the creative minimalist

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My journal set up for 2023

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My current 2023 journal set up

This week’s vlog is all about the journals I am using at the beginning of 2023. This year I am using a mix of paper and digital planners and journals. I’ll revisit this later to see how I am doing, what has worked and what has changed. Click above to watch on YouTube or below to view here.

https://youtu.be/UFMSrfF3Gd8

Here are links to the software mentioned in the video:
Things 3 (digital to-do list)
Day One (digital journal)
Scrivener (fiction writing software)

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

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Holiday Season Creative Field Notes

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It is that strange time between Christmas and the New Year. It is a time of false starts, of quiet, of planning, of this and that, and of nothing, because everything feels on hiatus. It is a downtime but also pregnant with possibility. The perfect time to stop and reflect on where I am with creative projects.

The Creative Minimalist Blog

I am doing some planning for this blog. I need to give myself some regular deadlines and break the process down into manageable chunks. If I see a task and it is too big I run away from it, procrastinate and wait until it is too late to post.

This Temple Eden Music

I have just completed and shared Music to journal by. This took far longer than I expected. It means there are now even more unfinished songs and soundtracks in various states of disrepair. I am going to finish these. I have a plan formulating that will enable me to, as above, break down the projects into manageable steps.

Fragments is the working title of the current track being finished. I have a page full of draft lyrics… time to edit and shape. Here’s a snippet, or fragment of fragments.

Memories surface as the season turned
chilled reminders of a former tide

pLAnarchy and waoao

Next on the list is thinking about what to do with pLAnarchy and waoao. How much time can or should I spend on freelance work vs other creative projects that could provide some income? I suppose my thinking here is deciding what do I enjoy doing… what would get me up in the morning?

Creative writing

There is also the writing. I seem to have stopped my creative writing. But I would like to get back into the habit. Again, how much time do I have and where does this go on the priority list? I have a pile of unfinished drafts that need attention. There is a pattern emerging with regard to my completing projects I think. So. How can I plan and work productively?

Tools of the trade

I am deciding what journal(s) and planning methods to keep me focussed, know what I should be doing and keep myself accountable.

Things 3 is my digital planner and I write regularly in Day One. I also have a Diary and Spiritual journal that are coming to an end in a few days as the year ends. I think they will be replaced with a simple bullet journal and a long-hand journal, but I am still undecided. I thought writing here might help clarify. Perhaps it has, I’ll post more next week for the first Creative Field Notes of 2023.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

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Prognosis fear — Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

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A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring fear to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. Warning: this prompt may trigger deep emotions if you have or are dealing with illness. You may want to avoid it.

The doctor glanced one final time at the computer monitor, as if for confirmation. She then turned to me and said… Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

The doctor glanced one final time at the computer monitor, as if for confirmation. She then turned to me and said…

Writing Prompt Expanded

This Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is all about the narrator’s reaction. It is linked to my weekly creative prompt ‘fear’. So often, as we wait for something we spend our time worrying about what will happen, we fear the outcome. This is a learned response, however, without all the facts our fear is often unfounded. We go to the doctor because we don’t know. The doctor is the one who can interpret the situation correctly.

The doctor is about to speak:

  • What do they say?
  • What is the reaction?
  • Is it positive or negative news, or even something else?
  • Are the words for the narrator or another member of the family?
  • What is the emotional response?

Writing this prompt in the first person allows you to really get under the skin of your character. There is an emotional scene in the TV series Breaking Bad. Walter White is told that he has terminal lung cancer. The doctor is talking, but Walter isn’t listening to the words. Walter is focussed on a sauce stain on the doctor’s coat. That’s Walter’s reaction to the doctor’s words. What will the reaction be in your fiction?

This may trigger very personal memories. Don’t attempt to use this prompt if that is so. However, it can be a good way to begin exploring your feelings and emotions, of the past and perhaps the future. Do seek professional help and guidance if you want to explore this further.

As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose or some personal journal time. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments or tag me #ffwp or @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

Original medical image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

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Pausing at a Pace

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pausing at a pace - journal page

It is always good to stop and pause. It feels to me like this past year, with lockdown and the virus, has all been about ‘pause’. But it hasn’t, not really. Things have been happening. Nothing really stands still. We continue to eat, drink, breathe, move.

The problem is that it feels like we are on a pause. Because of this, we don’t take time to actually stop and take a moment. A moment to give thanks, to be grateful. A time to remember all that we have even in this time of loss and restriction.

We should take time to pause at this moment because soon, things will begin to move at a pace. Then we will have even more need to pause, but at least we will know why.

Take a moment to pause, to really pause and be grateful.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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