CRUMBS FROM THE WRITING DESK #1

A Writer's Junk Journal Diary | Week Beginning 19th May 2025

I’m trying something new. Twice a month, I thought I’d share what has been happening behind the scenes of my writing life during the week. I’m calling it a junk journal because it uses different media bits: text and video, photos, screenshots, audio, WhatsApp messages and so on. I’ve been inspired by the vlogs I used to create on TikTok, but wanted to do a ‘writing’ version of them.

This piece is too long to read in email, so click anywhere to open it up in Substack and you can read it in its entirety.

Monday 19th May

8.20 am. We are in the thick of exam season. My daughter is sixteen and sitting nineteen exams for nine subjects. Last week was full on with six exams. This week she has five. First thing this morning, I dropped her off at school for her chemistry exam. It’s only for 75 minutes, so I thought I’d stay in town. I was sitting in the car outside Marks and Spencer, wondering what to do with myself. Debating whether to write in my journal, I decided to have an adventure and drive to the bookshop instead. It opens at 9 am.

9.20 am. Waited for fifteen minutes for the bookshop to open. There was no sign of life at 9 am. I am not a patient person and full of self-doubt, so kept checking the opening time on my phone to make sure I’d got the time correct. Finally, at six minutes past, the lights went on and the door was unlocked. When I finally got in there, I wasn’t inspired at all. Couldn’t find a crime section, never mind a cosy crime section. Lots of graphic novels and other books I didn’t understand. Looked at the personal development section. There was nothing there like my book proposal idea, which was worrying. Disappointed, I went into the discount bookshop, The Works. Lots of TikTok trend books. Pink books. None for me. Felt they were all aimed at a much younger audience. Thought this interesting considering the topic I’d chosen for my next big essay. Anyway. Gave up on the shops and went to the school to wait for my daughter.

9.49 am. Parked up. Sent a WhatsApp voice note to Claire, telling her about my disappointing morning in the book shop, and asked her what she thought of my idea to re-edit my workbook, Journaling Your Goals, and potentially offering it to annual paid subscribers for free.

Noon. Finally home, fed and watered. Sorted the dogs. Writing session with

Claire Holden

on Zoom. Feeling the frustration of low growth on my Substack at the moment, as well as impatience waiting to hear back from agents. I didn’t know I was going to write the Substack newsletter I wrote; in fact, I honestly thought in this writing session with Claire that I’d be writing about something else. But these thoughts just poured out of me. And I’m reminded that when I write about my feelings, it really helps to process them, to release that negative energy out of my head, which allows me to move on to other writing projects. This particular writing and releasing, I’m sure, made space in my head and enabled me to come up with the idea I had later in the week on Wednesday evening.

Pressed publish on this piece ⬇️

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Walked the dogs with my daughter. She makes me laugh a lot. And teaches me things. It was a restorative hour.

Evening. Watched an episode from Season Three of Hacks.

Wrote this Note for Substack Notes. I’m trying to post every day on there and not overthink it. This one is directly related to the piece above that I’d written earlier in the day.

Tuesday 20th May

8.45 am. Another morning exam. I waited in the local coffee shop and pulled out my writing journal.

(Their dishwasher has broken, thus the paper cup.)

I write a quote from Agatha Christie’s Ai course video down into my notebook, so with my new resolution not to overthink my Notes, I decide to share it on Substack Notes.

I was very dispirited yesterday, so I decided to write a list of what I could do about it. Gave myself a bit of a pep talk in my writing journal.

Wondered if I should return to Instagram, now my non-fiction proposal is out on submission. Literary agents do like you to have a big platform for non-fiction (which has led to my anxiety with my Substack growth - or lack of it). Uploaded a video to experiment to see what happens. At the time of writing, it has 1529 views, 84 likes and 2 comments. I don’t love the platform. Unsure what to do.

Flirted with the idea of posting excerpts from my Substack essays onto Instagram to try and encourage followers over there to subscribe to my Substack. Opened Canva on my phone and played around. Was not impressed with the result! This will not appear on my Instagram anytime soon ⬇️. I prefer using Canva on my desktop.

Gave up on Canva and wrote down key chunks from my Agatha Christie essay that I might use for social media content.

11.15 am. Home. Decompressed for a bit and read this article.

Do Not Monetize Substack With Subscriptions – Do This Instead

3 pm. Writing session. Started to think about my next long essay. I call them my meaty essays. I loved researching and writing the Agatha one. It tested me and pushed me, and I was proud of the result. I’m thinking my next one will be about age, women and the publishing industry, though I’m not quite sure of the angle it’ll take. I put up a note over the weekend asking if anyone had stories to share.

A writer kindly offered to share some thoughts, so I dropped her an email.

Evening. Watched the last episode of season three of Hacks. I am loving the character of Deborah Vance, a seventy-year-old comedian, despite her flaws. And I’m starting to think she’s going to be part of the essay I’m going to write about age, women and the publishing industry. I adore it when bits from what you’re watching or reading become relevant to what you’re writing.

Wednesday 21st May

8 am. It’s an afternoon exam today, so a more relaxed start to the morning.

10.15 am. Writing session. Today, I started to write down my idea for my next non-fiction book. A week ago, I had the idea, and now it’s time to start fleshing it out. I’ve no idea if my current proposal will be picked up by an agent, and if it’s not, I might self-publish. Or, keep it in my back pocket to give to publishers as my second book. But in the meantime, I want to write another proposal that’s not specific to writers this time, so I can start querying that.

12.15 pm. Back to school for the afternoon exam. Met up with a friend for cake. Then chatted to my other friend in the car park, which was lovely. Now my daughter is on study leave, I’m not seeing her as much as I’d like.

5.30 pm. Made an early dinner.

6.30 pm. Tutoring for one hour. I tutor a couple of my daughter’s friends with their GCSE English.

9 pm. More Hacks. Now into Season Four. I could barely speak to my husband this evening. These past two weeks of exams, extra tutoring and intense writing are starting to take their toll.

10 pm. Have an idea for my Substack newsletter. Which I’m sure was ‘allowed’ to arrive in my head by my brain because I made space for it by writing about my feelings on Monday. Hastily message Claire.

[This idea on Wednesday is obviously what I’m writing now. No voice notes yet, but I’m sure they’ll come with time.]

Thursday 22nd May

8 am. Another morning exam, I take my daughter into school, do a quick grocery shop, then back home to walk the dogs. I ordered my workbook, Journaling Your Goals, to be printed and posted to me on Tuesday. It cost around £17 for 205 pages. I could have got it for about £14 if it were to be printed on both sides of the paper, but I want to give it a good edit, therefore, I need lots of white space to write notes. This morning it arrived. This was the first major writing project I completed, during Covid as well, and for that reason alone, I’m incredibly proud of it. But after four years, I’m sure it could do with an edit. Fresh eyes and all that.

11 am. Spoke to my mum. Got comfy on the settee, and I may have closed my eyes for a few seconds.

2 pm. Drove to school to fetch my daughter.

3.45 pm. Finished my final English GCSE tutoring. I’m talked out, exhausted and jibbering as though I’m taking the GCSE myself.

4.40 pm. Sat down to start writing for the day. Doorbell rang. It’s my Agatha Christie hardback pre-order called Capital Christie. I love the cover.

Wrote the first four days of this diary. Wondered what to call it. Must stop though as it’s 6.20 pm.

6.20 pm. Had a short brainstorm. Decided to call it Crumbs From the Writing Desk.

Evening. Hacks, as usual. When I’m watching a series, I can’t watch anything else until I’ve finished it. Then I feel bereft.

Friday 23rd May

7.40 am. Left for school for my daughter’s last exam before a week’s break. It’s a long exam, so I go straight home.

11 am. Sat waiting for my daughter, and pulled The Confidence Code by Katty Kay & Claire Shipman out of my bag to have a quick read. I don’t have a highlighter, only a fountain pen (rookie mistake), so use that to highlight a couple of sentences that jumped out. (Bonus point for having my sticky page markers, though!)

My daughter and I were strangely silent on the drive home. I think both of us need rest.

1 pm. Treatment for my stiff neck and shoulders. I could barely string a sentence together. Neck was very creaky and sore.

3.30 pm. A quick chat with Claire, and now onto finishing this diary piece. Looking forward to a weekend with no early mornings, no exam runs, and having my daughter back for a few days. Before she has to pick the revision back up for the week after next.

Whilst my daughter is on study leave, I have no set routine for my writing. I do miss the routine, but I’m also happy to go with the flow and to be there for her when she needs me. She’s now sitting at the piano and singing (Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark), which feels like my reward for finishing this.

My daughter recorded this video as we came home today. The country roads are looking beautiful.