Hey you!
I’m wishing y’all peace, love, and light—especially to my fellow Black folk. The current events have been maddening. And, honestly, it’s hard to talk about.
I recently found these mental health resources catering to Black people on NAMI’s website and wanted to share them with you. I love you and I hope you’re prioritizing your mental health/self-care during all of this, as much as you can.
I want to try to bring some joy to y’all with this newsletter. So, enjoy the writing inspo and funny videos! Sending you all my love!
Writer’s Log #4
Lately, I haven’t been feeling right. I think it has to do with the B-word: burnout.
I think the burnout was caused by a mixture of pandemic-induced stress, personal life drama, and a lack of a work/life balance.
Making writing, something I’ve loved since childhood, my job has made the lines between work and play blurry.
If I’m working on a potential novel idea, is that work? Is researching a topic I love and want to write about work? Is brainstorming/idea generation work?
A quote I’ve always heard is, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s BS. When you turn what you love into a job, everything changes. Just the mindset of calling an activity “work” can change my perspective on it.
It’s one thing to have a hobby. It’s another thing to depend on that hobby for your livelihood.
Establishing a clear work/life balance is a problem I’ve had since I started freelance writing in 2017. I also work from home, which makes the distinction between work and play even blurrier. Detaching after a long day is hard AF.
But, I’m going to work towards making a clear distinction between what’s work and what’s rest/play.
It’s hard but necessary work. And, especially in these pandemic times when a lot of people are working from home, I wish the same for you. Rest and play are necessary. Take care of yourself. I will too.
I enjoyed reading this guide on beating burnout that Trello published. Their points of “practicing the art of doing nothing” and “learning how to mentally detach from work” are speaking to my soul right now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
8 Things I Consumed
The Netflix original film Concrete Cowboy
BROCKHAMPTON’s album ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE
This SNL skit featuring Kid Cudi, Pete Davidson, and Chris Redd
Daniel Kaluuya’s SNL monologue
Finished the first half of the first season of HBO Max’s Generation (the streets say the second half comes out later this year)
BROCKHAMPTON’s music video for “Count on Me”
Dreamy Sound a.k.a my favorite YouTube channel ever. Their 3D atmospheres and ASMR are so comforting. Sometimes I listen to their videos while I sleep, sometimes I listen to them while I work (like, while I’m writing this newsletter LOL).
Of course, this incredible Zhane song that inspired my title
4 Things I Created
The flash fiction story: “The Day the Mall Became a Battleground”
Yet another flash fiction story: “The Beauty Supply Shop”
A love letter to the boy band ballads I’ve loved throughout my life
An alternate graphic for “The Beauty Supply Shop” inspired by retro movie title stills:
Writing Prompts
Write a story including this piece of dialogue: “Even though you’re an idiot, you’re all I’ve got.”
For some reason, your character ends up on stage, during a sold-out concert, with their favorite musician. Write about the backstory leading up to that moment.
Your character has the opportunity to time travel to any point in time for fifteen minutes. Where would they go? Who would they talk to?
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading Oh, Write!
For more Oh, Write content, check out the Medium publication.
Have any questions, comments, or concerns? Hit ya girl up!
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Love,
Nia