Savor the Moments
A cornucopia of comments, a magical island, a grumpy dog, and an imminent arrival on the shores of a new life
Dear fellow writer,
With just ten days left in November, I’m already thinking about how much I’m going to miss #AcWriMoments and all the beautiful conversations happening in the comments section each day.
Here’s Michelle responding to Margy Thomas’s Day 2 writing prompt about the power of naming:
I love this -- I know the idea was to focus on the name but I'm stuck on your point about the fact that everything we write is the result of a force that *moves through* us instead of being *made by* us. It feels so freeing to know that, especially in those beginning moments, our role is listening not/before speech.
Here’s Hava reflecting on Pat Goodson’s Day 5 prompt for relieving loneliness through writing:
I never write alone. My mother has always been one of the readers in my head — no matter what I’m writing about, I always need it to make sense to her, too, as well as my primary audience. She passed away at the beginning of the pandemic, so it is especially nice to have her integrated in my own mind in this way now.
Here’s Rebecca heeding Inger Mewburn’s call on Day 10 to “go short and go long”:
I appreciate how this prompt could help me not just find myself again, but perhaps a better version of me.
And here’s Margy applauding Steven Pinker’s powerful Day 15 prompt, which exhorts us to linger over good writing:
I love how the prompt itself illustrates the techniques it suggests for crafting vivid, distinctive prose. 👏 And the compact list of concrete writing practices is so useful! Here’s the item I’m going to focus on most today: paying “attention to the readers’ vantage point and the target of their gaze” …
With ten more prompts still to come from our brilliant contributors — writing scholars, coaches, consultants, and editors from around the world — Margy and I are already talking about how to keep the #AcWriMomentum going after November ends. Stay tuned . . . .
In the meantime, it’s not too late to join our adventure and subscribe to #AcWriMoments (it’s free!) right now.
I’d love to see you there!
Coming soon
February 2024: Island Time Writing Retreat
I knew that Waiheke Island was special the very first time I stepped off the ferry at Matiatia Bay, embraced by two sprawling peninsulas that reach out like the arms of a great earth creature to welcome you. That was way back in the early 1990s, long before Waiheke had earned its #5 ranking on Travel and Leisure’s list of “The World’s Best Islands.” Come join me at beautiful Palm Beach — considered by many to be the best beach on the best island — for a 7-day writing retreat that you’ll never forget (or regret!). I'll work with you one-on-one to help you fine-tune your writing habits, hone your wordcraft, refuel your creative energy, and uncover new ideas — plus, you’ll have time for long walks, daily swims, and even a special vineyard lunch.
Island Time takes place from February 11–17, 2024. Click below to learn more and submit your expression of interest.
In the WriteSPACE
Weekly Wayfinder for November 20 - 26
WriteSPACE and WS Studio members: Every week in the WriteSPACE Maproom, you’ll find a featured writing resource to expand your horizons, a playful pomodoro timer to help you keep your writing on track, and a writing-related challenge to sharpen your skills.
This week’s resource: The SPACE Gallery
This week’s timer: Brown Dog
This week’s challenge: Design your SPACE map
Not a member? Sign up for a free 30-day trial and check out all our great writing resources for yourself.
Other writing news
Walk with Hussain
On November 29, 2023, Afghan writer Hussain Shah Rezaie will arrive on the shores of Aotearoa New Zealand as a permanent resident, after nearly a decade spent in refugee detention centres in Indonesia. In his beautiful Day 18 #AcWriMoments prompt, he described the role that writing has played in his life as a refugee:
Writing, poetry in particular, has become my way to fight back against difficult thoughts, feelings, and circumstance. . . . The act of writing requires courage — but in doing it you acquire courage.
Please show your support for this courageous young writer by subscribing to his free Substack, Walk With Me. It takes less than a minute and will show Hussain that he’s not alone in the world!
You can read Hussain’s remarkable story here; sign up for his free Substack newsletter here; and make a donation here.
Thank you for walking with Hussain.
Do you have writing-related news, events, or resources to share? Contact me with a brief description (50 words max), a hyperlink, and a high-quality image.
Spread the joy! Please encourage your friends, colleagues, and students to join me in the WriteSPACE, a vibrant, low-cost writing community with members in 30+ countries. As a WriteSPACE member, you’ll get premium access to resources, workshops, and tools designed to help you hone your wordcraft, sharpen your style, and coax your writing gently but firmly out the door.
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
