Harnessing "Back to School" Energy
I'm here to whip your writing into shape this fall!
Your favorite book dominatrix is here to tell you that you only have a few months left of the year, so now is really the time to lock in and achieve whatever 2024 goals you’ve set for yourself. I’m sharing a few practical tips and tried and true recommendations this week that I’ve learned along the way.
The biggest thing I remember from school is taking notes–and I’m here to tell you that you should still do this! Especially if you want to write. As I’m reading a book, I take notes directly on the page and when I’m done with the book I collect them in a Google doc to reference later. If I don’t jot down the sparks flying inside of my brain right away, I lose them and when I look back I can’t remember what seemed so important in the moment. As Elizabeth Gilbert tells us, your muse will go find someone else to whisper to so don’t lose those sparks of genius.
And while we're at it, READING is the best way to become a better writer. So, here’s a memoir masterclass for you: three memoirs you must read in order to write your own! Each of these books has its own lessons to teach you.
Consent by Jill Ciment is a beautiful book about the collision between her present and past self.
Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley braids together the larger theme of grief through two story strands: the death of her close friend and former colleague and the loss of her jewelry.
The Red Zone by Chloe Caldwell is an example of a narrative that is also a larger quest. I’m always asking my students to turn their personal stories into a quest! And here’s how.
Back to school energy doesn’t have to end when we become adults. Whether we have children or not that feeling is in the air. To create something. To find that spark. To follow our curiosity. Which is why September is such a great time to start a new project—or continue one you’ve been working on.
As a friend reminded me, instead of feeling the heart palpitations of “Where has 2024 gone?” Remember: there are still FOUR months left of the year, plenty of time to start, or find your way through, a project.
So, here’s an assignment that will get your juices flowing in September:
Open up a blank document and write down the words or themes or ideas you have floating around in your brain RIGHT NOW. These might be strands of stories, or maybe they’re a bunch of nothing, but you’ll never know until you can look at them on the page.
Once you have a handful of ideas in front of you, ask yourself: Which idea is the sparkliest? Which idea gets you excited when you think about it (even if you don’t know why)?
What research or reading or interviews do you need to do to explore your idea further?
Is there a question that you’re obsessed with right now?
The answers to these questions will help you follow your curiosity. They will help you play in the sandbox. They will help you find your writing path.
In Community,
Ruthie
To carry your books or laptop.
This colorful backpack is calling my name too.
Notebooks that fit in small places. With a matching pen too.
For those of you, like me, who still have a written to-do list.
Did anyone else have a pen pal when they were a kid?
Adults can have lunch boxes too.
Pencil cases for the win.
My first day of school shoes.
And a fall jacket with big pockets for my favorite paperback du jour.
And while we’re dreaming, how about the sold out Tulsa dress?
Sign up for my Six Week Kickstarter that starts Thursday, 9/19 – a perfect place to dive back into a writing project or start a new one. You’ll generate work using my tried and true exercises and prompts and it’s the perfect antidote to writer’s block.