Lifestyle

Currently

During the Fourth of July weekend, my husband and I went to the movies THREE TIMES. We saw the new Spider-Man movie, Midsommar, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. We also watched the entire third season of Stranger Things.

By Sunday I felt guilty about all that screen time and was beating myself up for not using the weekend to do more reading and writing. But when I got a last-minute freelance assignment that Monday the piece I wrote for the assignment was an essay inspired by one of the movies I’d watched over the weekend. Thanks to the inspiration from that film the words flowed from my fingers effortlessly.

I remembered that this is exactly why I love when other writers share the things they’re currently into and why I occasionally do the same on this blog. Pop culture can be a cornucopia of creative inspiration.

So it’s time for another edition of Currently, a feature for which I share what I’m currently watching, reading, listening to, writing, feeling, planning, and loving.

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Why You Should Write a Love Letter to Your Body

I believe every woman should write a love letter to her body several times a year. One should be in January. You know, that time of year when we pinch and poke the heft on our hips or the bulge of our bellies. That time of year when we vow to try Whole30 or the Keto diet and to go to the gym every single day. It is at such a time as this that we need to remind our body that we will love her even if she looks exactly the same on December 31.

We should also write one just before summer, that time of year when we’re disappointed or perhaps even angry because we don’t have that “beach body” we’d planned to have by May.

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How to Create a Morning Routine

My alarm sounds at 4 a.m. playing an instrumental version of Beyoncé’s “Yonce.” When my alarm goes off the message on my phone reads “Beyoncé would get up.” Sometimes I set my alarm message to read “Be writeous, babe,” a nod to my old blog. Other times the message simply says, “Write!” But when this alarm sounds I get out of bed and start my morning routine.

Because I teach full-time, write part time and run a blog and business people often ask me how I do all the things that I do. My morning routine is the answer. If you’re struggling to find time to build your blog, finish your book, or launch your freelance writing career, creating a morning routine may help you finally make time for your dreams. 

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Currently: Writer’s Edition

It’s time for another edition of Currently, a feature for which I share what I’m currently into in hopes that you’ll find something that inspires you. Usually, I share what I’m watching, reading, listening to, writing, feeling, planning, and loving, but I’ve decided to switch things up a bit and share things that pertain specifically to the writing life. So here’s what I’m currently writing, revising, pitching, and planning. And I’ll also share what I’m reading, loving and feeling just for fun.

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On Writing and Aging Gracefully

Check out my new column in Birmingham Magazine!

Award-winning poet Ashley Jones (who’s also a colleague and friend) once told me that she writes to better understand the world. I’m pretty sure I do the same. But I recently realized that I also write to better understand myself.

I’m happy to announce that in 2019 I’ll be writing a new column for Birmingham magazine. Also titled See Jane Write, this column will cover cultural issues that many women face. For my debut piece, I wrote a raw and real personal essay on my struggle to embrace the beauty of aging and in doing so started to understand why I’m suddenly so worried about getting older.

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