The holidays are upon us, and for most that means a time full of joy and love and cheer. A Great Hunt for the Perfect Gift for everyone on your list.
With my mental health journey, I am learning to respect my body (and thus, brain) more. And when it comes to holidays, there are a lot of ways to get overwhelmed and overstimulated. That’s not to say I don’t have a joyful, loving holiday season, just that there is an equally weighted balance on the other side of the scale, and I have to be careful to keep the scale from tipping over. Already, I have had to fight myself to give my body what it needed after a time of merriment: time to recharge.
After going to my husband’s family’s Thanksgiving, we were to go to mine. But as it neared the time to leave his family, I could feel the internal conflict brewing, like the tide receding before a tsunami. I was already exhausted. Could I push myself just a little more? We could just drop in. But they were an hour drive away, at a distant cousin’s. That was a long drive just to stop in and make an appearance. Would I make them sad if I didn’t go? Mad? Would they think I was playing favorites? Shouldn’t I just push myself through to avoid all these concerns?
Ultimately, with the help of Kalvin, I convinced myself it was okay to skip this one out because we went last year and would be sure to go next year. Of course, I sent an apologetic message longer than Santa’s lists and still feel a bit bad about our absence.
However, I didn’t leave Thanksgiving completely depleted and overwhelmed—I had listened to my body and practiced self-care. I kept the scale level.
So this holiday season, while you’re checking off everyone else on your list, be sure to include yourself on that list too. Don’t let yourself tip out of balance. And try not to feel guilty about it.
~Erin Wedemeyer
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Our December meeting is a member’s Holiday party! In place of critique readings, we will have a book exchange. It is this Tuesday Dec 10th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 at The Bristol Bar and Grill at 1321 Bardstown Road across from Mid-City Mall. Register here.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
WRITING PROMPT
Writing is a great method for self-care. Take this moment to write without any goals in mind. Simply open a journal and write everything that comes to mind for 2 minutes. Do not worry about grammar, punctuation, or style. Do not judge yourself or your thoughts. If you need something to get started, describe the things around you: what you hear, smell, feel, perhaps there is even a lingering taste on your tongue. Exhume whatever emotions you have been holding in. As writers, I think it’s especially important for us to connect with our craft in different ways, and taking a break from our regular creative process to practice a more liberal journaling form can be refreshing.
~ Erin Wedemeyer
WE WANT TO SUPPORT YOUR WRITING LIFE
Members, if you have a website or social media platform dedicated to your writing, share it with us so we can share it with our Women Who Write community. Send your details to and we will share in a future newsletter.
Members, write a poem, story, or essay for the Women Who Write website blog. No more than 2,000 words, please. Publishing on our blog will expand your writing platform. And you’ll help WWW show off the variety of talents within our writing community! Browse our web blog now! For more information, email and pitch your story or poem—the one you’ve written or the one you want to write! We may provide suggested edits, for flow and clarity.
Photo by Toni Cuenca on Unsplash
OTHER PLACES TO SUBMIT & LOCAL EVENTS
Sarabande Books presents a ‘Zine Lunch most Fridays at noon—it’s a free online workshop on micro-writing and art.
Submit a story to Landslide Lit(erary) on Medium.com, a publication edited by two WWW members—Kimberly Crum and Bonnie Omer Johnson—who will provide editorial suggestions.
Duotrope is a fabulous resource for writers who want to publish in literary journals and anthologies and enter contests. You will receive a listing of submission opportunities in your inbox, specifically for your genre. Cost is $5 per month or $50 per year.
Submittable is another terrific resource for publication and other opportunities for writers. Many publications require submissions to be submitted through this service. Also, it’s free!
HerStry literary essay/memoir blog seeks to empower women through their writing. In addition to accepting personal essay submissions four times per year, HerStry accepts submissions on “monthly themes” that are intended as prompts for writers to tell their stories. June’s theme is Coming of Age
Poets and Writers has an extensive list of literary magazines to which you can submit.
Consider submitting to Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, an online magazine of personal essays with the tagline, “Brazen words by witty dames. Everything true. More or less.”
NewPages lists writing contests by the month and day that submissions close. Check out the “big list” here.
SUPPORT OUR WRITING COMMUNITY!
Become a member or renew your membership—As a community, WWW strives to nurture your writing life. We hope you choose to join or renew as a member and participate in our monthly meetings, author talks, retreats, and workshops. Our membership coordinator will notify anyone due to renew. Regular annual membership is $50. Student annual membership is $25. Scholarships are available. Membership entitles you to discounts on workshops and retreats.
Attend our monthly member meetings on the second Tuesday of each month for a brief program, peer critiques, and conversations about the writing life. Not currently a member? You can attend two meetings before deciding to join.
