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Today, you will write.
Today’s newsletter has been generously created by the incredibly talented author Sarah Carothers.
Find her Substack here.
Today you will write with a tender heart. You will be kind to yourself as you write. Today you will write because you deserve to be heard and for the words to flow freely on the page without fear. Today you will write without any harsh self-criticism or judgment.
You will write because it is challenging, healing, and it just feels good to do so. You will write because someone else needs to read your voice and gain your perspective. Today you will write because the world needs you.
You will write even if you are too tired or don’t feel confident. Today you will write and the magic will appear on the page just because you showed up. You will write to feel lighter and more alive.
Today you will write because you are worthy.
— Sarah Carothers
See you tomorrow x
— Loren @ Paperbacks & Co.
Today’s Writing Prompts
Journaling Prompt – What is the biggest obstacle or block that you face right now? Write how heavy that block or obstacle feels in your body. Now write about moving through that obstacle freely and easily and describe the lightness you feel after moving through the block.
Fiction Prompt – You wake up in your mother’s body on her eighteenth birthday. What life choices do you make? In love, education, career, travel, money, friends, children? Do you make the same choices she made before or do you change the entire outcome of her life?
Poetry Prompt – Write a poem about the best meal you have ever eaten.
Use the artwork at the beginning of this newsletter as a visual prompt to inspire some writing – whether a personal essay, or fictional short story, or poem…
An Interview with Author Sarah Carothers
Where is your ideal place to write?
My ideal place to write is somewhere in nature where I can hear the birds chirping, the wind blowing, or the waves crashing against the beach. I love writing outside in the shade so I can still see my computer screen as I type. My ideal writing time is right after I cook a nutritious breakfast and have water, green tea, and freddo espresso by my side.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I love this question because it pertains to mental health and how we talk to ourselves. As part of my creative recovery I practice a lot of inner child work and taking care of that little girl who I used to be. I think having a kind repartenting voice is imperative for writers and creatives. I would tell my younger self I am proud of her and she has no reason to feel shame for her mistakes. I would tell her she IS in fact creative and she is allowed to nurture her creativity. I would tell her I forgive her and she deserves to feel at peace as an artist and human. I would tell her to feel the fear and keep going regardless.
What is one of the best ways you’ve invested in yourself as a writer?
Starting my Substack has been monumental as an investment in myself. I try to stay consistent and publish once per week. Even if it is not my best writing or I don’t feel confident, I still try to put myself out there and keep showing up every week. Everytime I hit publish that inner critic starts to roar and the insecurity starts to creep in... but I try to soothe that part of myself and remember that I am a writer and no one can take that away from me. Every week I have had some form of improvement and learned from other writers and about myself. It has been incredibly healing for me as a person and artist to write and publish on Substack.
🥳 Celebrating Our Wins 🎉
Did you get some writing done today? Why not share your progress in the comments?!
Link to your blog post, share your word count, or even just jump in with a little text celebration…
Know a writer who could benefit from a little extra motivation? Why not gift them £5 membership here?