Recently, I was a guest on Chalk + Ink podcast with Kate Narita. It’s a podcast for teachers who write. If you aren’t subscribed, I highly recommend it. I’ve been listener for awhile, so it was an honor to be a guest. 

Link to the podcast episode

I thought it might be fun to include links to some of the things that I talked about on that episode. 

Working on the Go

Pre-pandemic I did a TON of writing on the go. Since the pandemic, I have done less writing in the car, but it’s starting to pick up again.

Two things I use in the car:

1. My writing caddy that I purchased at Michael’s on the recommendation of Candice Ransom. (I think it’s no longer available though)

2. My steering wheel desk. Use in a parked car only (obvious, I know, but…). The exact one I bought is no longer available, but if you do go the link, there are others that are similar that are available. 

Writing Process and Writing Strengths

In 2021, I’ve done a deep dive into my own process. I heard about Becca Syme and understanding Strengths for Writers. I took the Clifton StrengthsFinders test. Some of you may have taken this at work.

Then I took my top 5 strength and watched all of Becca’s videos on the QuitCast (here’s my number 1) that corresponded with my strengths. She talks about the strengths in terms of how it impacts you as a writer, and it was EYE-OPENING! 

Daily Reflection Questions

I talked about how my morning routine includes writing morning pages. For more about morning pages, I recommend reading the book THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron. I know it’s supposed to be freeflowing stream-of-consciousness, but I always answer a few questions. I adopted the questions from a couple of different webinars. Several questions came from a SCRUM FOR WRITERS webinar. I respond to each of these every day.

• I will let go of…
• I am grateful for…
• What did I do yesterday?
• What am I going to do today?
• What roadblocks are in my way?

 

Weekly Reflections

Every week, I do a week in review. This is something I adapted from the 12 Week Year. You can see the blog post I wrote about this when I first started here.

I take a look at my list of to-do’s for the week. I tally up the percentage of what got done. I love to be at 90% or above, but most weeks I’m at 75-85%. I do a reflection for the week as well.

These are the questions I answer for that:

• What went well this week? 
• What didn’t go so well? 
• What roadblocks did I encounter?
• What do I need to change next week to make things work better?
• What did I learn about myself as a writer or about my writing process?
• Project Notes–list anything specific done on various projects

When I’m done, I make a plan for the next week and create my weekly spread in my bullet journal. The weekly list and reflection I’ve done in a variety of different ways–Google Docs, Mem, Scrivener. The tool isn’t important. The process is. Do whatever works for you.

Craft/Business Books

As part of my morning routine, after I do my morning pages, I also read a craft book or business-related book. I usually just read 5-10 minutes each morning. I’m currently reading:

Work Clean by Dan Charnas

Children’s Books I Recommended

What’s in Your Pocket? Collecting Nature’s Treasures by Heather L. Montgomery, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
This Poem is a Nest by Irene Latham, illustrated by Johanna Wright
Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard, illustrated by Keith Mallett
Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood, illustrated by 13 different female illustrators
13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich, illustrated by David Clark
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Loren Long

Things that are bringing me joy

Nature Journaling–Check out John Muir Laws website and videos
Nature Journaling books by Clare Walker Leslie