Writing

October 25, 2012

#journalpeek

You can’t just pull down a box of journals without rifling through them. As I was looking through them I found some pretty sweet memories. I did a #journalpeek on instagram the other day where I showed the entry of the beginning of Willy and my relationship. Two years ago last week.

As I was going through those journals I was reminded just how much I doodle and write messages to myself in ways that would stand out to me. I took some photos and made a ghetto collage of some of them.

This makes looking back in them a lot funner for me!

Also, next week is the 2 year anniversary of Willy and my first date evar!

October 24, 2012

Fresh pages every day

Last week I finished another journal. I pulled down my box of journals from my bedroom closet and was surprised at how heavy it was. As I looked through it I was struck by how many words I had written, how many thoughts and ideas I had captured on paper over the years. Each time period is identified by the style of journal. Spiral notebooks for my teenage years, covered in bright colours or patterns and Moleskines for the adult years. 27 in total.

27journals — You can see I like the colour pink.

Journaling has been a way for me to write out my thoughts and to privately capture what spills out of my insides. As an extrovert, it has become a way for me to process ideas, thoughts and emotions before they’re ready for public exposure. I was first inspired to keep a journal after my mom gave me one of hers as a young girl. I loved the idea that I was reading my mom’s thoughts from when she was a teenager, learning from lessons she had forgotten she had recorded. I wanted to do the same.

Sometimes I go back and read what I wrote and am surprised. I learned that already, cause I feel like I’m still learning that! I wrote that? Because it’s not half bad! It’s also encouraging to see how far I’ve come.

This summer I started one morning reflecting on how great it is that every day is new, waiting for me to write a new story. Every day is a fresh page. I don’t have to continue from the previous day, I can start all over again if I want to whether it’s in act or attitude.

Writing helps me have perspective, it helps me process and it helps me progress.

October 21, 2012

This week’s Must Reads (Oct 15-21)

I read a lot of articles and blogs during the week. I do this for a few reasons. I like knowing a lot of things about a lot of things, though this is not always the best thing in terms of staying productive. It’s easy to find myself reading, clicking links, reading more and then I’ve spent 20 minutes reading about everything from new bridge designs in Montreal to the science of moisture wicking fabrics etc. I have various methods to keep this under control which I’ll share at another time. For right now, I want to share some of the articles I’ve read this week that are worth sharing. I may have already tweeted the articles or not.

The day I decided to take writing seriously

A few summers ago I was working from home full-time for the first time since I had moved to Montreal eight months before. It was enjoyed walking around Atwater Market at lunch and working from coffee shops in Little Burgundy in Montreal where I lived. The summer prior I had written my second novel (neither novels were any good) and the ten months after that I was plagued by the desire I had to keep writing and the longing I felt to become good at it. I wanted to be published and I wanted it badly.

I remember sighing to myself on day and thinking, I sure hope Providence has this in mind for me.

Then I stopped myself. This was something I wanted, didn’t I? Yes. So why would I not take it seriously and work at it?

I wish I could paint a picture of where I was and what I was doing when I decided that, but I can’t. I just remember that being a defining moment for me where I moved from letting life happen to me to deciding to living intentionally towards my dreams.

I know I haven’t done a perfect job of it the last two years, but I’m happy with making that progress from laissez-faire to conscious effort.

Running

Productivity