Marie at 1 Write Way

Just Thinking About …

Zinnias

A new zinnia popped up after the pink one (see the pink one here). I started sharing photos of the bud on Instagram and then got distracted. Next thing I knew, the bud had fully bloomed.

Yay, another zinnia bloom!

One of my problems with social media is that I’m not spontaneous enough. I share a couple of photos of the zinnia bud, but then I get busy and even just uploading a photo to IG seems to take too long. So I tell myself that I’ll post later and later becomes a few days later.

Cats

For the last few days, I’ve been cat-sitting for our neighbors across the street. Although I “know” their cats (they are indoor-outdoor cats and occasionally visit our driveway), it’s quite an experience dealing with their eccentricities.

Kitty Meow Meow waiting to be served.
Frankie being his goofy self.

Frankie is very easy-going and Kitty Meow Meow can be but she’s finicky about her food. Fun. She’s finally realized that she only gets food when I come over. No 24/7 room service so she’s getting better about eating what I put in front of her (sort of). I know they will be glad when their staff return (which will be late tonight), but I do appreciate having this time to bond with them.

Writing

I’m in another lull with my writing. I’ve been busy with other things (like I just had to take a Zoom class on basketweaving), but the year-long workshop I was taking (A Year of Writing Dangerously) has hit a snag.

Around mid-June, the host, Summer Brennan, informed us that she had a family emergency but hoped she’d be back with us soon. We haven’t heard from her since. Most of us have had such family emergencies and can attest to how all-consuming those emergencies can be.

Initially I thought I could carry on without Summer. Many writers in the group seemed to want to keep some momentum in the hopes that she will be back.

Then I thought it didn’t matter whether I wrote or not. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for a year-long commitment (even though the commitment was to write daily not necessarily engage in the group daily).

I’ve been doing other things (like basketweaving) to try and avoid the issue, but I keep going back to the group’s Substack chat to see if someone knows something. We are worried about Summer, but none of us has any direct connection to her. Emails have been sent to her, but not answered.

This workshop was to be broken into 6 six-week sessions, with the 5th session to start on September 1. I keep telling myself I’ll decide then whether I’ll stay with the group. There’s some nice people in the group, but right now it’s just an “accountability” group, people checking in and reporting on how they have or haven’t been writing. Even if Summer comes back, I don’t feel like my heart is in it anymore.

Books

I have a few book reviews due and more than a few books that want to be read. Instead of writing, I listen to audiobooks (in some cases, even when I already have a print copy) while doing something like walking, weaving, or cleaning.

Photos

I have a lot of old family photos to go through. I need to upload some of them to share with my cousins, others to share with my nephews and brother-in-law.

I have so many things I want to do that I often wind up reclining on my bed and reading and typing on my iPad — as I am doing now.

So nice of Raji to keep me company.

Have you ever had a workshop experience that left you unmoored, without a compass? How did you cope?

What keeps you writing? Is it ever difficult to keep still long enough to write?

I neglected to mention that I’m also writing letters and postcards encouraging people to vote. The letters are difficult as my handwriting has really gotten bad. I’m hoping the postcards will be easier to manage.

Marie A Bailey

47 responses to “Just Thinking About …”

  3. Thank you for the update, Marie! I became disenchanted with writing workshops by the time I finished my master’s degree. It wasn’t helpful to have a group of people go on about how they would have written my story. (Lots of “you should do” whatever.)

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  5. Marie, it sounds like you’re doing a lot of things that nourish the soul and feed the mind. So when you’re ready to write you will. But, about your question: I sent you an email.

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  6. It sounds to me like you are enjoying life and not forcing yourself to do stuff that doesn’t make you vibrate. As for the group, it is an unusual situation you find yourself in, what with the host having to leave. If you were more inspired to continue anyway, you would.

    I tell you, Kitty Meow Meow does look rather haughty, doesn’t she? How lovely the neighbours have you :)

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    • I think you nailed it, Dale. I feel like I *should* be doing certain things when, in fact, I’m doing the things that make me happy. I was happy to help out my neighbors (they came back last night). Their cats are fun and sweet although Frankie is a biter!

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      • Should should be removed from the dictionary. All it does is cause angst! I am so happy to hear you are doing things that make you happy. Frankie, don’t bite!

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  7. I bought Zinnias at the farmer’s market and took them to my 93 year old uncle today. They are his favorite flower, which I’ve probably mentioned to you before. I did not like them as a child, and now I’m always drawn to them. With maturity comes wisdom, I guess.

    What a bummer about losing the leader of your workshop! I hope she resurfaces so y’all can stop worrying. I’m sure the will to write will resurge when it feels like it. So many seasons in our lives.

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    • Oh, what a sweet story, Ellen. You are so kind to take flowers to your uncle. I never thought much about Zinnias until, on a lark, I bought a couple from our local nursery. Now I’m smitten with them :-)

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  9. I love that you’ve filled us in with what’s going on in your life–kitties, flowers, basketweaving, writing, and relaxing. It sounds to me like you have a pretty full and lovely life!

    You’re such a good writer, and when you feel like you’re ready, you’ll write. That said, sometimes if you truly do want to finish a project, you need a push–deadlines, a group, prompts to spark you, or whatever. I hope your group finds out about the leader, and I hope she’s ok, whether you decide to continue or not.

    Kitty Meow Meow does look like she has an attitude. 😂

    I’ve got to get moving on my postcards!!

    I’m loving all the cat groups and memes for Kamala.

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    • Thank you, Merril! I definitely will not get anything done unless there’s a deadline ;-) I’m debating with myself about finding another group or maybe a mentor. I would like to finish my novel Clemency, and it’s enough of a mess right now that I could use some help.

      Kitty Meow Meow is the Queen … lol. She deigned to get on my lap a couple of times, probably just missing the human contact she gets on demand when her humans are home.

      I just got my postcards. Oh, boy. I’m hoping to do a few a day so I’ll have them all done when it’s time to mail them.

      I’m blown away by the Kamala memes and how her campaign has been energizing the population. We watched a video last night of a Harris For President rally in, of all places, The Villages in Florida!! The rally was huge. The Villages has always been considered a Republican stronghold. I guess not any more … :-)

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      • I can understand wanting a mentor and/or editor–and a deadline! 🙂

        I keep saying I’m going to do that with the postcards. . .

        Someone on FB posted the a photo (or maybe a video) of the Harris rally at the Villages. I was amazed–and happily so. I have a friend whose brother lives there. The brother is not a Republican, so I guess most of them were just keeping quiet, but now perhaps they feel it’s safe not to. Which is a great sign!

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        • I’m wondering if some Rs have Trump-fatigue. I watched most of his Q&A at the National Association of Black Journalists convention. Omg. He was so rude and nasty, hyperbolic and evasive. Later I got the sense that even the conservative commentators were tired of Trump’s limited capacity to think beyond ad hominem attacks and fantasies of his own record. With all due respect to President Biden, Harris is a joyful burst of positive energy :-)

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          • It seems like some of the Rs who are not part of the cult are deserting him. You have more stamina than I do to have watched most of that talk. I read about it and watched a few brief clips–all I can stomach.

            I agree about Harris. I was against Biden stepping down because I thought it would make things more chaotic, but HCR was right, he timed everything perfectly, and Harris is indeed “a joyful burst of positive energy.” Plus, she’s not afraid to lean in or punch out! Have you seen her telling him to say it to her face?

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            • I was on a treadmill at the gym and had forgotten my phone otherwise I would have been listening to an audiobook :-) As it turned out, Greg had a pair of old-style earbuds that I could plug into the treadmill display and watch TV. I could have easily changed channels but I was fascinated mainly because it was (more or less) a Q&A and I really wanted to hear what the journalists were asking him.

              Despite his perpetual tan and dyed hair, he looked like an old fart, that miserable old relative that nobody likes because he is racist and says so many embarrassing things that you want to keep the kids away from him.

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  10. I feel like I was sitting across from you drinking iced tea as we talked about our summer. I laughed about the catsitting and their personalities. I don’t know any cats so they intimidate me. And from your first photo, I can see why. Jeez!! :-)

    Your Zinnia photo is graceful and shows us the miracle of flowers. It’s like looking into the Universe. I love Zinnias – so colorful. We have several plants growing on our back deck and I greeted a butterfly on one this morning.

    Writing. So hard to keep at it. For me, I teach creative writing classes – three a week – so I HAVE to write every day to keep up with my students. Ha. I teach Sept to June and they tell my they’re floundering when I’m not teaching. There’s something about doing it in a group with writers who you trust that does help with the writing process.

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    • Thank you so much. Posts like this one are my favorite to write. Kitty Meow Meow can look intimidating but she’s a sweetie at heart :-)

      Wow, most creative writing teachers I have had did not try to keep up with their students. It’s wonderful that you do. No doubt it makes your students feel like you’re all in it together.

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  12. Yay Zinnias! Yay Cats!

    Have you ever had a workshop experience that left you unmoored, without a compass? How did you cope? Yes I’ve had that experience and eventually decided it just didn’t matter, that the workshop was blah, that I was taken in to take the workshop, that I made no contacts from the experience. The world is imperfect, ‘ya know?  

    What keeps you writing? Is it ever difficult to keep still long enough to write? I wish I knew why I keep writing at this point. I get busy with projects, my mind gets in a tizzy, and yet I try to write something from the experience. Maybe I write to clarify to me why I’m doing what I’m doing?

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    • Good answers, Ally! The world is imperfect. Stuff happens and, ultimately, we just need to go with the flow. I too have many projects that cut into time I might spend writing (or reading); yet, I have an urge to write. Perhaps it’s like you say, “to clarify to me why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

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  13. Your zinnia photo has great texture, Marie! And your cat photos do as well. Your kitties look so soft and inviting. 😊 As for workshop experiences, I have felt unmoored mainly because of difficult feedback I’ve received that caused me to want to stop writing. An advisor’s advice helped me in that regard: any feedback that causes you to want to stop writing isn’t worth considering.

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    • Hey, L. Marie, sorry I’m so late in responding to your comment. That is great advice from your adviser. The thing is, feedback can be so subjective. That’s one thing I’ve observed in all the workshops I’ve ever been in: how some people can love a work while others don’t love it. The thing, while constructive feedback might take you aback at first, if it’s truly constructive, you should soon see the value in it and then feel excited (that might be an overstatement) to keep writing. But if the feedback made you feel like quitting writing, then I’d be highly suspicious of that feedback. In any case, I hope you’ve been able to move on. And thank you for your kind words about my photos 🤗

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