How’s that for a 70-year-old lady who’s still in her bathrobe
at 11:30 am?
Just kidding. I don’t get dressed anymore, so it’s the
casual look all day long for me. Come to think of it, I think maybe it’s time
for an upgrade. Maybe a house dress. My mother, or my grandmothers, used to
wear them. Actually, I remember my great-grandmother, Neddie, wearing them.
They were always the kind that buttoned down the front. That she wore a girdle
even in the hot weather of summer is a nod to how old she was, and that’s just
what they did in those days. Think of Minnie Pearl, who was a
tad younger than my great-grandmother, and you’ve got what I’m thinking of.
Actually, if I had a nice straw hat that I could put that headband on and, if I
got another go-to meeting dress, match that outfit, well, yes, that’s the
ticket.
I believe I’ll need to design my own. I’ll dig through my
material and find a sheet to work with. That sounds good. I may not go out much
anymore, but sheets were something I used to look through at the Goodwill thrift
store. I mean, with material as expensive as it is these days, and for the
amount of material you can get with a sheet, well, it would likely cost a good
$100. If I spent $5 for it, well, hey, so much the better. Besides, back in the
day people made clothes out of flour sacks.
So, it sounds like a good plan. I could even make some
slippers out of the same fabric. And a hair band. A really ritzy outfit that I
could…wait for it…wear on a podcast.
Consider this a teaching moment for those of you out there
who are stuck for something to write about. When I sat down here a moment ago,
I really didn’t know what I was going to write about. All I knew was that it would be about writing.
One of the things that, as a new writer back in the day that
would be so stressful to me was finding something worthwhile to write about. In
those days, first of all, I’d be instantly stymied. No idea would get through.
It was just this welling up of fear that hurt almost as much as an upset
stomach. Then, the hopelessness of my situation would roll in next as I thought
to myself, I was not only a bad writer, but I was hopeless. Then, dismay would
roll in right on the heels of the terror and fear, and I’d think to myself that
I’d never be a writer because I couldn’t think of anything to write about.
If I ever write a book about writing, I believe I’d devote
an entire chapter to this subject of Imposter Syndrome.
This is an illustration of the expectations you have for
yourself colliding with the fear you hold.
It’s just not a good mix.
So, what do you do?
My solution was to sit there and wait it out. Sometimes, I
would walk away and do something else. In those days, it was drinking. Now,
because I no longer drink, I’ll do something else. But I’ve also discovered
something about where to get an idea.
It’s from other creative types. If I go on one of my writing
platforms at Medium
and Substack
and read what the other writers are doing, many times I’ll get an idea. I am
not copying anything. It’s all based on a thought that I have, an idea that
sparks as I’m reading. It may or may not follow what they’ve written. It’s just
a stepping stone.
Over the years, I’ve also toyed with the idea of job jars,
except they’d be idea jars just for me. So, that’s a possibility too. What
would I put in something like that?
- Remember something from childhood that was fun.
Like how we made ourselves sick twirling around in the round chair in the
living room. Or, how the alphabet letters in our cereal were so neat to look
at. Post discontinued the cereal in 2021 and then brought it back briefly in
2025. Meanwhile, you can look for another product called Alpha Bites from a
company in Belgium that might do the trick. It’s expensive, but just chew it
slowly.
- Think of a fragrance you haven’t smelled in
years. Trace it back to where you first smelled it. Like Chanel No. 5 was what
my grandmother wore. Or Windsong, the fragrance I wore when I was a young
woman. Or ask yourself what you think of when you smell an apple pie or some
food that you like.
- Remember the animals you’ve had in your life. We’ve
been blessed in that we have always had cats in our family. When I was growing
up, there were cats and dogs. Occasionally, we’ve had birds. Currently, we have
three cats and two parakeets.
- Your hobbies. For me, that would be drawing, sewing, crocheting, knitting, creating jewelry, drawing zentangles, solving Sudoku puzzles, writing crossword puzzles, making dolls, making doll houses, cooking, baking…just pretty much anything sounds like fun to me.
Just remember, if you are interested in something, you can
write about it.
Also, if it’s something that you need to learn about, well,
then writing about what you learned is fair game too. Just think of all the
people out there (yourself included) who discovered a better way to fix a water
faucet or fix a toilet seat. I’m picking out the most ordinary things, right?
You noticed? Yes, that was deliberate.
One thing is certain: as a writer, you must write every single
day. It’s got to be as important to you as breakfast is. You don’t have to
spend 8 hours on it. Take your time with it.
Some of my articles need a day to rest before I get them
finished up. Others can be done in one session. One is not better than the
other.
But writing every day? Yes, that is very important, even if
you never publish your stuff. Keep it in a journal if that’s all you want to do
with it. Doing that will allow you to push and pull around an idea until maybe
it suddenly comes to life and wants to be an article somewhere. You’ll know
when that happens.
And, if somebody asks you for what sort of stuff you write,
don’t tell them, because if you’re like me, you write about everything. It’s
hard to say something like, “I write to spirituality, to God, to learning how
to live, to life as an old lady, to humor everywhere.” You get the idea. It’s
hard to pin it down. Hand them a business card with directions on where to find
your stuff online. In fact, I need to update mine.
Remember, Blogger.com is free. You can start there with a
home on the internet if you want to.
Thanks for reading. I’m publishing on Tuesdays and Thursdays
at PaulineEvanosky.com these days. See you next time
🌺 Pauline 🌺
🌺My Links:
Talking
To Spirit — my website since 2001
Pauline
Evanosky on Medium
Talking
To Spirit on Substack
Pauline
Evanosky — my author’s website
My Table of Contents for Medium — Updated Monthly
My Table of Contents for Substack — Also Updated Monthly
Facebook for shorter pieces
Resources for psychic development from my website,
TalkingtoSpirit.com
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