Sep 29, 2022

Day 7: sew what

pulled the thread of despair i took to bed last night, the "why bother?" that hovered, unbidden, writing roadblock #97, the one that combines worthiness with approval, the one that questions whether anyone reads anymore, if the world needs another cooking story, the one that tells me i can't for so many reasons. pulled that thread through the eye of the writing needle -- journaling in notebook because i can't lie in longhand -- and miraculously began sewing the pieces of this project together. in the curious blurred space before dawn, before fully awakening, before thoughts are fully formed.

Field Notes

a process journal capturing scraps and ideas for various writing projects. maybe: a dose of two of morbid self-reflection.

More from Field

Oct 4, 2022

Day 12: universal affirmation

the startling, borderline terrifying -- yet strangely comforting in its reassurance of purpose -- ephiphany: this is FOREVER, this writing gig, this cook & tell revival. like the jarring middle-of-the-night realization in early sobriety. and then, as it did almost a quarter century ago, the universe gave a little nudge: one fucking day, moment, word at a time. that's all. word…

Oct 2, 2022

Day 9/10: weekend inertia

This 100-day project does not take weekends off. But I'm staying true to my overall writing philosophy: write something every day. In my mother's immortal words, "Keep Saturday Saturday: start late and go slow." I started very late, 2pm, and the 15 minute goal to write anything project-related became 30 and 45 and eventually 75 minutes. Today, Sacred Sunday, the day I get to…

Sep 30, 2022

Day 8: wor(l)d building

as i transcribe her old columns, newspaper clippings yellowed with years, flanked by ads for local shops that no longer exist, her persona begins to take form. as if i were sitting at a potter's wheel, coaxing out a shape. as if i were writing a novel, the setting and characters slowly coming to life. i did not realize i held the power to build a nonfictional world, how her…

Sep 28, 2022

Day 6: one is never enough

Writing a weekly newsletter is challenging and energizing. But two? That's a different animal. As i continue this 100-day project -- writing content, art, formatting, frequency, whether or not to offer paid subscriptions and etc -- it suddenly occurs to me i still have to write content for my weekly, already-established newsletter alongside the other. So i've laid out topics…

Sep 27, 2022

Day 5: the elevator speech

never have i actually made an elevator speech. in my past life as an insurance sales exec, we learned the art of the elevator speech--a succinct product pitch short enough to share with a stranger in an elevator. i want to believe i've honed the art of brevity in anything; i am, after all, writer of flash and micro. still, i struggle with the "what's it about?" question when…

A little more from Field.

More from Field

Day 12: universal affirmation

Day 9/10: weekend inertia

Day 8: wor(l)d building

Day 6: one is never enough

Day 5: the elevator speech

More from Field

Day 12: universal affirmation

Day 9/10: weekend inertia

Day 8: wor(l)d building

Day 6: one is never enough

Day 5: the elevator speech