once?” She told me the Walmart, which I should’ve guessed. (I am sure they’re terrible for me, but if they are I don’t want to know. I allow myself one a day, if that, and they’ve become nice substitutes for Diet Coke, which I don’t drink a ton of, but do normally have a few a week.)
I am still working away on the TWITCH (This Week in True Crime Happenings) over at The Book Tide. Last week there was no Sunday Six here because of the TWITCH. I only had a certain amount of time to write last weekend, and the TWITCH got that time. This week’s installment should be up as you’re reading this, so please go check out the latest true crime news, if you’re into that sort of thing. I am finding that doing this adds a validity to something I was already doing, which was following cases in true crime like it was my job. Now it sort of is.
I read two books I loved in February, After Annie by Anna Quindlen and The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters. I am currently listening to Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie on Audible. Audiobooks take me a while to get through because I just don’t gravitate to them, but I am hoping to finish it in March. So far for this month I’ve found myself going back to Elizabeth Berg’s older titles, and loving them anew. This has also prompted me to retrieve from my shelves Escaping Into The Open, her book on writing and an all-time favorite of mine. I can’t guess how many times I’ve read it. And now it looks like I’m reading it again.
And, finally, I will leave you with this heartwarming story. If you haven’t seen this clip that’s been making the rounds this week, take a few minutes to watch. Maybe it’s that I spend far too much time delving into the terrible things people do to each other as I’m researching true crime, but seeing this wonderful thing these people are doing made me happy.
Now it’s your turn: What did you do that was fun this week? Do you use a paper planner or are you a digital devotee like my husband? (No judgment either way— whatever works is what I say!) Have you read any good books lately? Is there something you’ve watched that I shouldn’t miss? Tell me in the comments!
Masters of the air is spectacular! The last episode airs tonight. Brilliant story of the 100th airborne in wWII