Embrace the Winter Chill: the Power of Rest and Renewal
On winterizing yourself, failure, and best case scenarios
Hello friend, 👋🏾
My NaNoWriMo dreams have faded into mist, but I can’t say I’m all that torn up about it. When I received the copyedits from my publisher a week and a half ago, I knew that completing Nano would take quite a bit more mental and creative energy than I had in reserves. There was a way forward if I kept pushing and worked on three books at once.
But the universe keeps putting messages in my path to let me know now is not a time to push. This week it came in the form of this gorgeous poem by Andrea Gibson showing up on my Instagram feed. As well as an upcoming book discussion in a group I’m a part of for a book entitled Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.
I have not yet read this book, but the title alone was the prompt that I needed—on top of many other prompts—that I need to slow down. So I have (almost) fully accepted that I’m entering a period of hibernation. Or as close to it as I can muster.
My energy is lower. The days are colder. I still get up every morning and work. I’ll meet my deadline for my copyedits and for the third book in the trilogy that needs to go to the editor in a few weeks. I’m answering client emails and completing work I’m contracted to do. But the extras, the things I agree to in bursts of efficiency and ambition? Those I need to slow down on.
And it’s okay. Winning Nano is always nice, and I adore the story I’ve been working on. But it will just need to take a bit longer to complete.
I’m still doing this week’s live write-ins on YouTube and will get some more words written on the manuscript this week, but the goal has shifted.
I started out this year with the mantra to “do less, but do it better.” In many ways, I’ve failed. Doing less is difficult. Sitting still feels like laziness. There’s so much to be accomplished! I have so many goals!
But I am also in a place of transition. Grieving the end of my marriage. Starting over at 45. Running a variety of businesses and working to honor my creativity and bring to life the stories living inside me.
Gibson’s poem says that “you will be nurtured by doing absolutely nothing.” I believe it.
So I’m going to work on embracing my hibernation this winter. Acknowledge that I may not meet all of my goals and dreams, but I’m letting the field go fallow in preparation for a future harvest. My Nano novel will be written and see the light eventually. It brings me joy every time I work on it, which, while not all that frequent at the moment, is still progress.
I’m already making preparations for spring. I’ll have two books coming out and I’m jotting down promotion ideas. I’m planning some travel. I booked a tattoo appointment. I hope to emerge from the cocoon of winter ready to give that mantra another shot: do less, but do it better.
Though I suspect it might be the work of a lifetime.
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📝 Writerly Deals
I like saving money as much as the next girl, but every year Black Friday gets more and more overwhelming. So if you’re similarly overwhelmed, please skip to the next section of today’s newsletter. But because there is some chance that every eyeball reading this has not already had its fill of deals, I submit the following for your perusal. These are only things I personally use and recommend:
Plottr is up to 35% off. I circle back around to this software pretty often and have been using it to hold all the story bible and plot info for my NaNo novel. (ends today, 11/27)
BookFunnel is offering $50 off certain yearly plans. The best game in town for delivering your books straight to readers’ devices without hassle.
K.M. Weiland’s books are 25% off. She is the best writing teacher I’ve never met. (ends today, 11/27)
ProWritingAid’s yearly and lifetime subscriptions are 50% off. I got a lifetime deal years ago and currently use this grammar checker on steroids software daily to polish the manuscript I’m revising. (ends Wednesday, 11/29)
Vellum is 30% off. If you’re a Mac and need to format ebooks or print books, this is the way to go. So pretty, so easy, so hassle free. (ends 12/4)
And finally…
My premium course Imaginary Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Worlds for Writers is part of this jam-packed bundle for writers, Writer’s Craft 5.0. It also includes lifetime access to 9 other courses, 3 ebooks, 6 masterclasses, and more for only $49. I use the info in my course to write all of my books, so I can certainly vouch for it being worth several times the price of admission. Grab the Writer’s Craft bundle before it’s gone. (ends Tuesday, 11/28)
📝 The Power of What If
This video by motivational speaker and coach Lindsy Matthews is short and powerful. You may want to have a tissue nearby, I sure needed one. But Matthews, who lives with incurable stage 4 breast cancer, shares an important message: Why don’t we use the power of our imaginations to create the best case scenarios in our minds instead of the worst ones?
She underscores two questions we should ask ourselves when faced with intrusive, negative thoughts and assumptions. Do you know for sure that [insert bad thing here] will happen? Is there a chance that the best case scenario could play out?
It doesn’t take a devastating diagnosis to know that the future is uncertain. And if she is able to ride the waves of uncertainty with hope, then why shouldn’t we?
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
— Martha Graham
🎙️ Ink & Magic Podcast - Episode 2, “The Darcy Arc”
Join bestselling authors (and former college roommates) Ines Johnson and L. Penelope as they read and discuss the writing craft, worldbuilding, and romance of paranormal and fantasy novels.
Listen on YouTube | Subscribe to the podcast
In our second episode, we take a hard look at the quintessential romance hero: Fitzwilliam Darcy and how his character has crafted so many that came after him in what Ines (not Leslye!) likes to call the Darcy Arc.
Ines postulates that the Darcy Arc can be found in the evolution of characters like Edward Cullen from Twilight and Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey. These characters begin as misunderstood and emotionally distant figures who eventually reveal a deeper capacity for love and kindness.
This transformation, triggered by their relationships with strong-willed heroines, sees them shift from aloofness to passionate commitment.
The discussion highlights common elements across these stories, such as the challenges of wealth and status, the heroes' moral complexities, and their ultimate transformation through love, which captivates readers and makes these stories enduringly appealing.
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