Update on my social-media-free summer (I've written 30,000 words)

As I told you in my newsletter last month, I'm taking a break from social media this summer. I realized I was spending a lot of time not just on social media, but thinking about social media, and not getting work done. 

Above you can see a photo of my dog Marlo, neatly acting as a metaphor for me before I decided to take this break. Like a dog swimming through pickerel weed and gathering it along with me as I go: even when I wasn't on social media, the thoughts of likes and posts and comments stuck with me. (Side note to say that this is Marlo swimming in Runaround Pond, which is the pond that inspired the pond in Stand By Me, and yes, there were leeches in it, and my children threw them at each other, which was hilarious and disgusting.)

And so, to carry this dog metaphor five steps too far, I have now gotten out of the water, pulled off the weeds, and had a good shake. 

This is where I am in the middle grade novel I'm working on right now. This is technically a revision -- it's a book I wrote and rewrote a few years ago, but it wasn't quite where good enough, and I needed to wait a few years to be a better writer so I could make this book what it needs to be. I've kept about 20% of the old draft, and everything else is new.

(If you don't know, that manuscript/session target is from Scrivener, which I use for all of my longer-than-a-picture book writing, and which I love.)

I've been motivating myself by using Pacemaker Planner, which the amazing Lauren Magaziner told me about. You input the amount of words you need to write and set an end date, and Pacemaker figures out how many words you need to write. There are options for working more on the weekends, or not at all on the weekends, and you can work steadily or more at the beginning, or more at the end (there are options, is what I'm saying). I love it. I'm not a very competitive person, except against myself, plus I like doing the extra credit work, and so Pacemaker is the perfect blend of game-ification and challenging me to write more than I'm supposed to each day. (I will add that I've been using Freedom to turn off the internet while I'm writing, and I'm loving that too.)

Last week I went to Nerdcamp Michigan, which is something I've wanted to do for years. It was amazing. Before I went, I thought about hopping back on Instagram to document the trip, especially because I was going to be sharing a car with Minh Lê and Ruth Chan, which was sure to be fun (and it was!). So the Thursday before Nerdcamp, I was taking my dogs for a walk in the cemetery, and was going to bring my phone and talk about the upcoming trip. And then my 9-year-old, Ramona, said "Can I come with you?" So I threw my phone onto the kitchen counter and talked with her instead of talking to Instagram. And it was nice.

I'm taking a lot fewer photos. I should be taking more photos. I'm a bit conflicted about the fact that I was mostly taking photos for social media, and now it's like I don't think there's a reason. I love this photo of Ruth coming out of a grocery store in Michigan with a bag of snacks and All-Dressed Ruffles to bring to the Canadian drawing table. 

But I also loved talking with everyone and not forcing them all to pose. This was only the second time ever I'd been in the same place as Snappsy illustrator Tim Miller, and gosh, it was so amazing to talk to him. I talked a ton with other authors and illustrators, and it was interesting how much we're all struggling to focus and get the work done, and make the work good. It was also interesting how many of us incorporate a walk into our creative routine. So remember this: if you're struggling to do creative work, you're not alone. And get up sometimes, step away from your desk, and take a walk.

A few last things, which I would normally share on social media, but will instead share in this email to you.

Zuzu got her ears pierced last month, and is now building up her earring wardrobe (such a fun task!). She got these crescent moon earrings, and I couldn't resist this necklace from the same shop, and I am here to tell you that this necklace is awesome. It's lightweight and very hip and goes with everything. It's still available in black and in white, and there are other necklaces too (on sale, and not on sale), and you should snag one.

I got a new water bottle. It's pretty big. Hydration is very important. You know this. Now that my desk is in the attic, it was doubly important to have a huge water bottle, so I didn't have to run downstairs to the kitchen for refills every twenty minutes. 

My kids are big on water bottle stickers. It's the 2019 way of expressing yourself, apparently. Though the way they layer the stickers on their water bottles, you can't tell what half of them even are. I suppose that, in itself, is an expression. 

I am pleased to have found the perfect sticker for my new giant water bottle. It's a portrait of a young Shirley Jackson. You can also choose from some other writers who might inspire you, from Dorothy Parker, to James Baldwin, to Walt Whitman.

And lastly, remember this quote from Rumi. You're not wandering alone and aimless. You're on the right track, even if it doesn't seem like it right now. Do the work, don't be a jerk, keep at it, and you'll find what you're looking for.

Happy halfway-through-summer. Eat some watermelon and an ice cream cone.