Tessera

Jake Varn @jakevarn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Most writing problems are actually attention problems. We know what we want to write before we even see what’s there. I wrote about a simple visualization practice for returning to attention at the start of writing. Includes a 5-minute guided audio exercise: open.substack.com/pub/abonner/...

You Can’t Think Your Way Into Writing

Why attention is the real starting point and a simple 5-minute practice to help you begin

open.substack.com

Snagged books by @housleydave.bsky.social , @ericarstern.bsky.social @aaronburch.bsky.social & more from @autofocusbooks.bsky.social. S/o to great craft sessions from @aurorabonner.bsky.social and a Primetime Writers Wrestling Match between @samuelashworth.bsky.social & @writesloud.bsky.social

Jennifer L. Blanck @jlblanck.bsky.social · 5mo ago

And we're off! A fantastic first #CCDC26 workshop by @aurorabonner.bsky.social on #writing place as a lived experience. @barrelhouse.bsky.social

Submitted to a dream pub’s annual contest that I’ve been watching for years. Didn’t get it, but received a generous rejection from them that praised my work and disclosed that I came close to the finals. It made my day! A reminder to take risks and put yourself out there.💫

Excited to be heading to the Barrelhouse Writers’ Conference, Conversations & Connections, if you want to geek out on writing and craft this weekend in DC. Also, joining the Ithaca Spring Writes Festival offering an online workshop in May. Would love to see some familiar faces there! 🥰

I spent 3 years writing my first draft thinking I had a craft problem. I didn’t. I had a control problem. wrote more about this here ↓ substack.com/home/post/p-...

Lies I Told Myself While Writing My First Draft

What drafting a novel taught me about control, story, and getting out of my own way

substack.com

Getting ready for a move and everything is scattered—including my focus. Trying to remind myself that small steps still count!

“You write your first draft with your heart, and you rewrite with your head.” James Ellison

Amazing what an impact these little finds have on my mental health

Part of what I love about teaching is getting to see the talent, drive, and passion coming from young people. This weekend I went to the showings of a high school musical, and watching a group of teenagers tell a story with their whole hearts just blew me away. ❤️

If you want to feel better about the world, watch theatre, look at art, read books, dance.

Aurora Bonner @aurorabonner.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Canva is wild. There is literally any template imaginable (including lots of really bad ones!). I’m presenting on writing place next week and thought I’d add illustrations… and damn. Want an illustration of mountains? Hundreds. Rivers? Dozens. Wild geese? Done. A specific type of grass? Got it.

Yay! I wrote a novel. And was immediately reminded that getting to the end of the first draft is only the beginning. substack.com/@aurorabonne...

The End is the Beginning

Shitty first drafts, revision, and going deeper in our writing

substack.com

Stripes at the Met!

Community doesn’t just appear—it’s something we build, and sometimes building it means taking risks and getting out of our comfort zone. This week, I wrote about the work of building community in the creative world and how small gestures can develop into meaningful and lasting relationships.

Last week I lost ten days of work on my novel-in-progress. It sucked. But it reminded me that creativity is about curiosity, not control. It’s all about embracing play: how curiosity keeps the work alive, some techniques for sparking creativity, and how to find joy in the process of discovery.

“curiosity, play, and the creative life: how play fields creativity (even for adults)” on the Substack Root Down to Write Up with Aurora Bonner

Friendly reminder: back up your writing! Just lost ten days of progress on my work-in-progress because of a rookie move.

If you are a writer, artist, or maker, you know that every day is a little different—some days ideas flow and are some days not. But what if you could create a routine to get them flowing more regularly? This week on Substack I’m exploring how to structure and schedule your days and weeks.

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up:
Flow, Don’t Force: Creating a Routine That Works. Build a Schedule that works with yourself, not against yourself

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up: “When I first left my 9–5 job to pursue a more creative life, I was ecstatic. Of course, I was also nervous and anxious about what I was giving up—but mostly, I felt free. That freedom became daunting, however, when I realized that it wasn’t as simple as writing from 9-5 every day—I needed a routine, a clear set of rules… “

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up: “I also noticed that I did my best writing in the morning, and that the writing I did late at night—those loopy, daydreamy pre-sleep sessions—often wandered a little too far from my project. In other words, I seemed to work best when I was honoring the natural rhythm of me.
When you begin to understand your own rhythms, and stop judging the way your process unfolds, you can begin to work with yourself, not against yourself.
Sometimes, that meant going against well-meaning advice that gets tossed around in the writing world. For instance, I had heard Don’t revise, just get to the end…”

So pleased to see Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania — the anthology that includes my essay “Fractures” — has been longlisted for the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia’s Book of the Year. Grateful to be part of this collection!

The creative life isn’t just about making art — it’s about managing everything underneath it. I’m starting a series about Living the Creative Life on Substack about how to organize a life devoted to writing and the arts. If you’re a writer, artist, or maker trying to find your rhythm, join me!

Goal-Setting for the Creative Life

How I Learned to Plan My Way Into Creativity

open.substack.com

Kicking off spooky season with this poetry collection! Loving the eerie, enchanted world Mary Simmons creates. Folklore, myth, and womanhood seem to blur into something wild and otherworldly. ✨🌒

Booklay of Mary Simmons poetry collection “Mother, Daughter, Augur” by June Roads Press

Cozying up to fall

Picture of someone laying in hammock reading a cozy mystery with fall foliage in the background