Footnotes :: September

Delicious reading and things you might have missed this month

Welcome!

Another month has passed and I’m stunned we’re about to enter October. This is my favorite time of year, and even though I wish for it to arrive all summer, it always feels like time has fast-forwarded when it arrives.

Seasonal shifts

As the temperature changes, I've been making small modifications such as having a warm quinoa porridge with apple and cinnamon for breakfast, and setting a cozy mood with candles in the evening.

It’s time for me to clean out all my pens and switch the ink to richer colors to mimic the changing leaves here in Berlin, and I’ve already packed away most of my summer clothes and taken out the fall cardigans and corduroy, even if it hasn’t been quite cold enough to wear them daily yet.

September Inspiration

At the close of the month, golden leaves pop on the branches outside, and there’s rain falling as I write you. I’ve got pumpkin spice tea in my mug (I know, I know.. it’s everywhere) and it’s harder and harder to resist curling up with a cat under a blanket with a stack of books, or perhaps some of these wonderful pieces of writing.

Inspiring articles from September:

• Jane Brocket
  creates such beauty at
  yarnstorm
  and this post on mark making delighted so many corners of me.

• Claire Amritavani Brown
  shared a delightful take on enoughness and the Page cards in the tarot.

• Kate McKean
  kindly reminds us that even the pros make mistakes.

• If your September hasn’t felt like September,

  Anna Brones
  has got you.

• Clover Stroud
  shared a beautiful post on Sunday evening sadness, for anyone feeling alone¹

Books I’ve loved this month

• The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, Roland Allen. I devoured this one faster than I’ve read any history book. It was like brain candy for people who love notebooks.

• Monsters: What Do We Do with Great Art Made by Bad People?, Claire Dederer. This topic is so rich and twisted, it took someone as clever to attempt to untangle it. She doesn’t prescribe or give out solutions, she just asks really good questions that inspire you to do the same.

• The Mars House, Natasha Pulley. I often neglected things I was supposed to be doing in order to listen to this intoxicating audiobook. A novel that asks questions every bit as complex as Monsters, but within the confines of a twisty
  sci-fi with elements of thriller and a gorgeous LGBTQIA+ romance at the center. Filing and vacuuming didn’t stand a chance against this story. Audio version highly recommended.

• Song of My Softening, Omotara Jones. What a stunning poetry collection. Each poem goes deeper than the last. I read it over days, but it has stayed in my mind ever since. **TW: Body shaming and sexual assault are subject of some poems.

Your favorite reads from September

The monthly reading recommendations thread is back for September, (and you can always check out our ongoing discussion topics here)

September Reading

You might have missed

From Book Alchemy, and guest posts from elsewhere:

• Amanda Saint
  invited me to write about why we’re so scared to call ourselves writers for
  The Mindful Writer

• I’ve started a new series interviewing authors about the book that transformed their writing.

  Laura Pashby
  was kind enough to kick us off with a gorgeous share.

• Public service announcement post: Please write your ideas down before you forget them! I include tools to help.

For paid members:

You now have a monthly round-up post coming to you with all the new resources that are available to you each month.

In September, you got a second workshop, and I created a Secret Reference Library so it’s easier to find everything. More treats to come soon!

Interested in membership? Get all the details here.

Coming up next

I have a lot planned for everyone coming up over the rest of 2024. I’ve teamed up with the incredible

Claire Shaw

, and we’ve been recording a series on writing and the voice that will begin appearing in October.

In addition, one of my favorite things all year, the Novel Possible challenge, complete with daily writing missions that self-destruct at midnight, returns this November as a gentle alternative to that challenge we’re currently not talking about.

Have requests or topics you’d love me to cover? Hit reply or leave a comment below this post.

xx,
Caroline

1. This post is for paid subscribers of Clover Stroud’s Substack, but I find it consistently excellent and can recommend it highly beyond just this post.