Discernment… for Better Living

Day 14 of 31: 200 Words-a-Day Challenge

Welcome to day 14 of this challenge, which is intended to help us (re)cultivate a writing habit, open our creativity, foster engagement and personal growth, and receive inspiration from what’s shared in this supportive community.

You know the drill by now… my 200+ words are below, along with a prompt for you… if you need it; feel free to write about something else. Just Write. To up the ante, I invite you to share what you’ve written in the comments or in Note. A tag or restack is appreciated.

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Discernment… for Better Living

I’ve spent a lot of time the last two weeks exploring Substack. It seems like a supportive and fairly seamless space for writers to share their writing, build a base of free and/or paid subscribers, and potentially earn income. For readers, Substack is an unlimited trove of ‘content’ on every topic imaginable by writers from all over the world.

Oh, the potentiality for rabbit holeness! Seriously, some really good writing is here, and I can easily wipe out hours just reading.

But my curiosity about Substack is due to the growing cohort of writers who are beginning to share fiction here.

☕ KimBoo York

,

S.E. Reid

,

Dale Mahfood

,

Meg Oolders

, to name but a few. Soon, I will be too. (If you're writing fiction here, as well, share your link in the comments so we can check it out.)

Not to mention all those who are creating a supportive ecosystem for us, such as

Jackie Dana

with the

Fictionistas

and

The Practicing Writer 2.0: A Newsletter from Erika Dreifus

. (I’m sure there are others; I’m still learning and exploring!)

I’ve set up this publication, Gina’s Quill, and simply to learn the process and tech, I started by posting these prompts. Eventually, I’ll publish essays about writing and creativity, but more importantly, I’ll be sharing my fiction, as well as related research and discoveries. This is part of a renewed effort to give my fiction writing a more central role in my life.

The learning curve is sometimes overwhelming, sometimes exhilarating. Mostly, it’s a process of discernment; I’m still exploring how fully leaning into the life of a fiction writer will affect the other roles I’ve nurtured for the last decade—editor, creativity coach, retreat leader. What I’ll continue to do that’s necessary for earning a living, what I want to continue because I love doing it, and what I’ll let go.

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Your Prompt / Day 14 of 31

Is there a role, or simply some activity, you’ve pushed away and yet longed for? Something you’d like to make more central or regular in your day-to-day life? What people, places, things have influenced your choice to postpone or ignore it? To move you toward it, what will you keep? What will you release? What is one step you could take this week to move you closer to it?

Share and comment on others’ shares by: (1) being kind, (2) no critiquing (unless explicitly requested), (3) letting the writer know what in their writing resonated with you, or perhaps made you think differently or gave you a ‘aha.’

Thanks for joining me in this challenge! Please invite your friends.