Folks,
Greetings and salutations. I’m over here in Amsterdam, the second leg of my self-funded writing getaway. This is my first full day here. Been in Paris for the past six or seven days. Before I get to the writing…
Before this trip, The Black List announced a new Mental Health in Fiction initiative in partnership with Spotify and JED. Really excited to be working with some great people at Spotify and JED to amplify writers breaking stereotypes and pushing the narratives of mental health in their work. $50k in grants will go to five writers with an unpublished, novel-length manuscript. More details here.
Alright. For the first time in a long time I went a full calendar year without a proper vacation. To be fair, my employer gives me the days. But I used it to “take time off” and do more work. So this is the first time in a year that I’ve taken a stretch of days for myself to write. To make the commitment official (for me), I booked travel to Paris and Amsterdam.
For folks who know me or have followed me for a while, y’all know how much travel means to me. For those who are new, solo traveling is what I do. I yearn to be with my own thoughts and interrogate where I am in a current time period, what I’m giving people close to me, and what I’m sharing with the world. I also have a novel I really would like to finish.
As far as the book goes, the momentum is there, the energy is there, and I’m on top of my personal deadlines. Things are lining up and I don’t want to, for lack of a better phrase, self destruct.
To help with the process, I’m reading Baldwin’s THE DEVIL FINDS WORK, Kiese Laymon’s HEAVY, and recommendations from Min Jin Lee. To help with the process I’m eating Parisian pastries, drinking lots of coffee, and eating my way through these cities. To help with the process I’m walking ten to fifteen miles a day after writing. I’m writing letters to my ma on the back of postcards. I’m standing outside by trees and doing them inhale/exhale exercises. I’m drinking lots of water and allowing these French folks to tell me how bad my French is; I deserve it (should’ve been a better student in high school). To help with the process I’m giving myself a lot of grace.
I don’t have no eloquent, deep message for anyone. Just trying to be right now. I wish this for you too, however you’re able to – in whatever capacity.
Be kind to people. Be kind to yourself. Drink some water. Love y’all.
Best,
RW
P.S. S/o to Tuvok
I traveled alone through Germany in 1998 and loved it. I rarely travel alone anymore, but it's a magical way to think and dream and create and to really notice the places you visit. So glad you're getting to do that!