let's do this: #1000wordsofsummer
A playlist, a card pull, a tiny challenge, a dreamy duskwalk triptych, a couple of songs
This will be a quick one!
Yesterday, I joined tens of thousands of others across the globe in committing to ‘s #1000wordsofsummer project—two weeks of writing every day. (It’s up to you if 1000 words is your personal goal or not. I’m not concerned about hitting that number, as long as I write something and stick with it for, say, 30 minutes.)
If you, too, are participating, drop a note in the comments! I’d love to hear what you’re working on. Me, I’m in the most delightful stage of a new fiction project: The very beginning, when you’re just playing around, using your imagination, shaping characters and dreaming up scenes. I’ve no concern yet with structure or pacing or plot. I’m just feeling things out, and it’s fun. Real talk, though? I’ve done #1000wordsofsummer once before, in 2021, and back then I was noodling around on this same dang project idea. After the weeks ended, I had 15k words, a lotta slop, a little juice. But I have not worked on the project since, except to read one book on folk medicine (aka research) and do some wild experimentation during a four-week Porch class, Novel Jumpstart with Lucas Schaefer (who has a hot debut novel coming out this week! June 3, The Slip is here!).
Things take the time they take. Four years later, I’m back at it with new ideas and vigor and determination that this project can not be back-burnered or neglected off and on the way TCA was so many times. Now, TCA took the time it needed to take; I also believe that. But this one, now? It must flow more steadily, quickly. I just know it does. I feel it acutely. I’m stating it here. Hold me to it? (And hold yourself to…whatever you need to hold yourself to. Tell me what it is, and I’ll try to help you.)
Here’s something I wrote about this project idea back in 2021 that still holds: “With my next project, I want to take on the Southern landscape more directly, drilling down into the very plant life and energies that constitute this region. I also want to look at relationships between women.”
I also decided I’d do these two weeks entirely pen-on-page. I very much believe in the benefits of writing longhand, but don’t do it often enough.
Yesterday, Day 1 of #1000words, I pulled a card from The Ephemeral Tarot to guide me. Reader, when I tell you the card’s title contains one of my Words of the Year, and not only that, but the keywords given for that card contain my other Word of the Year, well, you can’t blame me for feeling like there are mystical forces at play.
I send this card’s message out to you + you + you.
I hope everyone out there is being “good stewards of [your] own energy, creating new work in “a focused, unhurried manner,” whether you’re taking part in #1000Words or not. And here’s a little gift for you: a playlist to write to, passed along via my Catskills-livin’ friend (and former hair stylist) Shannon. She cues it up to write morning pages. It’s a tad heavy on piano for my tastes, but I do find it an excellent musical backdrop for putting down the words.
Your tiny challenge:
Two questions for developing a character:
What or whom does your character obey?
What or whom does your character refuse to obey?
These two questions (or rather, their answers) could take you quite a ways into a story—into its relationships, scenes, secrets and lies… the juicy stuff.
Try it!
Three images from a recent duskwalk, because it is prime duskwalk season, and I am glad for it:
One choice thing from the socials:
Songs for the week (Songs FTW!):
After seeing Gillian Welch & David Rawlings at the Ryman last week, I went on a GW/DR bender, which is never a bad idea. This one is a favorite and feels just right for summer duskwalks.
I was in a gift shop last Friday, pondering paper plates, when this Hurray for the Riff Raff song came on and reminded me how much I love it. It’s a cover, of course, from an album of mostly (all?) covers, honestly one of my favorite albums from HftRR.
Thanks for reading, thanks for listening, thanks for comin’ along. If you enjoyed this field trip, please consider tapping the ❤️ button, or share it. Or both! Thanks again.
Thank you! I'm doing #1000 words for what must be the 5th time, and working on generating some new words. Just playing around, see what I can do to complicate things for characters and how they're gonna get out of it.
I'm doing 1000 Words, too. Also using it more to noodle around with a fiction idea, but enjoying the prompts and community.