It’s been a year, am I right? As we all limp towards the finish line, it’s getting harder and harder to find the energy for any more than the bare minimum required to get through the day/the work week/to keep your family functioning … let alone to feel productive or remotely Christmassy.
Just me?
I even struggled to start this month’s newsletter because it feels like The Final One For 2023 should have something profound to say, some coalescing wisdom of the year that was, or at least a definitive and polarising Best Of list – but I have neither.
When in doubt, go where the energy is. Charlotte Wood’s advice for writing (“Heat seeking means following anything that gives the writer even a glimmer of energy .... The only criteria for “heat” are that the writer is energised by the thought of it, and that writing into it fuels more writing.”) can also apply to life. Is there something on your To-Do list that gives you energy right now? Or even just forward momentum?
I’ve ground to a halt with novel edits lately (ironically because of good news on another project, which I hope to be able to share soon!) So I can’t write new words or tinker with the novel, but I can plan and prep and make lists and plot collaborations for the project that is happening.
I can’t get into the Christmas spirit (but I still want my five-year-old to have a memorable Christmas). I can curate a playlist of Christmas tunes that don’t annoy me to play while we decorate our tiny tree, help her write letters to Santa, track down Christmas stockings, and buy gifts for the neighbours.
I can’t stop my brain buzzing, but I can channel it. I’m currently bingeing on things you’re supposed to dole out year round – like exercise and meditation. When little feels within your control, there’s something satisfying about still being able to tick something off a list each day. My drugs of choice at the moment are a 21-day meditation challenge and a 9-week Couch to 5k program. I can’t promise these aspirations will survive the new year, but for now it’s a better use of that exhausted-buzzy brain energy than ruminating in circles.
I suspect there are things on your To-Do list that give you more energy than others. Lean into those.
Now I’ve got that off my chest I find I have the energy for a round up after all! It’s been a long year and sometimes it’s easy to forget that this was the year I launched my first book, went on two writing retreats, met the debut crew, broke my travel drought, sent my book to Svalbard, got an agent, and appeared at my first writer’s festival. Pretty bloody lucky really.
CURRENTLY …
WORKING ON: Not much but admin right now. The end of the year has me feeling like a pile of sawdust BUT I have an exciting new project to delve into next year which I can’t wait to share.
READING: Since my last newsletter I’ve savoured two more debut crew gems: My Father The Whale by Gina Perry is a beautiful, evocative story about a young girl who lives a nomadic life with her charismatic surfer Dad until their lives diverge. It’s about families made and found, adventure, connection, loss, identity, art and whales – I loved it. Also loved The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliott Thomas – funny and full of heart, it’s a story about ambition, family life, body image, climate anxiety and one very bad day at the office. If you’ve ever read Eleanor’s excellent newsletter you’ll know the level of wit and wisdom you’re in for (and if you haven’t, you should definitely subscribe). I’m now in the middle of Wild Things by Sally Rippin – part-memoir, part-battle cry, it’s about literacy, neurodiversity and what happens when kids slip through the cracks in those vital early years.
WATCHING: The brilliant Quiz Lady (Disney+) about two estranged sisters who reunite to audition for a retro game show and heal their fractured youth (that description sucks – watch it, it’s laugh-out-loud funny, I promise), and season 3 of Only Murders in the Building (Disney+) (The best season yet – the songs! the suspense! Paul Rudd! Meryl Streep! The White Room!) I’m also unexpectedly enjoying Beckham (Netflix). Soccer and the Spice Girls weren’t part of my world in the 90s but make for fascinating viewing in retrospect. I’m also interested in the idea of owning your own narrative (and taking control back from the papps) via funding a highly produced documentary to turn public opinion. Posh and Becks over Megs and Haz any day of the week for me. (And yes, this clip is the main reason I’m watching). Finally, I’m enjoying nerding out on Take 5 with Zan Rowe (ABC iView) where musicians reflect on their top five most beloved and/or influential songs. Coming up with your own list is a fun dinner party icebreaker too. What would yours be?
LISTENING: To my non-annoying Christmas playlist, and this pep talk by Jeremy Lachlan.
Take heart, ignore the Best Of lists unless they spark joy, and enjoy an extra large slice of pav and some white wine in the sun for me.
You deserve it.
Cassy