It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

It’s the second last month of the year, which means that energy is lagging. I know that after everything I’ve done thus far for 2024, I don’t know how I’m going to get all the things done that I really want to do for the rest of the year.

But I do have some things I look at to keep me energised.

PowerWord WordCloud

I did the spelling above just to jolt you. LOL.

I have some words that I like to have near to remind myself what I want out of my writing (and life). Here’s my word cloud:

[bold, unforgettable, absolute, intense, genius, riveting, zen, exciting, profound, incomparable, dazzling, heartwarming, stunning, inspiring, magical, swoon-worthy, triumph]

What words would you have in your word cloud?

Wake Early/Go to Sleep Late

Depending on the season, I’m either waking up early in the morning or going to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

Why?

It really works. It’s part of how I stay as productive as I am.

Dress Up

This is a mindset tip: you can feel as good as you look. So do some self-care and get dressed in your favourite outfit – even if only your dogs are there to see it.

Here’s a song that proves it:

Yes, I absolutely adore the incomparable Barbra Streisand. And “Hello, Dolly!” has been my favourite musical (even above “The Phantom of the Opera” on my list of favourites) for well over thirty years.

You might recognise this song from “WALL-E” as that robot had an obsession with the film.

Fill the Creative Well

This can be reading your favourite books or new books; watching movies or series; going to museums, etc.

For me, the thing that fills the well quickly and makes me feel good: Watching Musicals.

I don’t like going out and sitting among people while absorbing some culture. So I prefer watching the movie version of a musical. Though, I have to say, I would’ve loved to see Michael Crawford as the Phantom (in “The Phantom of the Opera”). I love Gerard Butler as the Phantom, but this iteration of “Music of the Night” by Michael Crawford is just wow.

Show Up

Women have come a long way from only being allowed to cook, clean and have children. We can thank the Suffragettes and the other women’s movements. We can be anything we want to be.

Yet, we’ve ended up with a “have it all” mentality where we need to be a super-mum, super-wife, super-cook, super-career woman, super-(insert whatever you need to be super at). Failure is not an option.

So we burn out. Burning the candle at both ends just to “have it all” causes anxiety, depression, and more. And sometimes it’s just easier to withdraw from everything and everyone.

But that’s not a good way to live.

So figure out what you want out of life, what it means to live your own greatness, and show up. (That’s for everyone, no matter what gender you identify as.)

Those are my tips for finding your inner dragon and be awesome every day of the year, in writing and life. You can learn loads more on my For Authors page here. Anything you’d like to add?

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