writing boundaries for 2024

dawn letter XXV

2024. The first year (since taking writing seriously) that writing isn’t a priority.

It’s a year for rest, for healing, for calling the wild, lost parts of me home.

While writing isn’t my focus this year, I need words like I need air. But there’s a balance to be struck, which is why one of the first things I’ve done this year is define my writing boundaries.

I’m sharing them in the hopes it will inspire other writers to create their own!

1. I’m allowed to take a break. Time and energy are a writer’s most precious resources — and they’re limited. Sometimes it feels like we need to consistently ‘show up’, stick to a publishing schedule, or do more to be valued. But that’s where burnout lies. I don’t want to miss another beautiful moment because I’m too burnt out or tired. I’ll pause for as long as I need. Not simply to produce more art but because my body and soul crave rest and healing.

2. I don’t put pressure on writing. This year, my creative writing is for enjoyment. For me. No deadlines, no musts, no shoulds.

3. I don’t question my gut. Ideas grow cold and ashamed under too much scrutiny. Like those raw words tapped out at 2 am in a notes app, which suddenly read like my teenage diary by morning’s light. Yet what does the day know of moonlit words? They came from the heart, and I promise to never ever cast the innermost longings of my heart into exile. To write true I must surrender to the strange, silent pull of intuition which rarely leads me astray.

4. I don’t compare my writing to someone else’s. It’s the golden rule. Yet I’d bet my soul it’s the one we writers break most often. Why we write is often a mystery. Sometimes it’s best to follow the dark undertow of inspiration and not judge the strange little words that appear as a result. I choose to ignore the magnetic runes other writers are carving as best I can (for they are likely drinking from a different, wholly inaccessible but equally mysterious source) and become the guardian-nymph of my own sacred pool. Even if — especially if — the waters feel dark and swampy.

5. I will not compromise rest, my physical health, or peace of mind for a writing deadline. Self explanatory.

6. I read more than I write. You can’t pour from an empty cup. And is there anything more nourishing, more revitalising to a writer than a book you can’t put down? A story that simmers under your skin, characters who haunt your every step?

7. I will stay out of readers’ heads. Nothing makes me cringe and want to hit ‘delete’ on everything I’ve ever written faster than imagining what others think about my writing. Even worse, I’ll let words gather dust instead of sharing them. But I don’t need anyone to approve of my writing, and what others think is none of my business.

8. I don’t accept writing advice from someone who doesn’t write. Feedback, yes. Advice, no. I’ve also found that people who don’t write dish out the harshest and most vague criticisms. Probably because they don’t know what they’re talking about.

9. I get to choose where, when, and who I share my writing with. I’m healing, but I’m not weak. Words matter to me. I get to save the best of what I write for me and the kindred spirits who appreciate them.

Do any of these resonate? What’s your non-negotiable boundary this year?

Whether your year is one of rest or action I hope 2024 brings you magic!