The Anti-Schedule Philosophy
All that ‘stuff’ between appointments and regular routine will happen when I want it to happen.
Hello!
Dayle here.
Anyone else ever feel like they might have a handle on one or two or more parts of their life, but then something else completely slips away from them?
For instance, I have our weekly dinners and some lunches set and organised thanks to Hello Fresh (not an advertisement or paid spruik), but keeping track of what’s on at my kid’s daycare? My brain cannot compute.
We forgot it was school photos the other week and my two-and-a-half-year-old almost had his professional school photo taken in a shirt with the Ghostbusters tagline ‘I ain’t afraid of no ghost’ on it. Luckily, I was able to pop home, pick a dressier outfit and drop it in before the photo-taking started.
Even if I had completely forgotten/didn’t have time to arrange an outfit drop-off, and he did in fact have a photo taken in that shirt, I wouldn’t have worried much and would’ve appreciated the hilarity of it all. But it just goes to show I simply can’t keep track of everything going on.
Some weeks I’m on top of housework, but my writing is sorely neglected. Other weeks I am crushing the writing projects, but I don’t keep up with the socials. You might think, ah gad, she’s all over the shop, must be stressful.
But the truth is, I’m the most content and least stressed I’ve ever been.
I know I could be one of those people who keeps a stricter to-do list, uses reminders on my phone more often, stays on top of every single minute of my life with a schedule (because I used to be that person), but …
Doing so stresses me out, leaves me cramming way too much in, anxious when I can’t complete things in a timely manner. It’s exhausting and generally places my own needs and wants by the wayside.
It means after a while I am not a happy Dayle.
And trust me, nobody wants to deal with that person. My patience thins for rude people (especially line-cutters), tolerance for a-hole drivers does not exist, and if I had a swear jar, well, I’d need about five of those.
I’ve come to realise the less intensely scheduled I am, the more content I am. And the more content I am, the less stressed I get when I do forget those minor blips in my life, like the school photos.
I am a-okay with this, as long as I can stay in touch with loved ones, provide a healthy yummy dinner for my family, keep on top of weekly appointments, check my emails once a week, and write almost every second day. Oh and roller skate once a week.
Just bear with my random forgetfulness, my late responses to messages and emails, my sometimes blasé attitude toward latest trends or news in just about any area other than writing and books.
Hope you’re all doing a-okay with whatever it is you’ve got going on, and are still finding time to write.
Write on fellow creatives!
Check Out Some of the Latest Stories
The Diary of Self-Doubt by Dayle Fogarty. An all too common confidence toppler, self-doubt is depicted in this story like some weird creeper, lurking in the shadows, waiting to show up when you’d rather it not.
Book Review
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin.
‘… she had a gentle soul wrapped in razor wire, but the sharp edges are not her fault. The world trained her to violence, to ferocity, because it hates so much of what she is.’
How to effectively describe this book without giving away spoilers or pushing my own perception of it onto others?
Cities that have avatars? City Avatars. Or humans who represent cities with a demigod like prowess? Cities with human souls? So many possible analogies, but all of them don’t do it justice, but will hopefully provide an inkling into what to expect. Read more.
What’s On
Opening the Books: What Publishing is Really All About |Join publishing expert Juliet Rogers for a one-day workshop demystifying the publishing process. Find out more.— 22 May, 2021.
Hay Festival 2021 | On the opening night, writers join forces with stars of stage and screen in a unique celebration of the power of words. Find out more. — 26 May, 2021.
Emerging Writers Festival —Over 50 events taking place including workshops, talks, performances, and more with a combination of online and in-person. ‘EWF provides opportunities for emerging writers to develop professionally, and supports them to engage new and larger audiences.’ — June 16–26, 2021.
Madeleine Milburn Mentorship Programme — Running for its second year, this mentorship programme takes place over six months with spots for eight aspiring authors with at least half reserved for underrepresented voices— Now–July 1.
Words on the Waves Writers Festival — A brand new writing festival taking place on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia. Words on the Waves will include workshops, author talks, book signings, and more — June 11–14.
Twitter Pitch Parties
PitDark |For writers of ‘dark’ literature, which can include: horror, dark fantasy, murder mysteries, psychological horror stories, paranormal, non-fiction works about darker subjects, and more. Check the link for a more extensive list. Use the hashtag #PitDark — May 20, 2021, 8am — 8pm EST.
PitMad | The original Twitter pitch party, PitMad is open to all unpublished works of all genres and categories. See the link above for an extensive list of hashtags— June 3, 2021, 8AM — 8PM EST.
PBPitch | For picture book manuscripts. You can pitch as many manuscripts as you like but you can only send out two pitches per manuscript. There’s lots of info via the link above and the website has a handy list of picture book agents too — June 17, 2021, 8AM — 8PM EST.
PitchDis | For unagented disabled writers with completed manuscripts in all genres and categories. For more specific info you can check out rules and guidelines here — June 22, 2021, 8AM — 8PM EDT.
Writing Resources
Australian Writers Centre programs | Online LIVE: From the comfort of your own home in a live Zoom video-based classroom. Online classroom: These courses begin on a set date, with an online tutor and other classmates learning at the same time. Online self-paced: These courses are ready to go ‘on demand’. You don’t have a tutor but you do get instant access and can revisit the content for up to 12 months.
#MomsWritersClub YouTube channel | A hashtag and chat that originated on Twitter has now expanded to YouTube. Episodes cover writing and being a parent along with the challenges of trying to do both at the same time.
Where Else Can You Find SBR?
Pop by to say hello on Instagram.
‘If I were off my rocker, would I take a weekly selfie with my cat?’ ― Winston Bishop (New Girl)
