Hello readers and writers of the web!! I wanted to update you all on how my DIY writing retreat is going. If you missed that last post let me explain briefly what I have been up to.
This week I had the opportunity to spend a whole week alone at my house while my hubby is away helping family on the other side of the mountains. Having no one else at home (and thus no one to cook for) opened up a few hours each day which I decided to dedicate to working on my latest project ~ a zine about homesteading.
I also took a little bit of a break from writing content on HIVE, for videos, and filming videos for social media so I could channel all my creative energy into finishing this booklet that has been on my desk for months & months.
A big thing happened on Wednesday ~ I printed a first draft of what I had written so far!!
It was so nice to see how the words would look on the page and a general idea of what the booklet will feel like to hold in my hands. There is a lot I want to change though. The cover I want to print on kraft paper, the inner pages themselves will have images collaged on them. There were a lot of spelling errors and awkward sentences that need re-writing.
But, I can say I love the font! And seeing all that I have written thus far motivated and inspired me to continue writing. I went out to a sunny patch in the front yard and alongside two of my cats who were playing in the grass I read the zine and felt really proud of myself for even starting this project.
Then, I opened up my notebook and ideas for the closing sections of this book just flew out.
Writing by hand is a huge part of my process. Each and every idea for this blog, for videos, and for my zines starts out as scribbled words in my writing journal. And even if I go on to expand upon my notes when I get to typing, the most inspired seeds are always planted with good old pen and paper (or pencil).
All of that happened on day three when I had an entire morning to myself. Day four had a bit of a turn of events in store when I found out that my partner would be returning home early (later today) and that my in-laws are coming too. This is really, really not the surprise I was hoping for. Instead of a weekend to myself and time to leisurely get the house in order, I must put a pause on my slow mornings and hustle before company arrives later this afternoon.
That is just life, isn't it? And I simply have to take it all in stride. There are people with kids who still find time to write. Even despite the busy day ahead of me I have carved out a few moments two type up this blog post. I will just have to power on with my writing retreat despite the cleaning, cooking, and hosting that is also expected of me.