Sunday Stack: All About Writing 6/22/25
I've been thinking about my writing process a lot lately
It’s been an interesting few weeks for me. I’ve turned in the final bits of the first draft of my next manuscript (yay!) and am starting to emerge from a writing hole where all my free time was spent writing or thinking about writing. The break has come at a good time and I took a few days off to reconnect with some old friends. Now I’m trying to gently wade into the summer months (which are my least favorite ones, to be honest). I’m an unwilling participant in a threesome with heat and humidity. For those of you who love it, enjoy! I’ll be lounging indoors as much as possible, cool and appropriately caffeinated.
Given that there is such a rich writing community here on Substack, instead of focusing on mental health today I thought I’d share some of the posts that have inspired me to think differently about my writing process lately.
I see writing as a deeply personal act but also a way to be in conversation with community. When I came across
and How to Use Storytelling as a Collaborative Tool for Holding Complexity, I was pulled into the use of narrative in group settings and found it fascinating to consider the implications for my writing and future healing experiences. I think you might find it interesting too.
Writing is as much craft as it is inspiration and while I generally don’t like to abide by many rules, the guidelines in the piece are tried and true. They also happen to be George Orwell’s rules to writing. Any person who practices the art of writing would do well to be mindful of these.
As I’ve grown in my life as an author I’ve become very conscious of how necessary it is for me to find inspiration and nourishment outside of my writing practice. As much as I’m interested in learning about other writers’ processes, I’m also very curious about what other writers are into outside of their professions. I want to know the things that keep them curious and interested in life. This piece, by
, covering ancestor Toni Morrison’s love of gardening, was particularly interesting to me.
One of the things I love most about the Substack ecosystem is that it’s also so easy to find deeply inspired (and inspiring) folks who create in totally different disciplines. I can’t tell you how often I’ve found myself drawn to scenes form a photographer’s lens or fall into an illustrator’s latest creation here. As someone who often uses metaphor in writing, and in my work as a mental health professional to explore life’s biggest concepts, I appreciate How to practice visual metaphors by
in Notes from a Creative Freelancer.
Whether you are an artist or not, and no matter your medium, I hope these bits provide some helpful inspiration for you. And if you think someone in your own network will appreciate these, please do share and tag them in the comments.
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Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks a lot Jor-El for including me.