Happy holidays, writers. Itâs been a whole year since we started this newsletter (and by âweâ I mean me and my dogs), and I have so much planned for 2024! Iâm grateful for all of you whoâve been following along, and for everyone whoâs joined recently. Donât sleep on sending me your questions and what you want covered in the new year!
Next postâour first in 2024âIâm going to be telling you some important things about writing and confidence. How these two things (entities, beings, concepts, animals, forces, beliefs?) play with each other and affect each other, how and why theyâre so related, and what to do about it in our practice. Iâll explain why confidence is a primary goal I have for my writing clients.
Now for our final post of 2023, please accept my offer of these exercises 3! They will help you reflect on this past year of writing and imagine into the next. I hope youâre all enjoying this special time of yearâyouâll never find a bluer sky than in the Southwest in winter.
Writing-on-letters
Maybe youâve been writing for a long time, maybe you started this year. Write a letter to yourself as you were at this time last year. Tell them what youâve done with writing this year, what it means to you to have done it, and why. No act, practice, or thought of writing (or reading!) is too small to call outâyou did it! And last year, you hadnât done it. Engage with the doubts and fears you had last year, but let your old self know where things are now. Tell them how you were able to accomplish these things, with what tools and which resources you drew on.
This year, my client J learned to respond to my question, âWhat do you think of this recent writing you did?â with positives first, not negatives first. It took a long time for her to make this shift! I hope youâll try to focus on the good with this letterâstart with the good, become proud of the small things and grateful for what youâve given.
Then, donât move on to the bad. Instead of criticizing yourself for what you didnât do this year, write a second letter to yourself a year from now, about all the things you want to do / do differently with your writing this year. Scroll down to the final exercise here on setting 3d writing goals, and then return to explore your goals in letter form!
p.s. If you are new and have not done the âstory of my writingâ from prompt 001, this might be a great time to investigate this narrative and the questions it poses :)
Crystal visions
Here are some questions I really love to explore with clients. Theyâre not visions about your writing necessarily, but writing through these questions will help you take your visions seriouslyâand help you recall them throughout the year when needed.
How do I want to feel this year? (On average, or at this time next year, or what feelings will I choose to prioritize when I can? Challenged, trusted, responsible, delighted, happy, surprised�)
What impact do I want to have? (And at what scale? What is my intended or hoped-for impact on my friends and family? On people I pass on the street or briefly interact with? On my reader or audience or clients? What scale of impact will you prioritize?)
How will I fix the stars to make it so?
How loudly will I laugh at my tools?
What is my image for the year or this coming season? (Think about mood: A bluejay stepping backward in the snow, a snapped hardcover spilling pages, a perfectly toasted piece of bread (but how cold?), a Tamagachi with a bandaid on it, a clear vase filled with a clear liquid that isnât water, two hands nearly holdingâŠ?)
What are my âthree wordsâ for the year? (What three values am I going to prioritize this year? Why am I choosing them? Sticky-note them where youâll have âem every day. Tattoo-you.)
3D writing goals
Last January, I shared a little guide on setting writing goals for yourselfâno, not â2K words every dayâ or âpublish 20 postsâ type of goals. These â3Dâ goals fall along our three pillars of practice, process, and craft. What do you want to get better at and prioritize in your writing next, whether thatâs for the year, for the next project, or for a season? For instructions and inspiration on goal-setting, read âdo you know your writing goalsâ and start to imagine where you want to go[al]!
I would love to know what goals you set, tooâshare with me and I will post tips and guides on meeting those goals next year.
You can reach me any time in the comments or at rachel@racheljepsen.com.
Thatâs all, folks! Have a wonderful week and a happy new year! From me, Bird, and Casper of our mountain home đŸ đž