The Power of a Pause

The Power of a Pause

Transparent moment: These past few weeks have been challenging on the home front. My husband, who suffers from a chronic illness, is once again requiring medical attention. Although he has great medical care, these times of increased symptoms, doctor appointments, and medications have affected our whole family. Now that a new care plan is in place, we all need to rest and be kind to ourselves. I already planned to set aside two months to recharge my creative energy, which now seems divinely inspired. In case you’re not aware, I’m taking July and August away from teaching and mentoring my writing clientele. I’ll be returning in September with renewed focus and a deeper commitment to the practice of writing.
There are always gifts that emerge out of difficult times – gifts that come in ugly wrapping – regarding what matters most. Here are a few of mine:
1. The gift of knowing on a deep level that “my words matter.” Throughout all the uncertainty and anxious moments, I continued to dedicate time and space to crafting written pieces for my latest project.
2. The gift of knowing that your words matter! I am more committed than ever to continue offering writing circles and programs, supporting writers like you to bring creative dreams to life.
3. Clarity and joyful progress. I am constructing ways to support you to make bigger commitments to your goal of writing a memoir, a book, or a legacy to your family members… whatever is in your highest dreams. The summer months will allow me to develop the components of a year-long program that will support you every step of the way to creating the manuscript you envision.
4. My growing Creative Focus sessions. These sessions support my community in a variety of ways. They are fun, inspiring, and we #gets**t done! These sessions will continue throughout the months of July and August, hosted by one of my wonderful, inspiring, long-time writing students and business colleagues – Yvonne Basten. You can check her out at eventmanagement.guru.
What I’ve learned from navigating these difficult times is not to be afraid to take a pause. Whether you’re experiencing hardship, burnout, a decrease in clarity, vision, or motivation, a welcome pause can bring renewal, softening, and spaciousness back to your life. Putting aside a project or commitment with purpose and care can be more powerful than “pushing through it.” Take time to explore, laugh, sleep, eat, garden, be in solitude, be among friends, and most importantly, not have to focus on productivity or even what time it is. What are your hard-won gifts?

Creatively Yours,
Image of Marie leaning against a pillar holding a coffee cup

marie

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If something in this newsletter inspired you, send me a note at marie@mariemaccagno.com.
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The Writing Feedback Guidebook

How to Ask For & Receive Helpful, Supportive Feedback on Your Writing

Not all writing reviewers are created equal! When you hand your carefully crafted pages to someone to provide feedback, the result is often unhelpful & at worst, can be crushing. This FREE guide will help you choose insightful, supportive readers. It will also teach you how to ask for what you need and want from them to continue honing your writing with confidence.