Dear fellow writer,
Welcome to Swordswings, my monthly podcast series for writers in motion. These recordings are intended for you to listen to when you’re moving around — which is a great way to get your writing moving as well.
Today's episode is excerpted from my WriteSPACE Special Event on “Writers and Their Notebooks” back in November 2023 with notebook aficionado
, author of the brilliant Substack newsletter Noted. In this 30-minute extract, Jillian and I contemplate the note-taking practices of some famous figures — including Julia Child, Carl Jung, John Milton, George Eliot, Toni Morrison, and Sylvia Plath — and discuss how we can draw inspiration from other writers’ notebooks.The full 2-hour video of my 2023 WriteSPACE Special Event with Jillian Hess is available to WriteSPACE members in the Videos section of your WriteSPACE or WS Studio Library. Scroll down to the bottom of the Videos library to watch the video of my recent conversation with Jillian about my own notebooking practices.
Notebooks Galore!
Today’s free podcast is only the first in a series of notebook-themed resources, posts, and events that I have planned for the month of February and beyond:
Pleasure Catalyst 2025 — Starts this weekend! (Feb 1 - Mar 13) Join me for six weeks of playful-but-serious “pleasure prompts” exploring the core components of joyful writing: patterns, tools, processes, identity, challenge, and balance. Learn more and enroll here.
Notebooking with Pleasure — Starts next week! (Feb 3 - Mar 10) Don’t miss this six-part series of short, sharp weekly Swordcraft videos for paid subscribers who want to deepen and extend their pleasure in the art and craft of notebooking. Manage your Helen’s Word subscription here.
For the Love of Notebooks — Valentine’s Day Special Event! On February 14, I’m celebrating the fourth anniversary of the WriteSPACE by giving away 50 of my unique handmade notebooks to subscribers, readers, and friends around the world. All notebook lovers are welcome! Learn more and register here.
The Joy of Notebooking — Starts on February 1! (Feb 1-28) It’s been ages since I’ve been active on Instagram; but my notebooks are hankering to get out into the world, and what better place to stage their debutante ball? Each day thoughout the month of February, I’ll post a new cover image and explore a new notebooking practice or theme, from writing rituals to messy journaling techniques. Follow me on Insta at helens_word.
I’d love to see you there!
If you appreciate hearing about resources and events like these — or just want to make my day — please take a moment to drop me a heart, leave a comment, and/or click Restack at the bottom of this message. Your enthusiasm and support mean so much to me.🩷
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
Write with delight! For exclusive access to live workshops, craft-focused coaching, and premium writing and editing tools, join me and fellow writers from 30+ countries in the WriteSPACE, a vibrant international writing community and resource library. To try free for 30 days, click below and enter the discount code SNEAKPEEK at checkout.
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