It’s June! Which means it’s warming up and my porch door is open. I spy my tomato plant doing it’s best to grow in its improperly size pot. The señora next door is sweeping and my coffee is cold (just the way I like it)

If that tomato plant can find a way to grow then so can we. Let’s get to it.

My grandmother was my favorite person in the world. 

As a child I believed she was magic. Ines Del Castillo emigrated from Cuba to the United States in her early twenties. She came alone with few possessions and even fewer words of English. For all the time I knew her, and from all the stories I’ve heard, Ines lived life in a constant state of creation. She made dolls, dresses, flowers, table clothes, pillows, and costumes. The list of her artistic endeavors was infinite. As an adult, I realize that what I thought was magic was actually creative courage.

Ines was also a poet. When she recited her verses humans, animals and the wind itself stopped to listen. She spoke loud and clear and with her whole body. I have vivid memories of how she would raise her arms, shake her fists and speak as though she were a giant. In reality she was about five feet tall.  

As a child I couldn’t fathom how she could be so bold and brazen. I remember thinking, isn’t she embarrassed? What if people don’t like her work?

Now I understand that to be Cuban is to be from resistance and revolution. Throughout history and to this day, it is an island that speaks its mind and demands to be heard. That was my grandma.

Ines never cared what anyone thought when there was truth to be spoken. She lived life with freedom and energy that most people never find.

In my conversations with folks about writing and other projects, getting past fear is the most common obstacle I hear about. It’s the one I battle and work to unpack most often. 

I wish I could sit with my grandmother for just one more cafecito and ask how she did it. How did she live her life with so much creative courage? Did she ever feel shy or scared? When did she know she found her voice?

For now I will have to be satisfied with searching for the answers with what and who I currently have. I will dedicate the next three newsletter to interviewing different people who I find courageous and share those conversations with you all. Let’s see what we learn!

What am I working on? Well, for the first half of this past month nothing. I was way too gentle with myself (yes, that’s a thing) and I lost the momentum of daily writing.

I have several fantastic excuses: the world is burning, my job is stressful, I need to clean my closet, season two of Andor left me in pieces.

There are always excuses parading as good reasons why.

Fortunately my husband gave me a book called On Writing, by Steven King and Mr. King bluntly called me on my shit and told me to get back to writing. 

He talks about having a space for writing. That space needs only one thing: “a door you are willing to shut.”

Do I feel personally victimized by the ‘walk the walk talk the talk’ bit? Yes, I do. We all need our butts kicked every so often and this was my turn. 

I began drafting the second book in my series and kept stopping whenever I hit a bump in the road. I was pretty internally whinny about it too (you don’t need to hear that part). I don’t subscribe to “inspiration”, I believe that you find your way through a story by showing up at your desk every day and putting one word on the page at a time. 

Mr. King agrees with me.

So I’ve been closing the door, closing the tabs, turning over my phone for twenty-five minutes every day and hacking my way through this draft. 

Twenty-five minutes is what I have right now, so that’s what I’ll give. 

I haven’t written anything good yet, so I won’t share anything this week. But if you are looking for a good craft book –or if you need your ass kicked–try On Writing. 

Close the door, friends. Get back to work.

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