Places I Write
Or rather, where my writing can be found
Busy days require multiple (types of ) drinks.
I’m treading water creatively, as is my custom in August when the day job is out of control. But I realized this week that I don’t think I’ve mentioned all the places where my writing ends up in some form or another. So this post lays out most of where my writing goes currently and what I hope to do in the future.
Keep in mind that this is just one example of a writing life. It is not meant as an outline of best practices or the ideal path. There are many, many ways of having a satisfying writing life. Some are paid; some are not. Some are online and available to the world; many are behind the scenes and seldom see an audience. So feel free to try what sounds good to you and leave the rest.
Hand-written journals - This is the part of my writing that no one else ever reads, but it is essential to my creative process. I have multiple journals going at a time because they all serve different purposes. I have:
a journal for morning pages - daily stream-of-consciousness practice
a wellness journal (the one that most closely serves the traditional purpose of a journal) - a somewhat daily account of what happened/how I slept (a neverending struggle)/what I’m grateful for/how the day went/how I feel about all of it
a book of books (a Bob, if you will) - mostly lists of which books I read each month and how many pages they have
an ideas journal - a little book (the current one is purple) that I carry around in my bag to jot down story or plot ideas that occur when I’m nowhere near my writing desk. See also: the notes app on my phone.
a goal tracker - a notebook of graph paper where I break down resolutions and other long(ish)-term goals into smaller habits and track how often I engage in them (and yes, it’s color-coded)
an art+ journal - what started out as a spiral-bound sketchbook/scrapbook has expanded to include quotes and advice I want to especially remember from books I’m reading, vision boards, collages of comforting/inspiring/aesthetically pleasing images, rough floor plan sketches of houses/libraries I design in my head, daydreams, etc.
Copywriting job - I write for BKA Content, an SEO company that links clients with freelance customers. I like that they find the jobs, liaise with the clients, edit our pieces, and collect payment. All I do is choose the teams/pieces I want and write them. If you’re looking for a little extra pocket change, check it out!
Main blog/website - Most of my blogging is done at msuzanneterry.com. I mostly talk about books but also discuss goals and dreams and occasionally current events. Someday, when I’m published, it will be my author website.
Newsletters, zines and shows - My art collective, Spiderweb Salon, puts out an occasional newsletter called “What Now?” and I try to contribute to it at least twice a year. I also occasionally write (and perform) pieces from my short story and essay collections in progress at various shows and with ensembles I’m a part of.
Medium - I have not decided what I want my Medium content to be. Maybe random bits of advice. Maybe recipes. Maybe I’ll learn new things and document my progress. But I want to post there someday because I like their payment model. Whereas on Substack, you subscribe and pay each person, on Medium, you join as a subscriber (I pay $5 a month) to the site and the people whose articles you cheer get a cut. So the actual content drives the pay scale. And it’s way less expensive, which is nice for subscribers who may not be able to afford $6 or more a month to spend on every single person they want to follow (ahem, Substack).
All the other writing I am doing has yet to be published, but someday you’ll see it! Thanks for reading along in the meantime!