Bravo. And thanks for refraining from putting up a pay wall in the middle of your essay. A certain feminist substack writer does that. I know, I know, she probably needs the money and probably you to too. But there is so little good writing out there.
Sounds like you’d like that certain feminist writer to read this and feel ashamed for requiring people to pay for her work. Women have bills, too, and single women especially can’t afford to give their work away for free. Men, by contrast, aren’t snarked at when they expect to be paid for their labor. We all have internalized ideas about this, it’s just sad to see them written out and practiced even in 2026.
Thank you for this. As a writer and a gardener unable to write of late because of the work of caring for my husband's medical needs and whose beans were a total bust and whose onions have pulled up and eaten down by deer--onions!!--this came at just exactly and precisely the right moment to give me heart. Yes, the process.
"Writing is a love-affair without a partner." Are you sure?
I recall that the brilliant ballerina Margot Fonteyn once said that she preferred dancing duets, i.e., dancing with someone, that dancing solos felt empty. Then she learned that dancing solo was actually dancing with the breeze, that she was never empty or alone.
Doesn't the same apply to writing? There is always a voice -- a spirit, a breeze -- in us that urges us to write. Well, ok, sometimes it says to shut up. But it is there. We are never alone. I often feel the presence of this breeze as I write. Sometimes the writing isn't so great, but that's fine. It accomplishes what it was meant to accomplish in that moment, no matter what anyone else thinks (or even what I think later when I read it).
I do feel pity for those who feel they must turn to AI. AI is not us. All we really need is us. And a friendly breeze or two.
Thank you for your comments. They are always so thought-filled.
I am absolutely sure. True for me and true of most writers, and artists, I believe. A love affair, however, is still a love affair. The only one that has lasted through it all has been my affair with the Muse.
"Your seeds might not be what was on the packet." I sat with this thought for quite a while. Obviously it pertains to much more than simply writing ideas. The seeds need certain conditions to even be viable. I love it when a renegade or volunteer seed sprouts. Maybe the wind brought the seed there. Perhaps a bird or other animal dropped or excreted it on their way somewhere else. Sometimes it pushes out the intentional plantings, overtakes them, choking them out, attracting slugs or aphids or deer, while sheltering munching larvae. Gardeners try to be aware of the forces of nature, and are willing to suffer the waiting, taking the chance, believing in something unseen, anticipating delight. Writing is exactly like cultivating.
Thank you so much for this. I try, a lot of the time, at 64, to be unafraid of risk, of failure, of judgement. I frequently fail. But, thought is, wtf, be bold, speak up and think.
As a writer who is yet to be published (other than one poem) and an actor who has not had one line yet, and these are my only jobs and I have just turned 51, I completely understand and agree!
I now have dreams of my essays. (It seems a bit weird.) Sometimes I wake up with solutions--once a solution that involved waking up--sometimes with problems that need fixing.
But I can relate to this: "often nothing seems to be happening at all." I like to think I'm getting better at patience, but thank you for pointing this out Jeanette. It's oddly reassuring.
(Btw, I can still conjure the thrill of seeing you read in Toronto, a very long time ago, and thanks for that too)
‘I don’t have time for unserious people who always have an excuse. There’s always a good reason why the novel doesn’t get written. Just write it.’ I am going to have this stuck on my wall! I think there is something about trying to be a serious person in all aspects of life that is worth striving for ( and that I am trying to do more actions towards!) A lovely, thoughtful, inspiring piece as always!
I am of the same mind. Process is personal and surpising, what weird mushrooms we grow in the dark? And my 3 books took decades of writing rewriting—before I found a great small lit press with owner who cares about lit. Got me to illustrate and my books are collected in serious libraries- Stanford, Columbia, many.
Shall i talk about writing plays? For an important script, more than 10yrs of research,writing, readings, a residency and then 3 performances just before Covid hit nyc.
Yet the process of my writing has been the most important; some king of internal quest about the nature of reality. Personal, irreplaceable and invested in the play—product thing.
Thank you for this! I'll be studying for a full time MA in Sept as a mature student and, although it is not related to writing, I have been/am a bit anxious about how 'out of the loop' I'll be when it comes to AI/how it's used now within academia. I guess it's not going anywhere and, like everything in life, is all about balance? 🤷♀️
Bravo. And thanks for refraining from putting up a pay wall in the middle of your essay. A certain feminist substack writer does that. I know, I know, she probably needs the money and probably you to too. But there is so little good writing out there.
Seconding this - thank you for the lack of paywall, a truly generous act.
Sounds like you’d like that certain feminist writer to read this and feel ashamed for requiring people to pay for her work. Women have bills, too, and single women especially can’t afford to give their work away for free. Men, by contrast, aren’t snarked at when they expect to be paid for their labor. We all have internalized ideas about this, it’s just sad to see them written out and practiced even in 2026.
Thank you for this. As a writer and a gardener unable to write of late because of the work of caring for my husband's medical needs and whose beans were a total bust and whose onions have pulled up and eaten down by deer--onions!!--this came at just exactly and precisely the right moment to give me heart. Yes, the process.
that's so rude of the deer! we know they eat roses, but they must have been desperate to devour the onions.
I feel the same way about ground squirrels eating all my melons and, no, even the plants.
"Writing is a love-affair without a partner." Are you sure?
I recall that the brilliant ballerina Margot Fonteyn once said that she preferred dancing duets, i.e., dancing with someone, that dancing solos felt empty. Then she learned that dancing solo was actually dancing with the breeze, that she was never empty or alone.
Doesn't the same apply to writing? There is always a voice -- a spirit, a breeze -- in us that urges us to write. Well, ok, sometimes it says to shut up. But it is there. We are never alone. I often feel the presence of this breeze as I write. Sometimes the writing isn't so great, but that's fine. It accomplishes what it was meant to accomplish in that moment, no matter what anyone else thinks (or even what I think later when I read it).
I do feel pity for those who feel they must turn to AI. AI is not us. All we really need is us. And a friendly breeze or two.
Thank you for your comments. They are always so thought-filled.
breeze as my partner. and spirit. and trees. Listening is a great practice.
I am absolutely sure. True for me and true of most writers, and artists, I believe. A love affair, however, is still a love affair. The only one that has lasted through it all has been my affair with the Muse.
"Your seeds might not be what was on the packet." I sat with this thought for quite a while. Obviously it pertains to much more than simply writing ideas. The seeds need certain conditions to even be viable. I love it when a renegade or volunteer seed sprouts. Maybe the wind brought the seed there. Perhaps a bird or other animal dropped or excreted it on their way somewhere else. Sometimes it pushes out the intentional plantings, overtakes them, choking them out, attracting slugs or aphids or deer, while sheltering munching larvae. Gardeners try to be aware of the forces of nature, and are willing to suffer the waiting, taking the chance, believing in something unseen, anticipating delight. Writing is exactly like cultivating.
Thank you so much for this. I try, a lot of the time, at 64, to be unafraid of risk, of failure, of judgement. I frequently fail. But, thought is, wtf, be bold, speak up and think.
As a writer who is yet to be published (other than one poem) and an actor who has not had one line yet, and these are my only jobs and I have just turned 51, I completely understand and agree!
What a wonderful piece, a joyous way to start my day. Thanks
I now have dreams of my essays. (It seems a bit weird.) Sometimes I wake up with solutions--once a solution that involved waking up--sometimes with problems that need fixing.
But I can relate to this: "often nothing seems to be happening at all." I like to think I'm getting better at patience, but thank you for pointing this out Jeanette. It's oddly reassuring.
(Btw, I can still conjure the thrill of seeing you read in Toronto, a very long time ago, and thanks for that too)
Nature is a great teacher when it comes to Time.
I love: Writing is a love-affair without a partner.
Me too.
‘I don’t have time for unserious people who always have an excuse. There’s always a good reason why the novel doesn’t get written. Just write it.’ I am going to have this stuck on my wall! I think there is something about trying to be a serious person in all aspects of life that is worth striving for ( and that I am trying to do more actions towards!) A lovely, thoughtful, inspiring piece as always!
I am of the same mind. Process is personal and surpising, what weird mushrooms we grow in the dark? And my 3 books took decades of writing rewriting—before I found a great small lit press with owner who cares about lit. Got me to illustrate and my books are collected in serious libraries- Stanford, Columbia, many.
Shall i talk about writing plays? For an important script, more than 10yrs of research,writing, readings, a residency and then 3 performances just before Covid hit nyc.
Yet the process of my writing has been the most important; some king of internal quest about the nature of reality. Personal, irreplaceable and invested in the play—product thing.
Thanks
Susan I. Weinstein
Just came across this and am grateful to read your thoughts about the solitariness of writing. I’ve always shied away from writing groups,
Sometimes you just pull it out the bag what it is I need to know or remember.
Never a truer word. The process is often too revealing to ignore.
Thank you for this! I'll be studying for a full time MA in Sept as a mature student and, although it is not related to writing, I have been/am a bit anxious about how 'out of the loop' I'll be when it comes to AI/how it's used now within academia. I guess it's not going anywhere and, like everything in life, is all about balance? 🤷♀️