Table of Contents
Taking care of myself
My favourite things that happened this week
When the child I tutor asked what I’ve been doing, and I said:
- I'm writing a collection of poetry about trees. - Does that mean I'll be able to go to the library and see your book there? - *Stunned & so touched* Yes. It might take a while...
This is the single best articulation I’ve ever heard for publishing my writing as an end in itself. Thanks G.
Getting glowing feedback from my nephew, via my brother, on the first episode of Tree Tales. Inspired to write another one now. I mean, I already was, but now I really am!
Writing
Started sharing bits of my writing using the #LiLiWrites hashtag on Twitter. I now have brand new socials dedicated to writing (@cherrytree_walk) on twitter & instagram, and even facebook.
I didn’t do any writing during the week, but I did So Much Writing this weekend, because of this:
Short Fiction Festival Weekend: 12-13 June
I live tweeted the event.
Some resources to follow up
Stuff to write
- Tree Tales: Wollemi Pine & Dinosaurs
- Articles about writing
- How to write when you don’t have time
- How to get unstuck when you’re stuck: Starting, Continuing & Ending / Openings, Middles & Endings
- My writing process: How it started & How it’s going
- The Artist’s Way for Atheists
- Anything nature-y, for my collection of poetry & short stories
- I have so many ideas from the Short Story Festival Weekend
- I have so many poems I started
- Maybe more tree family maps
Workshops: Coming up
In the spirit of that, these are some workshops I’m signed up for:
- ADHD Babes – Creative Writing Workshop For Black Women & Non-Binary People — Mon, 14 June
- Write Together | Creative writing workshops — 4 sessions, starting Mon, 14 June
- The Nature of Light: a nature-writing workshop — Sat, 19 June, with Amanda Tuke
Write Together includes movement and place. The workshops are themed around: City, Forest, Mountain & Lake. And I take movement as a prompt to get embodied, which is something I’m practising. I often forget I’m an embodied being, and I appreciate when I’m invited to remind myself.
Excited about these panels at the poesiefestival berlin too:
- Queer-Bodied Voices, Wed, 16 June, 7pm
- Unheard Poetry: Black Europe, Mon, 14 June, 7pm
You may know that I am learning German, and writing my collection of poetry & short stories partly in German, so it’s extremely exciting to me that I’m going to a German poetry festival, which is in English and German.
Co-writing spaces: Sign me up!
Writing workshops are great for coming up with ideas, for generating excitement & enthusiasm, for getting energised and making connections, for learning about so many things. Firehoses of people, prompts, ideas & resources.
But co-writing spaces are where I make progress on things I’ve started. Where I consistently turn up at the page and do the work. They’re containers. Really glad to keep finding more of these.
I need workshops and co-writing spaces, and they both connect me with community.
- Allographic
- London Writers’ Salon
Reading
Started reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin and another book I shan’t name. Yay for books!
Goals & focus
I’m not going to explain this, but I’ve figured out a catchy way to represent my goals to myself:
Get • Move • Write… OUT there
I’m hoping this will help keep them present in my mind, so that I can make progress on them each week.
What I’ve achieved this week
What I did this week towards my goals
- Expressed being at capacity –> my workload is more manageable & projects more balanced
- Filled the project management gap on one of my projects
- Identified that I have 5 projects in progress
- Spent 2 days focused on my writing at the Short Film Festival Weekend
5 projects
- Business management (being a creative freelancer)
- Writing my collection of tree poetry & short stories
- Writing residency
- Equity workshop series
- Social media mini job about writing
Comedy
Laughter is the best medicine
I’ve been watching a lot of comedy bits online, and it’s so fun. Looking ahead to comedy gigs I might go to. Watching Would I Lie to You and Mock the Week on YouTube. There are so many!
Some of my favourite comedians at the moment:
- Mo Gilligan
- Richard Ayoade
- Mae Martin
- Joe Lycett
- Bill Bailey