this and that Archives - Caroline Starr Rose

Writing Links and My Annual Internet Break

Every year since 2012, I’ve taken an Internet break in July. That was the summer I read The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. Some of the book feels dated now with its talk of The Web and The Net, but its message is still relevant: The Internet with its limitless choices can leave us scattered and distracted.

Usually I sign off on the blog and social media at the same time, but this year I left Instagram and Twitter in June. It has been a wonderful break.

Now it’s time to say goodbye here, at least for a little while. Feel free to dig through the archives (almost twelve years of posts!) or enjoy a bit of quiet yourself. I’ll see you again in August.

For now, I leave you with some interesting links —

“As far as I knew then, Black girls like me didn’t exist in books. And as physics would have it, people who don’t exist can’t go on adventures or solve mysteries or fall in love or save the universe. Which meant that I, as a nonexistent entity, wasn’t capable of any of those things.”

Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living by Nic Stone :: Cosmopolitan

“Authors and book publishing employees are speaking out against the homogeneity of their industry and how much writers of color are paid, issues that are gaining urgency as protests against systemic racism continue around the U.S.”

#PublishingPaidMe and a Day of Action Reveals an Industry Reckoning :: NYTimes

“The exposure of your deepest self…is what real writing demands.”
“Stories truly told can give us a key to unlock for each other those ‘thoughts that often lie too deep for tears.’”

Katherine Paterson :: Written Together (a 28-minute video that’s worth every second)

This treasure hunt was the inspiration behind One-Eyed Riley’s abandoned mine in Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine.

Forrest Fenn Confirms His Treasure Has Been Found :: Santa Fe New Mexican

Forrest Fenn finally shared photos of his discovered treasure amid doubts that it was actually found :: CNN

The value of creative outlets that have nothing to do with writing.

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In January, I started and finished my very first real crochet project — a lap-sized blanket of soft, chunky yarn (that looks deceptively like my dog when she has sticks and leaves stuck to her fuzzy coat). I also got this close to finishing a revise-on-my-own-while-I-wait-for-my-editorial-letter round with my manuscript, MIRACULOUS.

Since last summer, it has been my monthly goal to finish this round of edits. Yes, you read that correctly. I made great gains at my writing retreat in the fall, only to spend a solid three weeks stuck in one chapter. I’ve circled back to the beginning of the manuscript again and again to see how best to push to the end (because I solidly believe most questions I have about a piece of writing can be solved by returning to the text).

Man, it hasn’t been what I’ve planned. Wow, I’ve learned a lot about writing this particular book.

That’s my writing life, pretty much, in a nutshell.

I’ve always wanted to learn some sort of handiwork, and at the end of last year I settled on crochet. My mom gave me a bag of hooks and yarn for Christmas,* and armed with a How-To-Crochet booklet and plenty of YouTube videos, I dove in.

It has been SO MUCH FUN.

Unlike writing, a crochet project progresses in measurable ways. Much like running, it’s steady rhythm has felt restorative. Using my hands lets my brain go on autopilot and gives my mind the space and time it needs to do its behind-the-scenes creative work.

If you are a writer, have you found a creative outlet unrelated to your work?

*My younger son took one look and said, “Mom, are you learning how to be a granny?” I can tell you he now thinks my blanket is pretty darn cool.

There is no such thing as behind.

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I’m coming to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with me just as there’s nothing wrong with you when your actions don’t fit what may seem expected or obvious or when you leave opportunity on the table in favor of something more meaningful to you at the time. You aren’t missing out, and neither am I.

When it comes to creativity, personal development, spiritual formation and life with God, your pace is your pace and there’s no such thing as behind.
— Emily P. Freeman

I am a goal setter and a dreamer. I want to live a life rich with meaning. These good things sometimes plague me with their demands, especially when it comes to my work. As a person who loves to measure change and chart progress, I unwittingly ratchet up expectations: When I’ll finish a draft. What I’ll tackle this month. The new projects I’ll begin this year. The old ones I’ll complete. What I’m saying is I can be relentless. I’m not always my own encourager and friend.

When there’s progress in my work, that growth often comes with conditions. It’s sometimes hard for me to appreciate if it happens outside the timeframe I intended or unfolds differently than I first hoped. I’m quick to despair and fret and worry, and whew, it wears me out.

I love the gracious words Emily Freeman speaks. Her thoughts aren’t new or revolutionary. I’ve posted similar sentiments here before. But if you, like me, need a reminder that life and creativity are not a race, I invite you to take a deep breath.

May you face whatever is before you in your time. On your terms. Without condemnation but with the freedom to enjoy — even celebrate.