Dark Angels Note 143

Dearest Friends

Welcome back to our weekly Friday Note.

 

Observing

This week marks the birthday of American writer Anne Lamott (10 April 1954).

Lamott is a novelist, memoirist, non-fiction author and creative writing teacher.

She has written seven novels, done a TED talk, and received a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Her New York Times bestseller, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, is known as ‘the bible of writing guides’. In it, she shares honest advice about the value of writing.

 

Reading

“Writing teaches us awareness. It teaches us to pay attention, to savor the moment…Scribble down whatever blows your mind.”

In this article, Lamott shares her essential advice to help you sit down and write.

Read: 13 writing tips, from beloved teacher Anne Lamott

 

Writing

Are you stuck on a piece of writing? Do you have something that you’re struggling to start?

Try your own version of tip #10 from the above article, ‘If all else fails, send Stevo Lamott a letter’.

Pretend you’re writing a letter to someone close to you. Write the salutation and away you go. Get everything down in a letter. No pressure.

 

Sharing

Keep sending us your poems, writings, links and writerly whatnots that you’d like to share with the wider Dark Angels family.

 

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Diary

Starter Day, 17 May 2023

This one-day course in central London will introduce you to some of the core ideas and practices that underpin the Dark Angels approach to writing – whether that’s writing for work or for your own creative expression.

Find out more here.

 

Hearts, Inspired, 16-21 June 2023

Join us for a 5-day writing retreat on Whidbey Island, in the US Pacific Northwest. We’ll explore writing, creativity and inspiration through guided writing, personal projects and time in nature.

Find out more here.

 

Words Are Seeds, 19-23 June 2023

Five days of writing, rituals and nature connection at Bore Place over the summer solstice. We’re expecting a lively, stimulating and playful experience, with plenty of time for individual pondering, wondering and wandering – and writing.

Find out more here.

 

Weekly Tuesday Gatherings

Join us for a reflective hour of reading, writing and communing led by Neil Baker. Everyone is welcome; in fact, invite a friend along. We meet at 7pm UK time. To join us, click here on the night. There’s no need to register in advance and we’ll be using the same link every week from now on.

 

Be well, keep reading, keep writing and know that we’re always here.

From everyone at Dark Angels