What I’m Doing To Re-ignite My Creativity and Writing Practice
Welcome back to My Jamaican Vignettes. Today we are discussing re-igniting my creativity and writing practice.
The day after my birthday last month, I decided to start my own version of morning pages. I have done morning pages in the past (last time in 2019) and I found that writing first thing in the morning wasn’t the most productive because I could never understand my handwriting and what I wrote so early. It was simply illegible.
My Modified Morning Pages
So this is what I do, I write after my morning routine, which includes hydration, walking for 30 minutes, morning coffee then hygiene, skincare, and body care. After I do all this then I sit down to write a page or two. I didn’t select a separate morning page notebook instead I added this to my weekly journalling practice. And a few weeks later, I am loving it. I clear my mind at the begin of my day and I feel as if this has really helped my mind.
What else am I doing to boost my creativity? Reading, and you might say but you are always reading. True. But I am also reading more books by Black women this year and I decided that going forward I am going to commit to reading a book by a Caribbean author each month. This month’s Caribbean book pick is The Dating Countdown by N.G. Peltier.
Lastly, I am dedicating two evening each workweek to writing. From 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am writing. My present work in progress (WIP) is a short story. Very excited about that.
Putting My Work Out There
The last thing I am doing to seeking opportunities to share my work. In September, I submitted a story to the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. And I have identified other opportunities to share my work that I will be pursuing in the upcoming months.
And here on My Jamaican Vignettes, I am re-planning blog topics a month in advance and patch writing blog posts. And most importantly, I am sharing the blog posts across social media. This makes me happy and I feel like I have winning formula to creating a consistent writing practice that I can balance with my weekly work commitments.
___________
Next week we are switching gears and diving into Christmas holidays planning. I am so excited about the holidays and next week’s blog post.
Be well. Until next time.
Chantel DaCosta
Chantel DaCosta is a storyteller, editor and lifestyle blogger. She passionate about mental health awareness and Jamaican women own voices stories.
