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Writing isn’t a solo sport [Friday Goodie Bag]
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Reading time: 3.55 929 words Hey Reader, “Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.” My favourite author, Sir Terry Pratchett, said that, and he’s right. But writing isn’t a solo sport. It kind of looks like it is, when you see a book or an article with one person’s name on the front. But then you turn to the acknowledgements and realise there’s a whoooooole lot of people involved in the creative process. My husband and my cats are integral to my writing — one provides tea, the others purr at me when I’m in despair. And then there’s my writing groups. I tell them what I want to achieve, and they ask me where it is. So I have to do it. They’ll read what I write and critique it for me. Among many other delights. Which is why January Uncaged isn’t something you have to do on your own. I mean, you can if you want to, but I created a Telegram group so you’ll have a little community. That’s where I’ll be dropping all the prompts and nudges and ideas. And it’s where you can share what you create, if you want to. No pressure of course but one thing I’m really looking forward to is seeing what you make in January. Because when we see others doing the thing we’re signed up to do, we’re more likely to do that thing ourselves. Right? I’m much more likely to go to the gym on a Thursday because I know my friend is expecting me to be there. If I don’t go, that makes me an absolute toilet brush of a human. Not that I ever want you to feel like a toilet brush, but you get my meaning. The Power Hours I run every day do the same thing for my clients: they show up knowing I’m there, knowing each other is there, and they do the thing they wanted to do. Community works. Join January Uncaged and start a writing practice, yes — but also meet some of the coolest people I know. Discover how their brains work. Explore their ideas. Make new friends. What’s not to like? Get all the details and sign up here:
And now for the Friday Goodie Bag! This week I’m doing something a little different. I’m sharing 5 email newsletters that I adore and learn something from every single issue. We spend too long on social media being fed misery, questionable “facts”, and AI slop. The real people are creating magic quietly in the background. Austin Kleon’s newsletterAustin’s newsletter has been a favourite of mine for a long time. He sends two emails per week: the Friday one is free for everyone and he shares cool creative stuff, kind of like I do with this Goodie Bag. The Tuesday one is for his paid subscribers and is a tutorial or a lesson or some kind. It’s a delight. Sharon Hurley-Hall’s Antiracism NewsletterI’ve known Sharon for a few years now and she’s wonderful. I’m in her community and I got to hang out with her in London earlier this year. Her newsletter is one of the few I read every single word of, every single issue. If you’re serious about widening horizons, learning about what the world is like for people who look different, sound different, live different, experience things differently from yourself, and want to make a better world for everyone, this is the place! It’s a teeny investment for a big juicy reward. There’s a free and a paid version available. Alex Dobrenko’s Both Are True newsletterYour English teacher would not like Alex’s writing. But I do. His brain is a fascinating place and his writing is a delight and if you fancy something a little different from the usual inbox-fare, I fully recommend Both Are True. Ash Ambirge’s newsletterI have been in love with this woman’s writing for a very long time now. I’ve taken her writing courses, chatted to her, been featured in her newsletter The Vivette, and followed her adventures. She is the queen of reinvention and a beautiful storyteller. I hope you enjoy her too. The Bloggess’s’s newsletterJenny Lawson has been blogging since the dawn of the internet age (not really but since 2008) and I’ve been reading her words ever since. She’s very, very, very funny and is weirdly obsessed with taxidermy. I highly recommend her books and also her blog. So there are five of my faves! Enjoy! What I’m readingAll of the above, of course, and also The Creative Curve by Allen Gannett which is, funnily enough, about creativity. What I’m writingI’m working on my newsletter, actually. Not this one that you’re reading; the one I’ve been percolating in my brain and avoiding for months and months. I have no excuse right now because I’m on holiday until January 6, so here we are. Word of the weekMystify. Just because I really like the word. Look how many Ys there are. I sometimes like to delete the single i and replace it with a third y, because it feels kinda witchy. Mystyfy. Quote of the week“I was very sad myself and the people I met were so depressing. I started doing something funny so that I would become happier — and it worked. I was also convinced that everyone would like my work because I had so much fun doing it. They did.” —Marisol Have a fab weekend. Do something that brings you joy. TTFN, Vicky 🫡 p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.
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Learn to Write Like You Mean It
Join 500+ writers, creatives, misfits, and weirdos and learn to write like you mean it in 10 minutes a week. Get ONE practical tip, story, or shenanigan every Tuesday + a creative goodie bag on Friday 🖖🏼
Reading time: 1.25 337 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, Me: I don’t have time to plant my winter seeds! Also me: Doomscrolls Instagram for 20 minutes and hates self. I’ve found, over the years, that it’s very rare I geniunely don’t have time to do something I want to do. The problem is usually one of these: I don’t know how to do the thing I don’t know where to start I don’t believe I’m any good at it I’ve convinced myself I won’t enjoy it So. When you say you don’t have...
Reading time: 2.23 565 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, I don’t know what it is about humanity in general and westerners in particular, but we do like to punish ourselves. If we can take some relatively simple and make it brutally difficult, we will. Like writing. We turn it into this god-bestowed gift that mere mortals are not supposed to posess. We treat it like something we should just be able to DO. Effortlessly. We talk about muses and inspiration and writers block and...
Reading time: 1.53 445 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” This is a quote I’m fond of sharing because it debunks a big myth about inspiration. Unfortunately, it also suggests success in writing is down to habits. Somerset Maugham was incredibly prolific and successful for a variety of reasons and one of them was that he started writing every morning at 9am BUT that wasn’t a...