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Coming home early, 1000 words of summer, & journaling habits! (Patreon)

Published:
2024-07-15 20:28:24
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Originally this post was meant to be a "hello from Ireland!" but instead it's a "hello from my usual spot in Texas!"

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that I rarely leave my house except to visit the library and have recently been in super large crowds and on planes and trains and in automobiles,...I got sick.

Not only did I catch what is perhaps my worst cold in recent memory (though not COVID!), I also broke out into hives??? (And, I'd later find out, likely unrelated to the cold!)

I've never had hives before! They covered all over, but were especially fun around my joints:

You know those things that are like, "you don't know what you don't know?" Well I had no idea that hives got hot. Like, it makes sense, your skin is inflamed and swollen and red, so there's heat involved, but I was very ignorant of this.

It made sleeping difficult and everything itchy and if I had to review hives, I'd give it a 0/10. Here's a photo of me though, excited that my lip swelling had nearly vanished:

Anyways, what a way to finish out my 31st year bahaha. I'm hoping this trend of surprise health problems is over. Thankfully my doctor was very helpful, even from 4,700 miles away, and I grabbed some medicine at a couple different Dublin pharmacies and it mostly did the trick! Will it happen again? WHO KNOWS. Not I, not my doctor! Just sort of waiting and hoping it does not bahaha.

Still, between dealing with all that and missing my animals terribly, I decided it would be smarter to come home early.

This does mean that Vin can help me with work today, a task she's taken on with aplomb:

 

Minus the unfortunate end to the trip, I had an INCREDIBLE time in Dublin! I also bought so many books. Too many books. Enough books that I was worried my bags would be overweight but I just barely eked by!

Dublin is actually a UNESCO City of Literature (as is Barcelona!) and if you ever visit, I cannot recommend Hodges Figgis enough. It's Ireland's oldest bookstore, multi-level, and full of incredible recommendations.

(Although I only bought three of my new books from there. Others were purchased in Galway and Kilkenny!)

And shout out Alessandra for recommending I take a trip to Howth:

I love a good walk and Howth had an absolutely incredible one alongside the cliff!:

(I was very excited for the lighthouse in the background, which you can barely see in this photo bahaha.)

Another thing I'm excited about is our upcoming writing experiment!

 

I'd call this a resounding win! As I'm still recovering from whatever bug I caught and the little spike in health anxiety, I'm planning to start my "1000 Words of Summer" experiment next Monday, July 22nd. Two weeks, 1,000 words per day, hopefully the start to an even longer routine, and maybe a philosophy change or two!

My brother is moving up to Columbus, Ohio during that span as well and I've volunteered to help if he needs it. So this experiment might even see a road trip!

Let me know if you'd like to join along! And/or if you ended up picking up a copy of 1000 WORDS!

 

Finally, I'd like to end off today by asking you about your experience with journaling! Namely, what you journal about. But also, what's the frequency!? Is this a daily activity for you, a weekly wrap-up, or something you reach for when you can only sort your thoughts out by writing them down?

I got a really lovely comment from someone on YouTube asking if I'd have my dad back on my channel, since I talked about being so inspired by his travel logs and wanting to attempt keeping my own. We didn't get a chance to film in Ireland, but we did talk about what got him started with journaling, and it was so fascinating! (We will film another time, once he gets home bahaha.)

I also remember January's Crafts & Drafts book club pick, THE LAST DRAFT by Sandra Scofield, talking about the value in keeping a "writing journal" with your thoughts on how your WIP is progressing, realizations you've had, how you're feeling, etc.

So yes! Please let me know about your journaling habits, I'm very curious.

I'll pop in a couple days before the experiment launches to set up our Double Stream Days and send a reminder about our Crafts & Drafts book club pick of Big Magic. Until then, happy writing, y'all!! :)

Comments

Zara Hoffman

I journal daily about what needs to be done, what I accomplished in a day & normally any emotional events I want to document. The hives suck & as someone who gets them with allergies... I wonder if you had an allergic attack to something? Maybe see an allergist. But I'm glad you had a good trip, even if it got cut short!

alessandra

Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I just finished draft 1 of the 3rd story in my 3 part novella. I don't journal often. When I do, it's on a page in my bullet journal. It does not come easily for me and not the best way for me to reflect. In a weird way, writing and my art is a journaling outlet for me. Sometimes when I need to work through some emotions, I find the words come easier or my artworks are more successful.

Joanna Ortiz

SO SORRY you got sick!! I get hives on my hands and wrists all the time and the doctors have no idea why, just a combo of heat reaction and stress. It's scary when it's happening and I don't expect it. I got covid 2 weeks ago and thought I would have to push my trip, but I'm ok now (ish, still sniffly, but negative and non-contagious) and am getting on a plane tonight. I used to journal daily or at least every other day, but once I realized it had become more of a chore than something that was serving me mentally, I now do a monthly wrap-up sort of thing in my bujo, and that works for me much better. I also have a couple of email drafts where I note down lists or stray book thoughts, lines, etc.

katecavanaugh
>>143725067

It might've been!! My doctor wasn't sure if it was an allergic reaction or an autoimmune thing, so we're waiting to see if I get them a second time bahaha. So sorry you have to deal with them semi-regularly. :( Oooh, do you remember how long you've been journaling for and what made you get started? I've really enjoyed the times I've kept a daily log but find the habit easy to fall out of.

Zara Hoffman
>>143725067

Autoimmune stuff is similar to an allergy, but it's when there's nothing to actually react to. Both are an increase in histamine and it sucks... My therapist thinks I might actually have an autoimmune thing instead of a nut allergy but it's really hard to diagnose mass cell activation (I don't have lupus & fibro is also hard to diagnose)... I should have added that my journal also logs medical stuff

katecavanaugh
>>143725353

Ahhh, it was SUCH a great recommendation! One of the highlights of my trip for sure. CONGRATULATIONS on finishing the first draft! Ahhh, that's so exciting to be working on the final novella. Oooh, that's such a great point about how our art and creations can channel our emotions and be an outlet in the same way journaling is. I do often find myself conquering themes in my stories that WOULD be recurring themes in my journals (if I kept them regularly lolol).

Jordan Fiegehen

I’m glad the first half of your trip was fun! Ireland is definitely on my bucket list~ I had a similar reaction to antibiotics a few years ago! The worst hives around my knees 🫠 (my mum is allergic to being sick and her lips and eyes swell up like that 🥴 )

Bailey

I do morning pages which is just three pages of stream of consciousness & sometimes my WIP comes up. Otherwise I have a journal I use to scrapbook & write down memories. I’ve also started to brainstorm scene ideas in a notebook before I start writing & that’s been helping!

mothnaut

Oh no, sorry you got sick and had to cut your trip short! But I'm glad that you had a good time in Dublin and Howth despite that. I used to get hives because I was allergic to my body's own progesterone, lol. I do tarot journaling semi-regularly, and I also keep a 'project log' for my WIP where I note down what I'm working on, which sometimes turns into more of a journal. I find that really helpful!

Anja Kuemski

I'm sorry to hear that your travels were cut short by sickness. But at least you got to see some of Ireland's beauty and I'm sure it will be inspiring. As for journaling, I do a weekly wrap-up on more general stuff and non-regularly project related for my writing, so when facing a problem that I thought might be related to my writing I often see in retrospect that the problem was actually other unrelated stuff getting in the way not the writing itself.

Story Stitcher

OMG I did not know that my hometown was one the Cities of literature list.

Aced Coffee

All the best, hope you're getting better now that you're back home. I'm glad you were able to enjoy the first part of your journey though :) I did have a daily journal for quite a while but it got way too cluttered and unstructured, plus I tend to beat myself up and get stressed if I don't write something every day (and it has to be something new each day because repetition drives me bonkers 😂 ), so I stopped that and found a journaling approach that works with my neurotype. Now I have topical journals: - my bullet journal for things like my monthly projects, my annual reading list and so on, things that I like to keep track of without too much pressure (so not for appointments or stuff like that) - a mental health journal that I use whenever I feel down or read up on something or reflect on life - a food and physical health journal to help track my physical conditions - a gym journal, a small booklet that I use to track my sets, reps, weights and overall progress. It also motivates me to go to the gym in the first place because I love tracking things and writing down numbers - last but not least my "creative journals", if you want to call them that: a storycraft journal that I use to improve my writing with small exercises and online classes, and in addition to that also a poetry book for the same purpose. And a sketchbook that I take with me wherever I go in case inspiration strikes. So all in all I have at least 4 (+3) journals that I use whenever applicable, and zero pressure to use any of them. Some I haven't used in weeks, others I use on a daily basis and it works really well for my brain. It's just as all over the place and yet organized as I need it to be!

DonnaMarie

I treat journalling like a mental health habit. It's not everyday, my schedule doesn't allow that. But on the days that I can do it I try to, normally 4 days a week in the morning. I set a timer for 30 min and I brain dump. There are no intentions or goals for this time. Sometimes its a to do list or dumping feelings I am having. Sometimes its story or charachter development (and then I put the info into whatever I'm working on). The point is I get the swirling thoughts out of my head so they stop getting all the attention. Then I can move on with my day. It helps me. When I skip a week (which happens) I can normally feel it, like a clogged pipe with pressure building.

Clara Rose Elliott

I hope your health is on the mend. Journaling has evolved for me over the years. I started with morning pages and the stream of consciousness aspect. Over the years I began to make myself revisit old journals instead of relying on memory and that gave me insight into what I needed to journal. Like, earlier journals lacked certain awareness of the moment, I often wouldn't journal about things that seemed like, "oh, I'll remember this so there's no point in wallowing in the details". I do take breaks from journaling but I try to put in three to four days a week and I'm not too hard on myself if I don't get it done. I find that eventually I need to write in it because it's an effective brain dump. I've also got a separate writing journal where I make notes on my process, what's working, what isn't working, things I want to put in or emphasize but am not yet sure how to express in the work. I've also recently started a reading journal. Over the years I've decorated my journal pages ahead of time and during. Something about making it feel like play always makes it more fun when I go back to read and add notes. In essence it's a conversation with myself over time in an effort to learn how to better explore and express what's on my mind, what's going on in my life and what's happening in the world.

Misslucyjane

I'm so sorry your trip got cut short! Illness away from home is so weird.

Regina Duke

Good to know you are home safe!! And I was relieved to hear you were with your parents on your trip. Being sick abroad is rough, being sick and alone is really ugly. *hugs*

Regina Duke

Oops, the journal thing. I have kept a journal for at least 18 years, and I (mostly) make daily entries. If I miss, I at least try to fill in events for that day. My personal thoughts, piano practice, words written...all of it goes in the journal. Planning and accomplishments, rage and sorrow, political events that seem noteworthy (LOL, like the day we were all online with you on January 6)...it's all in my journals. I probably end up with 50 to 60 thousand words a year in my journal alone. I'm looking forward to your 1000 Words challenge. That used to sound like such a huge goal back in 2011. Now it sounds like a minimum (on average...there are days, like headaches, when nothing is written, so I have to make up for it...or at least I end up doing that). Your brother is moving to Ohio? Plan on lots of zoom calls. Try to stay off planes until you get well. (Every plane ride I ever took resulted in horrible colds, never failed.) Love you!!!