Friday & Favourites Vol. 65

Dear friends,

The only word I(Julia) really have to describe summer so far is hot. Which is fine, because we are on an odyssey. And didn’t The Walrus say the sea is boiling hot? In order to cope with the heat, and my husband’s long work trips, I pretend I am on a grand adventure. Today, we spent the morning at a cool spring (aka a splash park) and now I am reclining in my favorite chair enjoying the movie Ice Age with my kids. The snowy backdrop puts me in the mood for hot tea. Even if it is ninety degrees Fahrenheit today.

The truth about being a writer is that something is always begging for your attention. And that something usually isn’t your work. If you aren’t careful, you’ll be like Odysseus, swept away by treacherous seas, longing for home but taking years to find your way back to the page. Eh, maybe that’s a little dramatic. In a small way it is true, however. If you don’t guard your writing time, something will steal it.

There are a few things to consider when guarding your writing time. Motivation, schedule, and process. Motivation can come and go, so it is important to stick to your schedule regardless of how you feel. But we at Of Trees and Poetry are big fans of hacking our motivation with challenges, exploring new forms, and finding a writing partner to hold you accountable. Scheduling is easy, but the hardest part can be finding the right time to schedule your writing sessions. Maybe you try to wake up early, but inevitably end up just stirring your coffee and staring at a wall. Maybe you find that the afternoon or evening work better for you. If so, have a plan in place to stick to it!

Process is the biggest one, in my opinion. You can be motivated and sit down in the chair at the right time, but if you don’t know what your process is, you might stare at that blank page and feel the seed of frustration growing. A good process is important. This might be creating a word bank, reading some poetry, anything that gets you into the poetic mindset. Transitioning from the real world to your inner poet world is so hard! Much like coming home from a long journey and finding your house is threatened by those who would steal your wife and son’s birthright… Have a process to make it easier.

Here are some of our favourite links this week:

1. Recipe: One pot pasta

2. Free Course: Paradise Lost in Slow Motion by Adam Walker

3. Movie: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

4. Poem: Epic Simile by A.E. Stallings

5. Art: The Odyssey in Selected Art Images, Poetry, and Prose

   May you all have a blessed weekend!

   If you like the content we offer, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to receive a downloadable zine each month full of poetry prompts and inspiration! January’s is free here if you’d like to see a sample of what the monthly offerings will look like.

   For our paid subscribers, this month’s zine, Poet’s Odyssey, is available for download here.