I’ve been looking over previous blog posts, pondering where to go with future entries, and I found a few that I want to highlight. First up, I have a post on “Using _x_ In Your Writing” — I’d intended to do a full series, back in 2019, and for whatever reason it never quite happened. I’m going to revisit that concept, but for now, enjoy the beginning: Using Plants in Your Writing
I do have a second one I found in drafts, “Using Bugs in Your Writing”, but I want to consider it a bit before publishing. Because, yanno, squicky topic.
Another post I think I did pretty well with was The First Stories I Read. I don’t often think of my formative literary influences, but this post was a really precise look at several important references. I may well expand on this, too, because I read a LOT more books in my younger days than can easily fit in one blog post.
I also enjoyed rereading The Depths of Human Stubbornness. It was written during a time I was very vocal about politics and racism, and I like that I didn’t pull any punches. Realizing I’m capable of writing like that makes me want to come out of my shell and light it up again. I don’t know if I will; that time took a hell of a lot out of me. But I might.
I then came across The Writing Journey of An Odd Little Lion, in which I talk about turning fifty, how I became a writer, why I stopped, and how I planned to start again. I wrote that one in May of 2022, and I wish I’d kept it pinned on my desktop, because it showcased an admirable determination to get my shit together and move forward that I have, frankly, dropped in the past few months. It’s time to reclaim that energy. So I’m trawling through my notes and drafts, and I’m going to push myself to finish them up and get them posted in the coming weeks.
Please do let me know if anything in the mentioned posts struck a chord with you — if there’s something you want to see more about, I’m happy to expand on a concept! In the meanwhile — treasure your own creativity, give it place of honor in your life, just for today, and rejoice in being you.
Because that’s how we move forward. Always, always forward.