Meet the Writer 2025
A behind the scenes look at my writing life
Hello my friend.
A very warm welcome to A Simple Living Journal where we chat about all things slow, simple and seasonal living. I love that you are here, please come in and make yourself comfortable.
If you follow
here or on any of her social media’s you may have seen that she published a new Meet the Writer challenge recently. I took part in her last challenge in 2024 which was a lot of fun and you can read about below.
I loved taking part last year so I thought it would be fun to join in again.
As there are many new faces in this lovely community I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for you to see what goes on behind the scenes and hopefully inspire you to take part too. If you do join in don’t forget to tag me in so I can learn more about you, and of course tag Beth in too.
Join me for a 15-day community challenge to help your audience get to know you as a writer (and perhaps to help you take your writer identity seriously - go on, I dare you!) Each day for fifteen days I will post ONE WORD with an associated QUESTION related to your writing life, for you to answer on your own socials. You can also use the prompts to inspire a whole essay or blog post, or simply to take a moment to get to know yourself better! - Beth Kempton
Confession - What do you love about writing?
Writing allows me a sanctuary, a safe space from which I can spill whatever is in my head and heart onto paper. A space from where I can release my deepest darkest thoughts. Some will remain private forever in my journal and others might become inspiration for a newsletter here on Substack.
I love how writing enables me to feel connected, to myself and others. It makes me feel alive and grounded and I feel that time slows down when writing.
Peek - Where do you love to write? Show us your writing space.
In Autumn and Winter I love the cosiness of my office upstairs. I have my desk facing the window which overlooks the end of our street and the fields beyond. It allows me to breathe in the beautiful light of the hour, whether that be dawn or dusk, day or night.
During the week my work steals from me away those magical early morning moments so I am resigned to write in the afternoons. On a cold day I can cosy up in my office with a nice mug of hot chocolate as I prepare myself to write and on a warm Spring or Summer day I will set up my laptop outside in the garden and write as I listen to the birds singing or a neighbour mowing his lawn whilst gazing upon the flora and fauna of the garden.
My office is our small box room upstairs which I have converted to a writing space. I have created a small reading nook towards the back of the room against a backdrop of bookshelves whilst my writing desk faces the window. The room also stores my craft and hobby stuff. There is a wooden chest against one side that hides all my kits and doubles up as a seat that I use for reading sometimes. My vintage sewing machine and table sits against the wall opposite the wooden chest and behind my desk.
A garden office is imminent as I convert our little garden shed. More on that coming up soon 😊.
Rhythm - What time of day do you most often write?
During Autumn and Winter my favoured time for writing is in the early hours of the morning when we are still shrouded in darkness, not a street light lit. I love the ambiance of writing by candle light and fairy lights. It sets the mood for me.
In the dark hours of the morning my thoughts are at their deepest. 5am is that magical hour. Darkness shadows the reality of the outside world, allowing words to flow freely onto the page.
The days are getting longer now as we head towards the end of Spring and into Summer so there is a need to adapt to the lighter hours. It felt rather strange to begin with but with more frequency I am finding it easier to get creative and I’m actually loving the light now. Writing in daylight feels different but in a good way, as nature is putting on her greatest, most colourful show.
Season - What do you love about writing in this particular season (of the year, or of your life)?
I have been a writer in some form or another for most of my life, in the form of keeping diaries and having penfriends but only since joining Substack has my writing taken on a deeper more meaningful form.
I am deeply inspired by nature as I write. I’ve always thought of myself as an Autumn or Winter writer but now, as I’ve deepened my connection to each of the seasons, I draw my inspiration from the ebb and flow of nature in most of my writing through the year.
Approaching my sixties feels like the perfect season of my life to start writing. My life has intentionally slowed down and simplified somewhat so I find more pockets of time have opened up to dedicate to putting pen on paper.
In the Autumn of my years I am more compelled to write, drawing on the experience that comes with age. Fifty-seven years of stories to tell. Fifty-seven years of wisdom and nonsense to impart. Fifty-seven years of lessons learned.
Paraphernalia - What essentials do you like to have around you as you write? (Pens, notebooks, lucky feathers etc).
I’m of the cluttered space/cluttered mind kind of persona so my space needs to be as clear as possible otherwise I feel overwhelmed and unable to focus effectively.
That said, I do have a few essential pieces that accompany me as I write.
Obviously my writing implements, my laptop and note book and pen.
Looking around my desk now, there is a candle lit, with my cup of tea that sits on an electric mug warmer. I drink fairly slowly as I write so I treated myself to a warmer to keep my tea warm.
Depending on what I’m writing about I might have a book or reference material on my desk to draw on for inspiration.
My phone always sits near my desk too as I like to have ambient music on whilst writing. I generally chose a playlist that suits the theme of the piece I’m composing. For example if I’m writing a piece about nature I might chose a forest sounds playlist, or bird song.
I also have a small lamp in one corner plus a clip on fan in the warmer months. As my room is west facing it gets rather warm in the afternoons.
Zone - What helps you get into the writing zone?
I have a pre-writing routine that rarely fails me.
Make a cup of tea (or hot chocolate) and take it with me to the writing space of choice.
Put on the fairy lights and light a candle. Yes, these are lit even when it’s light.
Prepare writing space i.e. turn on laptop and open document ready to write. Or open page of notebook with a favourite pen at the ready.
Light an incense stick.
Meditate or focussed deep breathe for a few minutes.
Chose an appropriate playlist.
Write
I’d love to know what helps you get into your writing zone. Please share in the comments.
Theme’s - What themes do you keep coming back to in your writing?
As my niche is slow and simple living it actually covers a broad spectrum of themes.
Seasonal observations and nature.
Campervan travel.
Simplifying life and home.
Finding ways to live a slower and simplified life in the ever increasing rush culture.
Books and reading.
Icon - Of all the books in the world written by other people, which book do you wish you had written and why?
After some deliberating, the book I chose was Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker.
This will come as no surprise to some of you I’m sure. I have drawn inspiration from this book many times in my own decluttering journey and I adore Joshua’s straight forward no nonsense approach. I write regularly about decluttering as I believe it is instrumental to simplifying ones life. This is the book I would wish I’d have written.
Mantra - What is your writing mantra? This could be an affirmation or other words of your own, or a quote from someone else.
I’m going to quote one of my favourite authors here -
The world needs your medicine -
Something I’ve learned along the way is that our writing is not going to be for everyone, but it will be for someone. I believe that if one can reach and inspire just one person then we have done our job.
When I first heard this quote from Beth I thought it was genius. I now have this written on a piece of card on my wall beside my desk. Every time I feel a loss of motivation I just look at the words again and ponder on this thought for a while.
Reveal - Where is the most unusual place you have whipped out your notebook to write?
I carry a note book with me most of the time but on the odd occasion that I don’t then I use the Notes app on my phone.
If the moment inspires a thought or an idea I will write it down straight away before it’s forgotten.
To be perfectly honest I haven’t found any unusual places as yet but I’m sure one day such a moment will arise. Mostly it’s either been at home, in the garden or out on the road in the van. I wrote a lot outdoors by the campfire on our recent stay at Fire and Stars, inspired by the surrounding woodland.
Object - Which single object best represents where you are in your writing life right now?
Lots of newsletters sitting in the drafts section of my Substack (currently standing at 48). I used to have a list which I would add to every time an idea for a post popped into my head, but now I create a draft newsletter and then, as and when I feel inspired to work on said piece I will open it up and start working on it. It may be that it won’t see the light of day again for several weeks or months even but it’s there waiting for that spark to ignite.
Curiosity - Tell us something that not a lot of people know about you which is, in some way, connected to your writing.
When I was a teenager I had several penfriends. I loved nothing more than writing and receiving a hand written letter.
A few years later in my early twenties whilst still writing to some of the same friends, I met someone who, shall I say, became a little controlling of my time. He did not like me writing, or anything that wasn’t focused on him. Being of a stubborn nature myself (thankfully) I stood my ground and continued to write to my friends when I could but in the end, as my life didn’t 100% revolve around him and his life, we broke up.
Writing has always been in my blood, it was and still is a big part of who I am now. It kept me strong, I couldn’t let it go. Had I allowed this person to stop my writing who knows what would have happened but I am so glad I continued in spite of him.
This is all a very long time ago now and I am married to a wonderful man who supports and encourages my writing to the greatest extent. For this I will be forever grateful.
People - Where do you get support for your writing? Which communities do you belong to (online or in real life) and what difference does that make? Who has been a particular support?
Online - my biggest support network is the wonderful community here on Substack. The mutual thoughtful comments, liking and sharing is incredible. When I first joined I noticed straight away the community feel of the space. Totally unlike that of Facebook and Instagram etc.
The beauty of Substack is that feeling of belonging. No matter your experience, whether you’ve been a writer for the longest time, or just starting out, the support here is incredibly encouraging and second to none.
In real life my biggest supporters are my husband and my dad.
Anthony my husband gives me the mental strength and physical space I need to write and always reads my weekly newsletters - usually as soon as they’re published. Thanks
😘.My dad has always been encouraging of everything I’ve tried over the years, particularly creative endeavours. He’s a creator himself as a very talented painter (although I know he would disagree 😉), so he appreciates the time and effort that goes into any piece of creative art.
Path - What is your dream for your writing life? What are you going to commit to in the next 6-12 months to help bring that dream to life?
My dream is to make writing my whole life. My goal is to finish working my day job at sixty to allow me the freedom to write full time. When we have both finished work we are planning to spend more time on the road in our van where I am keen for my writing to play a big part of our travelling experience. With my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard I will be able to write and publish my newsletters from anywhere - phone signal permitting of course!
My commitment for the next 6-12 months is to continue publishing content weekly and also offer a paid option in my Substack. I am working on a few ideas right now so hopefully I can introduce this in the next few months.
To add to this I want to explore other revenue ideas away from Substack that will help support my writing journey.
Trio - Which three words best sum up the kind of writer you want to be known as? Also, where can we find more of your words?
Inspire
Possibility
Positivity
In case you missed it, I started my declutter series in March. A month by month gentle process of clearing our home and mind. I would love you to join us on this journey of discovery.
Slow and Gentle Decluttering
The first two newsletters are out now and the next one is out next Sunday.
Decluttering the slow way |01
·Physical possessions are a burden. They take money to buy and time to maintain. They take up physical space in our homes and mental space in our mind. Every physical item around us competes for our attention and adds stress to our lives. Joshua Becker.
Slow and Gentle Decluttering |02 Bedroom and Clothes
·The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t. —Joshua Becker
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Until next time.
Debbie xx
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Lovely peek into your writing world, Debbie, thank you! 💞
This was lovely and nice to get to know you a bit better. ☺️