Days 3 & 4: Setting The Course

Yesterday Was Wild

I thought about posting yesterday but it was a heavily emotional day and I decided to hold off. I went through an added my own notes to The Shoppe Keep. I decided that to make the most out of what I wanted to do with the story, adding some layers would serve me well.

After I'd done my daily allotted project time, I went to a sensory deprivation tank (also known as a float tank). This was my second time and I did the 2 hour one. It was really interesting and I used the time to reflect on my life and give myself some positive affirmations.

Initially, I'd been afraid to try because I thought it might be a scary experience. Even though it was my second time, I had some anxiety but I had to remind myself that these are things I want to do. I want to be the type of person who tries new things, prioritizes their wellness, and lives authentically. This activity was part of that.

I've actually been wanting to do it for months, and yet I kept hesitating. So I made sure to make this experience especially positive for myself so that next time I won't have to feel as anxious moving forward.

I ended up having an amazing time! I used the time to meditate, practice my breathing, and (since I had a full range of motion) got to stretch out with the full support of the water. I left feeling refreshed, happy, and calm.

Afterwards I went to three nearby shops, chatted up the workers, got food, and played Animal Crossing. It was a lovely experience and I reminded myself that such experiences can be available to me regularly.

How Does That Relate To Writing?

My ability to do things, whether that's creatively, socially etc., is heavily influenced by my mental health. I know I'm not alone in that. Learning how I work best, where my emotional sore spots are, and what helps me get into a more creative headspace is integral to that process. Investing in relaxing activities that I enjoy and showing myself it's okay to do those things despite the anxiety helps me overcome when I hit roadblocks in my writing.

Fear and anxiety usually arises when I feel like I'm not sure what direction to go, whether things will make sense to a potential reader, or I think I might be forgetting details down the line. So just as I created more positive emotions around the float tank, I've been reminding myself how fun writing is for me.

I spent some time allowing myself to fall in love with my story over again. I spent a lot of time really envisioning my story unfold. The "wow and what if this happened! That would be so cool! This won't be expected.." sort of energy. I let myself steep in that before I started my writing session. I made sure to have some water nearby, and afterwards I had a delicious meal and watched Thundercats.

When I sat down to write today, I was able to get some scenes but I had some trouble again. I came across one location I mentioned in the draft and felt really anxious because I thought "okay but where is this actually taking place?" To circumvent the anxiety, I spent my time today making some updates to my world map and circled the location of this particular story.

The Plan For This Week

So ideally, I would like to have any additional scenes added in by Friday but I'm giving myself until next Sunday. I feel like that might be enough time (?) Perhaps...

In any case, it's time to retire for the evening.

Warm regards,

Your Friendly, Lively Scribe