It’s the last day of what has surely been the longest March in human history–or at least the longest March in my own history. I began the month with a half-hearted commitment to slicing, coming back more for the community than the writing, and I end the month, grateful for the writing and even more grateful for the community, which turned out to be far more necessary than I ever could have imagined at the beginning of the month.
The writing has been easy this year. I love to write, but I rarely find writing easy. There are always many days in March when I struggle to find something to write about, struggle to want to write. But this March, there were no days like that. And I never even returned to most of my old standbys: no six-word memoirs this month, no Currently, no haiku, no metaslices. I think the ease is a combination of knowing how I slice best (using the mentors I find in others’ words, titles, topics as a springboard for my own writing) and having a larger part of my mind than usual fully preoccupied with other concerns.
Today, as on so many days, another Slicer has provided a mentor for my own thinking and writing. This morning, I found What Now? at Writing to Learn, Learning to Write, and I knew I wanted to borrow her format to reflect on my month of slicing and to look forward to April.
What I want to keep doing:
Collect seeds for writing by looking closely and paying attention.
Write in community with others.
Find that ease in writing.
Keep my notebook close.
Start my day with writing.
Write to learn.
Write to make sense of the world.
Write from mentor texts.
Write for fun.
Write from the interplay between image and word.
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What I want to try next:
Write daily in my notebook.
Experiment with poetry and drawing.
Find another online writing community to join.
Clean and organize my writing space so that it’s serene instead of cluttered.
Join a new challenge.
Think about a larger project.
End my day with writing.
A heartfelt thank you to each person who sliced this month, who commented on other slices and who sustained and grew this community. I think it was more special and close and necessary this year than it’s ever been. And the deepest thank you to all who read and commented on my writing, finding connections, sharing your experiences, answering my questions, offering advice, and pointing out effective craft moves so that I can grow as a thinker, teacher, writer, and reader. I have loved spending time with all of you this month, getting to know you better through your words (and photos!). For all of my life as I remember what it was like to live through a global pandemic, I will also think about this community and all of you. See you next Tuesday! (And if you’re looking for ideas for a new challenge to join for April, I will collect all that I find and share them in a post tomorrow. So if you know of an April writing challenge, please share in the comments!)
What will you keep doing and try next in your writing?
the dirigible plum 
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