Hello Fall!
Fall is finally here and I, like so many am so excited. There is something magical about this time of year. The changing environment, the winding down to the end of the year, the holidays, a time for reflection, and of course the cozy beverages and delicious food!
Fall is absolutely one of my favorite seasons of the year. That said, September has been an interesting month full of transitions and changes for me.
This summer I enrolled in two creative writing courses which ended at the start of September. While I enjoyed the courses I decided to take this next quarter off. I am typically very academically inclined; however, this year, possibly for the first time ever, I put the brakes on school. I decided not to enroll in more classes following the courses I just finished. I didn’t want to rush into a creative writing program just for the sake of it and decided instead to be more thoughtful in my approach.
I got a lot of value from the classes I took and am certainly open to taking more courses in the future, but I had an important, let’s call it, “epiphany.”
I realized that I can be the captain of my own writing journey. I know that I am serious about my pursuit to be a writer and I understood this summer, that having a certificate or any other document stating I had taken courses etc. in creative writing was not needed to become a writer. I do not need to have a document as validation. Also, by the same token, I confirmed in my soul that there is no secret formula to becoming a writer. No one waves a magic wand and dubs you “writer” or has a secret piece of advice that is transformative and like a spell turns you into a master of writing, and lastly no one will ever care more about the work than myself.
These are obvious truths, but I feel that I “learned” them at a deeper level this summer. I am committed to the writer’s life and process and have gained a type of confidence in my ability to direct my own learning.
I am excited for the continued journey ahead.
Inspiration + Learning Resources
Some helpful and inspiring resources for me this month have been:
- Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journaling YouTube Channel (Access Here)
- The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carrol
- The 12 Week Year for Writers by A. Trevor Trhall, PhD et al.
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- James Clear MasterClass: Small Habits that Make a Big Impact on Your Life
Writing Progress
I have created my own 12 Week Plan and have set achievable goals for myself. So far so good 🙂
My big thing, at the moment, is setting habits, getting used to the routines I am trying to build amid the chaos of life. Progress not perfection is my current mantra.
Current Reads
The books I am focused on at the moment include the ones listed above – productivity and personal growth books.
Finished Reads
So sad that with all the changes going on for me this month the fiction I had been reading fell to the wayside.
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea became increasingly hard to sustain. I am generally not a historical fiction fan, add to that some pretty graphic and heart-rending scenes in the book, and you get the perfect DNF recipe.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a captivating book. I was really enjoying it but what derailed me was that I was listening to the audio book with my husband. So, being that this became a shared reading experience, it all came to a halt when he got busy with work, and we were unable to continue listening together. We will certainly pick it up again soon, once our schedules are more in sync.
Lastly Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. There is no good reason for not finishing this book other than life got busy and the book fell on my priority list. I hope to catch up with it again soon.
What I did manage to have time for was the movie The Tender Bar. It was an enjoyable watch for my husband and I and certainly recommend it to aspiring writers and artists.
What’s Next
October is right around the corner and I am very much looking forward to the spooky month. My husband will be compiling a list of classic and new tv/movies for us to watch and I cant wait!
On the reading front I would like to keep leaning into the personal growth and productivity reading possibly adding the following titles to my current working list:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Other than that, I am looking forward to slowing down a bit and really whittling things down to essential bits. I want to have time for relaxing and unwinding. Meditation and conscious awareness are on my radar.
Until we meet again,
Angelica Sophia
Angelica Sophia 
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