September 2022 Treasure Hunt

I enjoyed this 1976 interview with one of my very favorite short story writers, William Trevor, about his writing process and how he made money at writing (which was secondary to his calling as a writer).

Thought: What you want to create matters, simply because you want it.

Thought: Declare a tiny task. Just part of a scene in your head. Maybe just a sentence. Or a color. A time of day. A voice. A character’s hair. Add to this the next day. Each day, the tiniest of tasks. They’re sparks. Soon enough, things will be popping into your head in the night that you’ll want to write down. Do that. Write it down. Because you’re a writer, after all.

I don’t know how I found Silk and Sonder, but I am enjoying the monthly workbooks. I worried about it being just another time-killing list, but now that I’m more settled and trying to be creative, it has had a lot of meaning for me. Each month has a theme, so it’s fun to get the workbook in the mail and be surprised to see what it is. There are Sonder Socials you can join for ideas on setting up your month or week, and there is an app with daily meditations (not actual meditating, more ponderings) from the creator. I have enjoyed a lot of those as part of my morning routine.

I love Wondrium!! Learning is a core value of mine, so I have a yearly subscription. They have so many classes to choose from, and I found a few lectures on writing and grammar that I am thoroughly enjoying. (I’d been looking for an old-person Algebra class for years and years, and they have four!)

I’m re-reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. I’m not a fan of hers, personally, but I do love her writings sometimes.

My Christmas present feeling for this month was ordering and getting Catrin Welz-Stein’s Tarot of Mystical Moments in the mail. I love doing tarot readings for myself. It’s part of my conversation with God. I feel seen and heard and loved. But this deck? The art is just gorgeous, and the guidebook descriptions are unique to her art. This is a fun unboxing video!