Thank you for this! Trying to get more into the habit of writing alongside a demanding job myself. Seeing other people are making it work is inspiring!
I love this piece Whitney! It’s primarily the reason why i sort of abandoned Substack these previous months, because I got so busy with work. Life. And just trying to chase perfectionism.
Thank you for writing these words. Sometimes I think that I couldn't continue with my writing and I'm convinced that it.doesn't make.sense. I hope that the sparcle will come and I will get back to a productive, inspired place. Then I am reading your article about finding time to write and your little rituals before starting writing. I lije the idea with candles, the windows seat...
Love these rituals. I usually spend the week scribbling ideas into a notebook or my phone, then try to decipher them on Sunday when I've got a longer stretch to think. I'm totally romanticising the window seat now in this piece, dark grey skies, London rain against the glass, candles lit, words flowing. Mine looks considerably less cinematic.
It feels like you’ve quietly built a life where writing isn’t a grand performance but a series of small, loyal returns to yourself, showing up with a coffee, a candle, and a window seat even when the day has already taken so much.
The way you treat half-finished drafts, scattered notes, and bent‑but‑not‑broken routines as proof you’re still moving forward makes it feel possible for other tired, busy people to believe that a real writing life can grow inside an ordinary one, without perfection and without permission.
Thank you for this beautiful piece. The way you set the scene with the rain and the coffee felt so cozy, and it brought me a sense of real calm.
Aw thank you for reading ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this! Trying to get more into the habit of writing alongside a demanding job myself. Seeing other people are making it work is inspiring!
I love this piece Whitney! It’s primarily the reason why i sort of abandoned Substack these previous months, because I got so busy with work. Life. And just trying to chase perfectionism.
Thank you for writing these words. Sometimes I think that I couldn't continue with my writing and I'm convinced that it.doesn't make.sense. I hope that the sparcle will come and I will get back to a productive, inspired place. Then I am reading your article about finding time to write and your little rituals before starting writing. I lije the idea with candles, the windows seat...
Love these rituals. I usually spend the week scribbling ideas into a notebook or my phone, then try to decipher them on Sunday when I've got a longer stretch to think. I'm totally romanticising the window seat now in this piece, dark grey skies, London rain against the glass, candles lit, words flowing. Mine looks considerably less cinematic.
saving this!! i am a student and a teacher and life is so busy but writing is so beautiful, this inspires me to make more time for it!
It feels like you’ve quietly built a life where writing isn’t a grand performance but a series of small, loyal returns to yourself, showing up with a coffee, a candle, and a window seat even when the day has already taken so much.
The way you treat half-finished drafts, scattered notes, and bent‑but‑not‑broken routines as proof you’re still moving forward makes it feel possible for other tired, busy people to believe that a real writing life can grow inside an ordinary one, without perfection and without permission.
🙌🙏👏