These past weeks have been full of reflection. Perhaps it’s because I’ve just passed a milestone birthday, or maybe it’s because summer is approaching and I want to get all my ducks in a row before I take a little break?
Either way, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want from my work.
This month, I will start a short but extremely busy period of exam script marking. I did it last year and, although it doesn’t pay amazingly well, it’s very helpful for my teaching and it’s well respected within the profession. It will earn me enough money to pay for my week’s holiday in Cornwall and the 5-day writing retreat I’m booked onto in July.
Sometimes we choose to do things that are hard work and not always enjoyable but enable us to do more of the things we love. For me, that is writing.
I do enjoy my interior design work, especially when I’m face to face with a client in a consultation situation, but I think I love writing more.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve returned to my book and have reviewed everything I’d already written as well as adding a few thousand words to the manuscript. I won’t say too much about its exact contents right now but essentially, it’s a non-fiction/part-memoir on the topic of home and its various meanings.
As the 5-day residential non-fiction writing course approaches, I want to make sure I arrive with a substantial number of words written. There is going to be MUCH refinement to be made, but I know that the first crucial step is to pour the words out onto the page.
I’m trying to make little pockets of time available in my days to keep going with it. My new sand timer is helping with this (birthday gift from my husband); it times 30 minutes without me needing to have my phone anywhere near me. This is my minimum daily writing time, making sure that I am progressing no matter how slowly.
Another reflection I’ve been pondering in my 40th year, is that I want to make more connections both in person and online. I wrote last week about how I am currently making plans for an in-person meet up in London in the autumn. I really appreciate your feedback so far on the survey, and would love to hear from anyone who hasn’t yet responded.
However, I know that many of you do not live nearby and won’t be able to attend and so I’m also broadening my offering of online meets, launching an additional monthly online gathering as well as Create Ensemble for paid subscribers.
🐦⬛ Early Bird Writers’ Hour
Early Bird Writers’ Hour will begin this month. I am an early bird and I do my best writing first thing in the morning. With that in mind, these monthly online writing sessions will take place on a weekday morning from 6:30am – 7:30am (UK time), usually on a Friday.
The premise is similar to Create Ensemble but specifically for writing. You could be working on a Substack post, continuing with your novel, writing a research paper, completing your morning pages or editing something already written.
I want us to be able to log on in our PJs with a cup of tea/coffee, say hello and then get writing. By 7:30am we will have done a chunk of writing which I hope will set us up for the day.
The first of these sessions will take place on Friday 20th June at 6:30am (UK time).
Create Ensemble will continue monthly and take place (usually) on Monday evenings. This is open to writers too but actively encourages all forms of creative activity. The next session will be Monday 23rd June at 7pm (UK time)
The dates for these sessions for the next three months are below, so do add them to your diaries. All times are UK.
🐦⬛ Early Bird Writers’ Hour:
Friday 20th June, 6:30am
Wednesday 9th July, 6:30am
Friday 15th August, 6:30am
✨ Create Ensemble:
Monday 23rd June, 7pm
Monday 28th July, 7pm
Monday 18th August, 7pm
What I’m trying to create here is a community which welcomes and accommodates people in the UK and around the world. I hope that there’s a timing and an activity that works well for you. I strongly believe that we all need to carve out time in our busy lives to create something. It may just be for ourselves or it may be to put out into the world. Each is equally valuable and nourishing for the soul.
To join these sessions, you will need to be a paid subscriber to Chez Hanny. The links for June’s Early Bird Writers’ Hour and Create Ensemble are beneath the paywall.
I hope to see you at one or both!
Hannah x
p.s. more info coming soon on the in-person London meet up!