Sometimes It Takes Awhile (A Love Letter)
Give things time--in writing and in life
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Hello lovies,
I am a hopeless fool for fountain pens. I use them almost exclusively for taking notes, writing in my journal, making lists. The “almost” part of that previous sentence comes because often sometimes fountain pens are cranky beasts and refuse to work. They go on strike, skipping, blobbing, scratching, and then they just stop. I’m sure there are fountain pen aficionados who know how to solve these problems, but I am not one of them. I try. I shake it. I draw spirals on paper, hoping to get it to flow. I make dots with it. I unscrew the pen and check if the cartridge has run dry. Nope. It’s just decided not to work. So I place it back in the pen holder with its cousins and pick another one.
Buying fountain pens is a rabbit hole pastime. Because of this, I own the most beautiful fountain pen in the world. (Photo above, though I know you’ve already feasted your eyes upon it and are likely still reeling from its beauty.) It’s the most expensive pen I own (though not nearly as much as some high-end fountain pens) and I got it way on sale. I think it’s Russian. No maybe Japanese. Or something. Anyway, it’s gorgeous and I love it.
Except when I first received it, I couldn’t get it to work. I tried. Oh how I tried. But alas, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get the ink to flow. So it took it’s place in the pen holder with the rest of the deadbeat pens and I felt guilty every time I looked at it.
Then one day I picked it up (probably desperate because none of the other pens were writing), and lo and behold, it worked. So I started using it. At first I thought the body too tubby, the nib too fine (I’m a medium point girl all the way). But since the others were still all on strike, I keep reaching for it. And now—wait for it—it’s the only pen I want to use. (I wrote the initial notes for this post with it.)
As I reached for it this morning, a thought occurred. Sometimes things just take time. Falling in love with a fountain pen. Remembering why you were excited about a WIP after you’ve been away from it for awhile. Learning a new trick for writing a novel.
But in our culture, we don’t value time unless it’s fast. We don’t permit ourselves to value it. We don’t let ourselves take time for things, whether it’s to let a fountain pen meld to your hand or allow a story to germinate and ripen. Do you have a story or stories or novels or essays sitting fallow on your computer? I know I do. A story you set aside because you thought you didn’t love it? Maybe it just needed time to compost, to alchemize from base metal to gold. Or maybe you’ve been ignoring your WIP because you weren’t feeling it? Perhaps it is time to get back to it. (For those of you who don’t spurn astrology, we are currently in a Mercury Retrograde period and I have it on good authority that this is a time to re-organize, re-do, re-write.)
So, onward with those old dead projects. Or even just the idea that’s been twirling around in your brain for awhile. Time to pull them out and give them some love.
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. Do you have any tips to get recalcitrant fountain pens to work? Lay them on me.
P.P.S. Oh, and since I shared a pic of the most beautiful fountain pen in the world, how about a photo of the most adorable Christmas tree in the world, cut fresh from a tree lot on nearby Sauvie Island the day after Thanksgiving.
Some Offerings
A lot of my clients are requesting sessions unrelated to their WIPs that we usually talk about. We’re discussing goals, planning, the writing they want to do in 2025 and how to get it done, the books they want to query and/or publish. The thought occurs that maybe you might want a session like that, too? Here we are, already a few days into December, so the time is nigh. Hit reply to this newsletter for more info or you can hit the button below to DM me through Substack.
I’m also open for new long-term book coaching clients—a most excellent Christmas gift for yourself. But I’ve had a spate of recent inquiries so if you’re interested, let me know ASAP so I can put you on the 2025 schedule.
And here’s a thing—you can give a gift subscription to this newsletter. How cool is that?
Books
Weyward, by Emilia Hart. I had this book on hold at the library but it was taking forever to come in so when I saw it half-price on Cyber Monday I bought it. And then a few days later it came into the library, of course. But anyway, it’s great. Three different viewpoint characters, Kate in 2019, Altha in 1619, and Violet in 1942, each grapple with themes of witchcraft, what it means to be repressed, and love of the natural world. Beautifully written and a page turner.
Articles and Resources
I wrote a post about cause and effect this week and got lots of responses saying that it was very helpful. Thank you! I’m glad! The process is a royal pain in the butt, but it has been incredibly good for my WIP. For those of you who want a deeper dive (waaaay deeper) here’s a podcast that talks about it. Plus they are doing a Blueprint Winter Challenge around it starting in January. It’s a bit too rule-bound for me (no snark intended, it’s just how I am), but I offer it here for those of you who might like it.
Prose that sings. 5 steps to get your writing to sparkle.
Lovely and sad (but beautiful) piece about a writer editing her father’s obituary as he writes it shortly before he dies.
And for something completely different, I’m going to make these cookies this weekend because I love coconut and I love pistachios. (Yes, I canceled my subscription to WaPo but it was a lame protest because I was paid up through March.)
I get most of my fountain pens and a whole lot of other things (like planners) from JetPens. Not an affiliate link, I just like their stock of Japanese office supplies.
Workshops in England and France
Information, including dates and cost, for our 2025 England workshops is now listed on our website. And heads up! Due to distractions beyond our control, we’ve moved the deadline for the early-bird discount to December 1. (Commit today with a promise to send the deposit and you’ve got it.) We’ve had several writers indicate strong interest in joining and a couple of sign-ups already, so we recommend registering soon.
I’ve just updated our France page as well!
And if you want a taste of the adventure that awaits, you can read my posts about this year here, and here, here, here, and here.
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, but damn there are a lot of articles on it)
I have fountain pens too, and ain't that far truth!
Oh my goodness, yes! @Charlotte Rains Dixon I have recalcitrant fountain pens and you’ve now taught me that they are just waiting for their moment in the spotlight. I wasn’t sure what to do about a story that I’ve been building in my head and in voice notes. And I worried that maybe it would never go anywhere. But this morning, I had a breakthrough about how to make it come alive. I’m so excited. It just had to ripen, as you say. Lots of love to you for your love letters.