I was going to write today, but I ended up cleaning up my writing space.

Everything I tossed out symbolized every minute of my time I’ve given away for the cause of being good, loved, and successful. I’ve spent the last six days in a storm of emotion, and though not a lot is clear to me, one thing is: time to honor and protect my creative time. Time to be less in areas that bring me less joy or are less aligned with my core values. I tossed out everything I had piled on my desk that wasn’t a tool in my creation. I moved my guitar and practice stand to a more inspiring space. I put up purple string lights and unburied my typewriter from the piles of shit I’d heaped around it. I had planned to write this weekend, but instead, I wound up clearing the way for writing this week and next.

Three months ago I decided to take myself more seriously as a poet and started going through my entire poetry archives to find any poems worth working on. I’ve been chipping away at this project for all that time. This weekend, I buckled down, set a timer, and cleared the entire archives. I am ready to start polishing up poems to send out. I am ready to start making time every day and tuning out the noise.

To even get through the work day last Wednesday, I put my nose in the 50th anniversary edition of Diane Di Prima’s Revolutionary letters. That turned out to be just the balm I needed, just the nudge toward forward movement. If you haven’t read it, you should binge it as soon as you can.

Stay tuned, I am working on a tune-up of my last year’s new year writing plan. It’s tentatively titled: Rebel Writing Plan 2025. Just like last year, it will be free and posted here.

I also work as a writing coach and love helping writers gain confidence, set goals, and develop their work. For more information on coaching, email me at eatyourwords.lizshine@gmail.com.

If you are a writer struggling to Make Time to send your work out into the world (raises hands and waives it around for emphasis), there is a Substack I recommend for you. Since subscribing, I have made at least one submission every week. Before that, I was consistently clocking in at ZERO. They make frequent posts curating lists of open submissions. Posts are thoughtful and well-organized. This link will get you 10% off an annual subscription of $70. 

Looking for any of the books I’ve mentioned here? Order through my Bookshop.org affiliate page to support me and my local bookstore!