once more unto the breach, dear friends

peering blearily into 2025...updates and a spot of housekeeping

(my dream home. jk. or am i?) Photo by m wrona on Unsplash

I imagine you have an influx of “New Year, New Me/My Big Fat Plans for 2025/Make it the Best Year Ever”-flavoured media flooding your awareness these days,making you not want to read another word (though I may be projecting), so I will keep this first one brief. (spoiler alert: there’s none of that New Year Magnificence in this letter)

TL:DR - the Silent Scribble is restarting on January 13th, the Sunday Scribble has been shelved indefinitely, and paid subscriptions will start back up on January 17th — so for anyone offering monthly support (thank you!) now’s the time to check in with yourself to see if it’s something you wish/are able to continue. 🐝

Greetings from hibernation!

I didn’t expect to resume posting quite so soon, but in the spirit of not having a plan, here I am, fully at the whim of my daemon-muse.

Also, I needed to update the Silent Scribble links so there’s that.

How were your holidays? Mine were quiet, which is just how we like it around here. Minimal social obligations, everything gentle and low-demand. Perfect for quiet contemplation and the restoration of energy reserves - creative and otherwise. We are moste pleased. I’ve had a lovely long rest and am feeling all the better for it - I already feel more energized (such as one can in the depths of a wintry hibernation) and ready to continue with my writing projects and everything else I have percolating in my brain. Points scored for honouring my personal creative cycle. Go, me!

And that, dear Reader, is my proposed theme for this year - one of honouring my own natural rhythms and preferences, with complete disregard for how they fit into (or don’t, as the case most often is) the wider cultural narrative, especially around creativity.

As such, I’m shelving the Sunday Scribble, indefinitely. I don’t think there’s enough value in it for most people (that’s fine - my feelings aren’t hurt) so I don’t see the point in spending my creative energy pennies in that realm when I can invest them elsewhere. I’m considering amalgamating them all into one large document so that the folk who like to dip in and out of them can do so more easily. Until then, they’re all still available in the Sunday Scribble tab on the home page.

Also - the Silent Scribble will be resuming with the 1pm EST session on Monday, January 13th. I’m keeping the same days/times (Mondays, 1pm EST and Wednesdays, 8am EST) as that seemed to work well. We tended to have a small group of familiar faces at each session, but it would be lovely to see some new faces as well. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in but would prefer a different day/time…I’m always open to exploring other options. Details and links are to be found HERE.

Paid subscriptions have been on pause since late November when I started to run out of steam. I’ve been sitting with whether or not to keep up with them and have ultimately decided to do so. The small income I get from those few generous folk (and from those buying me a cuppa) helps to off-set the cost of my Zoom subscription which is a great help to me, and allows me to keep things like the Silent Scribble open to everyone, as well as offering my other writing here. I’m deeply grateful, as this shows me you’re wanting me to continue offering my work at no charge; removing financial accessibility barriers is very important to me and together we can take this small step to a more equitable world. That said, a free subscription also means the world to me. ❤️

Now what?

“Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood…”

Why I’m quoting King Henry¹, I’ve no idea…perhaps I feel the need for a rousing kick up the arse…

…nah, never mind.

*sinks back into sloth*

I’m going to hold off on sharing my (un)plans for this year for a couple more weeks when I properly return to the busy world² (preview: I’m thinking in terms of projects and horizon goals, rather than anything set in stone). Suffice it to say, there will be words. There’s a bookish round-up next on the agenda because I’ve decided to throw myself, unapologetically, into my book-nerdishness. I plan to separate my bookish stuff into another section, so if you don’t want to read my frothing diatribes on all-things-books, you don’t have to. More information on that to come forthwith.

Enjoy these early days of January, dear Reader…don’t succumb to the bustle-mongers and the hustle-bros and their maniacal, shrieking Do Everything Now Or Else propaganda, if that’s not your natural speed. Go at your own pace. Be the tortoise. Everything happens at the right time etc. etc.

see you when the mince pies run out,

~m. xo

1. Incidentally, I’m picturing Sir Kenneth Branagh in my head (who made my nerdy teenaged heart *swoon*)

2. Spoiler: I actually don’t intend to return to the ‘busy world’ at all…more on that, anon.