First Fiction Novel Goals & Authentic Living This Week
Plus gratitude, memories and inspiring substack reads
Hello Friends!
Here's what you'll find in today’s newsletter:
Authentic Living This Week
Gratitude Corner - Parent rooms, camping and one-on-one time.
Making Memories - A descriptive little snapshot with the kids in the yard at dusk
Reality Check - Finding a new kindy
Fiction Writing Progress & Learnings - Forging my creative writing path towards publishing
Inspiring Substack Reads - Substacks about Joy & Motherhood and Podcasts about Authors
Welcome to My Substack! My Name is Tania.
I invite you to join me on a journey of embracing authentic living. Through honest stories, personal insights, and reflections on authenticity, I seek to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Subscribe for free & tap the ❤️ if you enjoy this post!
Authentic Living This Week
This Substack series is devoted to everything that I feel adds authenticity and realness to my life and I hope it helps you focus on the authentic joy you can create and experience in your day-to-day lives too.
Gratitude Corner: Finding Appreciation in the Everyday
Taking time to find things to be grateful for in everyday moments is a great way to stay grounded and remind yourself of the things that really matter.
This week I’m grateful for:
Parent rooms in shopping centres: In all shopping centres here in Australia you will find parent rooms. A private space just for parents with babies and small children. Each one is fully equipped with change tables, breastfeeding cubicles with cozy chairs and a curtain for privacy, and roomy public toilets with both an adult and kids-sized toilet in each, but best of all, there is a play space. Some have basic toys or an interactive wall-mounted activity, while others are like a private indoor playground. Such a win when you need to change a nappy and keep your toddler entertained and contained at the same time.
My husband taking our 3-year-old son camping. My 3-year-old is an adorable yet intense little chap. Both he and my husband go a bit stir-crazy if stuck indoors for too long. To be honest, I do too. But my husband especially loves being outdoors and has been craving more of it, now the weather is getting cooler too. He found a campsite in the bush by a lake very close by, so he took our eldest with him for his first overnight camping experience. He had the best time toasting marshmallows. throwing rocks into the lake and enjoying the simple pleasure of sleeping outside.
Special one-on-one time with my 1-year-old son. While the big boys were camping, My 1-year-old and I went for a walk through the local suburb and nearby reserve, admiring the sounds of the native birds and the wind dancing amongst the branches of the gum trees. His favourite part? Throwing dead leaves off the bridge to land in the bubbling stream below.
What are you grateful for this week?
Making Memories: Cherished Moments & Milestones
Making memories and recording them has always been incredibly important to me. Our memories tend to fail us, so keeping a record of precious moments enhances our memory-keeping abilities.
Here is an in-depth snapshot I took to memory and captured with words:
Dusk projected a warm orange glow onto the majestic gum trees. Rainbow lorikeets and noisy minors flocked to them with harmonious chatter, competing over prime branch space to settle in for the oncoming night. Under the trees' dissipating shadows, my tiny blonde-haired children played. My 3-year-old son soaked the pavement and grass with a hose. My 1-year old dropped pebbles into an empty watering can. His adorable grin gleamed with each satisfying 'tink' that echoed back.
What memories have you made this week?
Reality Check: Navigating Life’s Challenges
Writing about or vocalising the tougher moments in life helps us process them and knowing we're not alone in these struggles is helpful too.
Here is a struggle we’re trying to navigate this week:
We visited the open day for two different kindergartens on the same day to find a good option for next year. The boys had a blast but my hubby and I are at odds on which one will be the best fit for next year. I’m feeling anxious about making the right choice considering our pre-kindy disaster. My choice was not the best, so I'm inclined to go with my husband's intuition this time around.
What do you feel like venting about this week? This is your safe space! No judgment here.
Fiction Writing Progress and Learnings
I’m currently focused on improving my fiction writing skills and am working towards the goal of publishing my first novel. Follow me on my journey…
Last week I mentioned that I’m preparing my rom-com coming-of-age story submission for a writing competition. It’s almost ready to go and I’m very proud of what I’ve done so far. I’m currently waiting on my sister’s feedback as the first person to set eyes on my WIP so far.
For anyone else on a similar writing path, I’ve come across some excellent resources that are helping me greatly in the editing process for my first novel. If you’re in the process of writing your first fiction story, perhaps you’ll find them useful too.
Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast: This is the most useful podcast episode I’ve come across in my fiction writing journey so far. Great tips from published fiction authors to take our stories to the next level.
Story Craft Cafe Podcast Interview with Jill Shalvis: This was a refreshing episode to listen to. Jill still struggles and doubts her skill with words when in the thick of the writing process despite being a very successful author. It was also eye-opening to hear what she went through to get published before the internet was a thing, all while trying to raise three kids.
Earnest Hemmingway’s Writing Exercise YouTube Video: This video is only 10 minutes long, but I found it very insightful. Hemmingway shares how important it is to pay attention to the little details in life that surround you and have empathy for others. Being truly present in the world and understanding our fellow human beings helps us craft in-depth and authentic stories and characters.
Does Your Main Character Suck? Youtube Video: Got some great tips in this video Does Your Main Character Suck? to help ensure my protagonist was hitting the mark. Have a look if you need help with this too.
Inspiring Substacks to Read
Inspiration helps drive us to do more, be more and perhaps even take our lives in a whole new direction.
Here are a few Substacks that drew me in this week focusing on writing, validation and finding contentment:
None of my Favourite Writers are Mothers by
from Sparkle Jump Rope Queen Was Takenfrom Rooted & RestedWhenever an idea comes to me, it’s like the glint of my three-year-old’s metallic sandal. There, glaring, as soon as she places her foot in the path of a star. And just as suddenly it’s gone, muted silver. In a flash, it’s back! Again it’s lost.
Hug your loved ones, smile at the grumpy cashier in your local store, bake your favourite cake (and eat it!), and try to change your relationship to your job if it makes you dread Monday mornings. Because: you are not your thoughts and not your dreams either.
Publishing for Validation by Lindsey Peters Berg from Dear Diary
I don’t really know what “being seen” means. I think it’s usually some catch-all I use for “being understood,” “being noticed,” and “being admired.” I thought my writing could be a way to force people to understand me, and if they understood me—even the most shadowy parts of my brain—and still liked me, then that meant I was okay.
I’m All Out of F*cks by Caroline Cala Donofrio from Between a Rock and a Card Place
I love hearing about people who do all sorts of things at various points in life. (Julia Child got her first cooking show at age 50! Toni Morrison published her first novel at 39! My friend’s aunt moved to Costa Rica at 60 and opened up a yoga retreat!) In fact, I love it so much that I’ve compiled lists and make notes whenever I hear new examples.
What has inspired you this week?
Here are a few little random quotes to send you off for another wonderful week:
Don’t follow the trend, set the trend
Always look on the bright side of life
You don’t know what you don’t know
Please let me know what you think of my posts by leaving a comment below or reaching out to me in the app. If you enjoy reading this newsletter consider hitting subscribe. Have a wonderful day!
Honoured to be included thank you so much, Tania!
thank you so much for including SJRQWT and with such beautiful company! my first feature ࿐ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ * ⟡