I loved this so much and Lol’d and did almost the same today except instead listened to a podcast about middle-aged ppl who did astonishing things after having mid-life crises & thought now for sure I’m going home to sit down and write but then found I had to urgently make space on my hard drive which was unsuccessful and so I ate a blood orange and thought I could write a poem on this but I’d rather take a bath and now here I am reading yours :)
It’s so very you to indulgently dive into the not-doing and swim around in it and then magically emerge with something wonderful, without us even knowing really how that happened
This is a very lovely Saturday post, Sophia! I often wonder how I have spent most of my weekends and can't seem to remember much most days. Perhaps, writing about our typical, mundane weekend is not so mundane after all!
I left my 'proper' writer job about a week ago, and, tired of churning out copy for random companies to pay the bills, I decided to give myself a bit of breathing space to rediscover my love of words. The uninitiated (though I know none of them are here) would imagine this newfound freedom allows the pent-up words to just tumble out of me and onto the page, but re-learning how to use my own imagination and creativity and write whatever I want has been a daunting and frustrating process thus far - that largely comprises of listening to music, daydreaming, deleting things, then despairing of the blank page, pacing around the house, panicking about money, drinking too much caffeine, and huffily assessing how wet I’d get if I went for a walk in this rain, telling myself that ‘tomorrow is another day’.
Today I decided to delve into Substack – this ‘new’ writing thing I’ve heard people talking about – for inspiration and to calm my frantic nerves, and I had one of those rare moments where a few lines spark something in me, I remember why words matter so much, and I suddenly need to write anything (as probably testified by the length of this comment). The below paragraph made me glow, and reminded me that I have lots to write about, even when I think I have nothing to write about. Thank you.
“I even watched Neil Patrick Harris’ “lazy Saturday” Instagram stream, something I would never normally do but did today. It was all sleepy dogs and video games and bliss and avocado toast, and I watched it all to the very end, with mild interest that matured into mild self-loathing. It was time for a second pot of coffee, decaf this time because even though the day was still young I had already tasted some of its defeat. I sat back down to write but ended up contemplating the weather instead, and whether I should take advantage of its unseasonableness.”
I love this post!! (And have had such a Saturday many times before myself). Reminds me of the Don DeLillo quote: "A writer takes earnest measures to secure his solitude and then finds endless ways to squander it."
I loved this and all of the German coffee that went into it! You know you had me at : “I sat back down to write but ended up contemplating the weather instead, and whether I should take advantage of its unseasonableness”
It's so rare that I laugh out loud and I did so many times. Calling each of your parents even though they're sitting next to each other. Itching lycra. Spreading Nutella on a bagel wearing an unnecessary sports bra. You need to put out a book.
It isn’t every day you can watch Jules and Jim at Film Forum, especially with that particular friend (who has excellent taste.) The pleasures of living are their own art. And Sunday is a great day for writing too!
Sophia! This . . . . KNOCKED ME RIGHT OUT OF THE TREE ON MY HEAD! Best thing I've read all year.
Next time you call your parents, separately of course, tell them their daughter is a genius.
I loved this so much and Lol’d and did almost the same today except instead listened to a podcast about middle-aged ppl who did astonishing things after having mid-life crises & thought now for sure I’m going home to sit down and write but then found I had to urgently make space on my hard drive which was unsuccessful and so I ate a blood orange and thought I could write a poem on this but I’d rather take a bath and now here I am reading yours :)
So beautiful, and quoting that Jane Hirshfield poem—amazing. She is one of the best.
Disgustingly good
It’s so very you to indulgently dive into the not-doing and swim around in it and then magically emerge with something wonderful, without us even knowing really how that happened
Oh and also. Write a real welcome email! 😂
This is a very lovely Saturday post, Sophia! I often wonder how I have spent most of my weekends and can't seem to remember much most days. Perhaps, writing about our typical, mundane weekend is not so mundane after all!
I left my 'proper' writer job about a week ago, and, tired of churning out copy for random companies to pay the bills, I decided to give myself a bit of breathing space to rediscover my love of words. The uninitiated (though I know none of them are here) would imagine this newfound freedom allows the pent-up words to just tumble out of me and onto the page, but re-learning how to use my own imagination and creativity and write whatever I want has been a daunting and frustrating process thus far - that largely comprises of listening to music, daydreaming, deleting things, then despairing of the blank page, pacing around the house, panicking about money, drinking too much caffeine, and huffily assessing how wet I’d get if I went for a walk in this rain, telling myself that ‘tomorrow is another day’.
Today I decided to delve into Substack – this ‘new’ writing thing I’ve heard people talking about – for inspiration and to calm my frantic nerves, and I had one of those rare moments where a few lines spark something in me, I remember why words matter so much, and I suddenly need to write anything (as probably testified by the length of this comment). The below paragraph made me glow, and reminded me that I have lots to write about, even when I think I have nothing to write about. Thank you.
“I even watched Neil Patrick Harris’ “lazy Saturday” Instagram stream, something I would never normally do but did today. It was all sleepy dogs and video games and bliss and avocado toast, and I watched it all to the very end, with mild interest that matured into mild self-loathing. It was time for a second pot of coffee, decaf this time because even though the day was still young I had already tasted some of its defeat. I sat back down to write but ended up contemplating the weather instead, and whether I should take advantage of its unseasonableness.”
I love this post!! (And have had such a Saturday many times before myself). Reminds me of the Don DeLillo quote: "A writer takes earnest measures to secure his solitude and then finds endless ways to squander it."
(Please more Sophia posts!)
I loved this and all of the German coffee that went into it! You know you had me at : “I sat back down to write but ended up contemplating the weather instead, and whether I should take advantage of its unseasonableness”
It's so rare that I laugh out loud and I did so many times. Calling each of your parents even though they're sitting next to each other. Itching lycra. Spreading Nutella on a bagel wearing an unnecessary sports bra. You need to put out a book.
It isn’t every day you can watch Jules and Jim at Film Forum, especially with that particular friend (who has excellent taste.) The pleasures of living are their own art. And Sunday is a great day for writing too!
Well if this isn’t just perfect 🫠 I hope to someday experience the evocative combination of Nutella, bagel, and sports bra — divine
This was good, you should Not Write more often
Perfection in all its honesty. Thank you, Sophia
Yes. Thanks. It’s good to be unproductively productive together with others. Especially unknowingly.✌️