Writing Update
Lessons from the past year.
August 28, 2024
I started this publication one year ago under the name, “A Year of Writing: Come Write with Me”. I wanted to make writing a daily exercise using the five senses to be more present and aware. I began to understand that writing was good for my soul and mental health, almost like a daily meditation. For years I’ve wanted to take a writing course, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to invest the time and money.
Last year a series of signs and synchronicities led me to Janisse Ray’s writing courses. I took the memoir course first because it was within my budget, but I had never thought of writing one before. There is now a memoir in the works. I’m not sure it will ever be published for the general public but I think it will be a good legacy to leave when I am gone. It is helping me work through emotional trauma that I have kept buried for years.
The next course I took with Janisse was Magical Craft of Creative Nonfiction. A new session of this course is starting next week, but if you get her latest book, Craft and Current, you can get much of the information from it, however, having Janisse as a mentor has been the most valuable part of her courses, not to mention the connections you make with your classmates.
These courses led me to not only write more but I’m reading more. During my time as an over-the-road truck driver, I fell in love with audiobooks and I read on my Kindle, but nothing takes the place of actually holding a book and reading. I had forgotten that feeling. I’ve read more bound books the past year than I have in years. I did not realize how much I had missed them and I’ve built up a nice little used library from Thriftbooks with authors such as Sharon Blackie, Terry Tempest Williams, Seth Godin, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Gabor Maté, Stephen Harrod Buhner, Katherine May, Johann Hari, James Hillman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Flannery O’Connor, Wendell Berry, Rachel Carson, Mark Twain, Jack London, and of course, Janisse Ray. There is always something interesting to pick up and read around here.
All of this reading has put me on a path for my writing and I believe my voice is beginning to shine through onto the page. Thus, the change in name of my publication, which is now the Mystic Southern Naturalist. I’m on a journey of self discovery. Digging deep into why I am rooted here in the coastal plain of Georgia, and why I hold the beliefs that I do about life. Much of my guidance is found in nature between interactions on the farm and in the swamp of the beloved Ohoopee river. Much of my journey is solitary, so if my social media seems quiet, this would be why. Peace and joy are returning to my life.
Much of writing, is in the noticing. In a recent writer’s group, we discussed how it’s not imperative to name every plant or creature you come across in nature. The key is in the noticing and in the noticing, what feeling does that evoke inside of you, and relaying that feeling onto paper for your reader. That latter part is what I struggle with because I have a hard time finding words for the deep feelings nature brings up in me.
The essays I offer to you here will include my connection to this place, a deep abiding love of nature, and my personal spiritual journey which is ongoing. If any of this interests you, stay with me, share with friends or family, or if this is not your cup of java, simply unsubscribe. No hard feelings, I will continue to move forward on this journey.
Current Reads:
Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer's Life by Stephen Harrod Buhner
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Mate
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari
Current Listens:
Mother Night by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
Current Substacks I’m Enjoying:
Continuing Education and Future Endeavors:
I’ve decided not to start anything new during this fall season, so that I can catch up on my Journey in Place and The Fool’s Calling courses. I still need to go back to Craft and Current and work through the writing exercises and prompts there as well. Basically, I’m taking a pause to digest all that I have consumed in the last year, so that I can continue to grow in this space.
I’m also going to polish up and edit some pieces for submission in an effort to be published. At one time, I believed this would mean I was an actual writer, but now I know I AM an actual writer and have been as long as I’ve been able to hold a pencil. I validate myself, but being published outside of this platform would be a great honor.
I’m going to continue these writer check-ins on a seasonal basis. I think they may be helpful to you the reader, and they are something I can come back to as a writer to track my progress on this journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read. I know there are a million other things you could be doing, but your attention is a blessing to me. Let me know in the comments what you think of the new publication name and/or tell me how your writing is going, if you are a fellow writer.
Blessings to y’all,
💜B💜
Love everything you’re doing, Becki! Keep it up!
Congratulations, Becki on completing your first year on Substack. I think I was about two months behind you. I need to check on my anniversary date. I’ve enjoyed your reflections and your honesty.