Deep Summer, and The Living is Lazy (A Love Letter)
Even for writers.
Dear lovies,
{Warning: this newsletter is all about laziness and non-productivity. If those sentiments disturb you, avert your eyes.)
As I’ve said a million times to anybody who will listen, this summer is kicking my butt. My work life is suffering. Vacations, mini and longer, social events, and kids home from school are all affecting my productivity. But also, so are long, hot summer afternoons when all I want to do is sit outside, swan about, and metaphorically cool myself with an ornate handheld fan.
But here’s the deal. This week a newsletter from a fellow Substacker came to my inbox, with the title, Not the Week I Wanted or Needed. (Sadly, the author of said newsletter had come down with Covid.) But I realized, while this summer might not be the summer I wanted, it is the one I have needed.
Because this summer appears to be about resting.
I’m not good at resting.
Case in point: I’ve been dragging my feet on putting this newsletter together. Why? Because it’s not helpful enough. Because I’m not offering you ways to be more productive in your writing, yadda, yadda, yadda. Because I’m not exhorting you to work harder, to write every day. Because I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve been resting.
Because resting is the opposite of what I’m good at.
Though what I am good at is procrastination and wasting time. Which is funny because of course all that scrolling through Ravelry and stitching websites is my brain telling me I need to take a break. An intentional break. There’s a difference. A break away from a screen. (Like every parent everywhere who impose screen time limitations on their kids, I need to do the same for myself.)
Here is what I need for myself, the space to believe this:
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~ Sam Keen
I feel better just reading it, and realizing that what I need is to be lazy without making excuses. Like the one long excuse that constitutes this newsletter, haha.. I will go off, whimpering quietly after I make one more point: the world is insane right now. Over the last week it has gotten infinitely insaner. And we need to take that into account when we are toting up our accomplishments or lack thereof at the moment. It’s hard out there. Give yourself a break. Rest.
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. Hit reply or leave a comment and tell me about your lazy days.
Books
The hub and I took a mini-vacay to a wine town in the Willamette Valley and I picked up the following two books at the local bookstore. I’m excited about both of them.
The Blackbird Oracle, by Deborah Harkness. I’ve read the others in this series and this one enticed me even more. Witches, vampires and magic are sometimes but not always my thing but I love the way this author writes.
Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice, by Natalie Goldberg. Natalie introduced me to the wonders of prompts and free writing years ago. I was a young, fledgling writer floundering in a sea of not knowing what to write. Her first book, Writing Down the Bones, started me on a less wobbly path. So when I read in the description of the book that Natalie herself had lost her way I of course had to figure out how she found her way back.
Resources
I didn’t write a proper mid-week extra this week because it was my birthday and I was busy celebrating. But I did put together a special birthday deal for paid subscribers. You can click here to read all about it.
Conveying information is different from storytelling.
Regaining faith in fiction, a writer looking for meaning. (By one of my faves, David Corbett.)
Overseas Workshops—Space Available!
Late-breaking news: last-minute cancellations for both France and Italy leave us with space available. Does one of them belong to you?
Blog posts on our website will tell you all about the location of our France workshop and why we love it so much. You can read about art and artists in Céret, the crazy annual footrace there, and best of all, the wonderful local bakeries. Nab your spot now. And here is the promised interview with our guest resident Angela M. Sanders (written by the wonderful Shari Lane, whose book is also wonderful!)
And here is the most recent blog post about Perugia. (Update: it’s filling up fast. We’ve had several writers sign up. There’s still space, but you need to act quickly.) To tempt you further, here’s the villa where we are staying.
Other places to connect with me:
My website (badly in need of an upgrade)
Our workshop website
My original blog (now for archive purposes only, no longer updated)
Ways I can help you:
Book coaching
Manuscript evaluation
Mindset coaching
(While I get my coaching site up and running, reply to this email for more info, or leave a comment if you’re interested. Can’t wait to talk to you.)
I so appreciate every set of eyes that lands on this newsletter. If you enjoy what you read here, I’d love it if you shared it with others who might also. Thank you!
Happy Birthday! (Mine was July 13th!- woohoo!). Summer is MY SEASON. I don't care about anything except enjoying it all I can. It's so short...I will blink, and it's over, so I am super lazy about a million things I need to do, but eh, that's what winter is for! PS I didn't know Natalie Goldberg had another book out. I am getting a copy ASAP! I loved Writing Down the Bones. xo
I’m so glad you are resting! I resist rest, too. And when I finally do rest, I’m so glad. One of the best things about my Englishman is that is excellent at resting. I try to follow his example! Hugs ♥️