Woo Wednesday
Welcome to July, friends! I’m not really sure how this happened. Just yesterday it was March and I was looking forward to making plans for the summer. Now it’s deep summer and I have no plans but to stay inside as much as possible.
But we still have things to celebrate!
Woo Workshop
I’m getting myself more organized when it comes to this newsletter. I’ve created a editorial calendar so I don’t have to think of topics on the fly and can have some more continuity of content. Moving forward, each month’s craft posts will focus on a theme, and I’ll be integrating it into these Woo Wednesday posts, as well.
The theme for July is: WORD CRAFT
All of my craft posts will be about how to make your words sing on the page and do a lot of the heavy lifting in your stories. My Woo posts will include nods to writers, books, and media that inspire me in this theme.
Moving forward, all of the Monday craft posts will be for paid subscribers only. This will keep craft posts out of your inbox if you’re here because you’re just interested in hearing about book news and fun life stuff. On the other hand, it helps me pay the bills while I share the hard-won knowledge I’ve gain through fifteen years in publishing.
Here’s a list of previous craft post topics in case you want to know what you’ll have access to immediately when you sign up.
If you have a friend or family member who might be interested in learning about writing craft and the writing life, point them this way!
Woo Tarot
Y’all know I love some tarot. I had a brief, intense flirtation with TikTok earlier this summer. I eventually had to intervene with myself after losing sleep to watching Millenials and GenZ lipsync to songs I haven’t heard before. Anyway, I did find some creators I really liked, and one of them was Mantis Tarot, who luckily has a Instagram account. I even ordered a signed copy of his book, Truly Easy Tarot. Yes, I did need another tarot book, don’t judge me.
Image Ima
Image Source: Mantis tarot
I like this one because the entries are clear and informative, and it’s easy to use as reference in readings. It also has a cool list of 20 spreads to try in the back. If tarot is your thing, check out Truly Easy Tarot.
Woo Research
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately reading about Appalachian history. I’m working on a book that will be a prequel to High Lonesome Sound. It’s set in the same area but during the late-1800s.
Anyway, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of colorful history from this time period. Here’s an example of an excerpt I read in Foxfire vol 2.
I love little details like this because it makes my imagination spark like a Roman candle. I’m having a lot fo fun learning everything I can and working on this story that features sin eating, a mysterious foundling, and a region in the throes of an industrial colonization.
Woo Ink
I’m not a pen snob, but I am … particular about my writing instruments. I prefer blue ink to black, and I often prefer green or purple to anything else. I also like a medium writing tip and a pen with some weight in the hand.
A long time ago, I bought my first Lamy Fountain pen. It was nice. Not too expensive for a fountain pen, and it worked way better than the Mont Blanc I got for my graduate school graduation.
I find that fountain pens aren’t my favorite for every day writing, though. I tried Lamy’s ballpoint pen recently (see pink pen in image below), but it wasn’t awesome and it came with black ink. Yes, I know I can replace the cartridge but I don’t like the writing texture well enough to go through the hassle.
Then I found the Lamy Rollerball (blue pen in image above). This beauty came with blue ink (yeah!) and I like the way my writing looks when I use it. The only drawback is that the finger rest can bite into my middle finger when writing for long periods. I might see if I can find a buffer or something to make it more comfortable.
Otherwise, my go-to pens are the Pentel Energel .7mm rollerball, the Uniball Vision Elite (this is my favorite purple ink by far), and the GellyRoll 08 by Sakura.
What’s your favorite pen? Rollerball, ballpoint, fountain? Let’s debate in the comments!