W R I T E R
Every August 1st, I'm as tan as I get, as social as I get, as round as I get, as restless as I get. I've consumed big bowls of ripe watermelon -- the kind of bowls intended to sit on Mormons' dining tables, not my lap as I watch Absolutely Fabulous at 3am, descending from the writing high.
Since April, I've watched the men run around the bases. By August, aren't they tired? They look tired. Who isn't tired?
Come August, the chlorinated, coconut-oiled, cut-grass nostalgia runs dry, and I'm ready for the social parade to slow then stall then dissipate.
A chorus of sensible moms in denim and Clinique, the moms from my childhood, say, sagely, "You've been out long enough."
When I go out anyway, because I do what I want -- I, too, am a sensible mom just in pleather and Urban Decay -- I jog alone, now to Green Day, not Betty Who.
I pass a red, white, and blue streamer caught in the underbelly of a bush. It's no longer lingering evidence of summer fun; it's litter. I really should come out with a bag and pick all that shit up.
(See, Abbey? You HAVE become a mom. The children made you Mother. These impulses make you Mom.)
When I return home, I don't search for the cocktail recipe you mentioned. I watch another video on composting.
Come August, I want to find value in every scrap and scrape. Come August, I want be rich and fertile and beautiful on the inside.
I want to eat stew and think, in serious terms, about art and health and connection. I'm glad you had a lovely vacation, but that was July chatter. Now I want to hear, concretely, what helps you stay sane, kind, productive, alive.
Deliver me your best Wise Human Cliff Notes, ranked and bullet-pointed.
By August, I'm ready for tights, shawls, cardigans -- this is to say, garments that conceal. I want to wear too much mascara and not enough blush. I want to again see how beautiful we all are by the fire.
Most of all, I want to see what beauty remains when it's all not so sunkissed, lush, obvious.
Summer is a magazine cover. A glossy tease. By August, I want the feature. I want to see truth.
#dorothyparker #abfab #greenday #urbandecay #motherhood #momswhowrite #abbeyclelandlopez #writeeveryday
Messy Life Moment calls for:
cat nap, coffee, snacks, a fave sweatshirt, washable shoes, not giving an eff about your hair, ignoring your phone,
THEN,
slowly float to the ceiling to picture yourself from above as some colorblind, benevolent, omniscient force may -- or, if it resonates better for you -- a security camera only programmed to record fleeting moments of love.
Take in this view, this view with you in it, in black and white; this is to say, in simple big brushstroke shapes and lines.
Suddenly, just a few feet higher, just a few shades fewer, you are not a mess. You are not even IN a mess.
You are a protagonist on a noble, timeless journey.
And now, back on the mortal ground floor, even you must admit: it's all actually quite beautiful.
#perspective #gratitude #writinglife #momlife #mondaymotivation #writerslife #writeon #keeploving #keepsmiling #keepmoving #keepon #freewriting #writerwoman #abbeyclelandlopez #tinymomentsofslow #stopglorifyingbusy
Short writer, long story. ⚖️ Sometimes, early in mapping out a storyline, I stand on my chair to take in all the plotty Post-its at once. (The kids find this hilaaarious.) Writerfriends, am I alone here?
#writinglife #writeon #fictionwriting #screenwriting #getcreative #staycreative #abbeyclelandlopez
Packed most of the house nary a pause/thought/reflection, until this moment, in sacred #fionaapple sweats, blasting #daisythegreat , removing titles from shelves. Heart juuust caught up to mind/body/calendar. Wild.
(And don't worry, babies. You're all coming along. 📚📚📚)
#bookstagram #booksy #shelfie #fortheloveofbooks #writersofig #writeon #writerwoman #abbeyclelandlopez #fictionwriting #blondeambition #dropeverythingandread
Make no mistake, my creative dears: True passion projects are fucking ruthless.
If you don't feed them, they'll eat you.
#writinglife #writeon #writeearly #writelate #midnightoil #stayhungry #stayfocused #staytuned #makeart #abbeyclelandlopez #inthemargins
Please note a change of address....
My Anthony found this chair at HomeGoods, and this is where I live now. All checks and/or holiday correspondence may be sent to:
Happy Woman in NASA Hoodie
ACL HQ, East -- Egg Chair
And seriously, if you're feeling low, forget a new hat! (Though hats are GREAT, that's apparently very 2021.) 2022 is ALL about the new chair. Because really, why put something on your head and go somewhere when you could put your ass on something and go nowhere?
(So happy to share this profound wisdom with you dears. The Abbey loves you! 💋💋)
#abbeyclelandlopez
