The Monthly RED FERN 🌿 | September Edition
Recommendations, reads & my own goals & projects from September for ALL to read. Includes bonus content from my writing business for paid subscribers.
Hello and welcome to the September edition of The Monthly Red Fern 🌿.
This is the seventh in my series of monthly articles which brings you not just the books, podcasts and videos I’ve been reading, listening to or watching over the past month but also my goals and the progress or struggles with my writing and writing business. The latter is for paid subscribers only. If you’re interested in my writing journey (which this month details how my month of September has gone after a slight shift in direction and an increase in productivity) then upgrade your subscription below.
Books
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman. I love The Thursday Murder Club mysteries. They remind me of Miss Marple. Probably because the main characters are elderly (or at least in their seventies, is this classed as elderly anymore?) But also because you know if Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are around things will work out okay. There’s a reassurance to their presence. And for someone who cannot cope with psychological thrillers or anything with any tension, these books are perfect.
As soon as I finished The Last Devil to Die I started book one (The Thursday Murder Club) and book two (The Man Who Died Twice) and I’m sure before today is out I’ll have started book three (The Bullet That Missed). Edit: I lasted until lunchtime before I pulled it out of my bookshelf.
Television
It is the final episode of Only Murders in the Building on Tuesday (tomorrow!). I thought this third season was a slow starter. I think I was missing the chemistry between Oliver, Charles and Mabel - because of the storyline they were all with other characters and I love it when they all work together. But in the last few episodes, I’ve been hooked back in and it feels right again. Like with the books above, I’m sure I’ll start watching Season One, Episode One as soon as it’s finished.
YouTube
I’m in need of calm and cosy at the moment so I’ve been watching Miranda Mills. Miranda has just released a favourites video and I love these types of videos. Miranda has such a passion for books, stationery and the seasons and when she brings them together and shares what she’s purchased it’s quite lovely. You can watch her favourites video here.
I don’t know if you’ve come across Ruby Granger? Now I’m old enough to be Ruby’s mum but I’ve been enjoying her preparation as she gets ready to do a masters degree at Oxford University. Ruby has been sharing how she studies and prepares for her exams since GCSEs (I think) - which is age 16 for those of you outside the UK. She has documented her journey through A-levels, being rejected from Oxford as an undergraduate, getting a place at Exeter and now she’s been accepted at Oxford to do a Masters. Again, it’s also rather lovely and inspirational. Don’t give up. You can watch her latest here.
My Own Writing & Content
It has been an incredibly busy month. Back to school for my daughter, off to university for my son and getting back into a writing routine and rhythm for me. I’ve even been in the house on my own on occasion which has felt rather decadent. I’m getting some time for myself back which is partly why I’ve had such a productive month.
To see exactly how much work I achieved this month you can watch my latest video, my October Reset:
In the video above, I share what I’ve achieved during the month of September as well as working out what I’d like to work on during the month of October.
In total, I’ve created and uploaded six videos during September (not including the one above as that was October) including:
What one year on Substack has taught me
and, A Day in the Life of a Non-Fiction Writer (where I share behind the scenes of my book proposal) plus lots more.
The two big essays I wrote on Substack during September were:
How Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired my writing career (free to read for one more week).
The four nuggets of wisdom that inspired me from The Success Myth by Emma Gannon (free to read until 13th October). This was the essay I wrote for the non-fiction book club.
I also wrote a shorter essay called The Paradox of Wanting to Be Read but Not Wanting to Be Seen. This has had a lot of comments from other writers who could see themselves in my words.
I also wrote two articles for paid subscribers:
Can I earn a decent income through writing and creating online? and,
THE JOURNEY OF A BOOK: How many times can I say, "this time I will finish it"?
Both these two articles are regular pieces that I aim to write about and explore every month. I’m really excited because in September I’ve made progress on the income (through YouTube) and will be sharing the results of that in a couple of weeks. And I’ve been consistently working on my book proposal. It’s such great accountability having to write about these things, it’s really pushed me this month (in a good way). If you’d like to follow the more vulnerable parts of my writing and creative journey you can sign up here:
My Writing Business
I am so pleased that I allowed myself to drop the masterclasses, courses, and productivity session ideas from my to-do list because during September I had what was probably my most creative month in a LONG time. And it felt so bloody good.
All because I focused on what I wanted to do and not on what I felt I should be doing.
I am turning up at my desk not as a mentor or a teacher but as a writer.
My priority is my book but I’m also taking great joy from writing on Substack and producing my videos on YouTube. It’s been rather beautiful. Although it’s not been all sunshine and roses as I shared in my ‘Broadcast Channel’ on Instagram (yes, I have a broadcast channel where I share behind-the-scenes snippets about creativity and confidence - whatever I’m feeling in the moment). Anyway, I said:
“Some days at my desk are pure bliss. I love it. On other days I can be battling with anxiety, loneliness and feelings of failure. Just putting it out there in case you’re feeling the same - and then beating yourself up for feeling this way! (I bet we’ve all done THAT!) Anyway, on days like this, I give myself time and space. I read a cosy mystery. I walk the dogs. And I concentrate on just one task on my to-do list. It’s been hard mental-health-wise. But being kind to yourself goes a long way.”
In last month’s summary, I shared what my mini-goals were and wrote about earning money from my creativity. I felt so vulnerable doing this but guess what? The sky didn’t fall in.
I wrote about what I was aiming for with my earnings and subscribers and every time I do this I feel I’m going to get criticised for doing so. Like, why do you think you can make money out of your creativity? You should be doing it because you love it, and feel compelled to do it, and not because you want to earn pounds from it. (This is what the critical voices sound like from inside my head. They’re very strident.)
Funnily enough, the non-fiction book club pick for October is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. And when I mentioned this in the announcement post yesterday Becky commented by saying that Elizabeth Gilbert tells us that we shouldn’t make money from our creativity. And this rankled. (I’m looking forward to re-reading this section - thanks for highlighting it, Becky!)
I think Amie McNee did an Instagram story about this recently. Not in relation to Elizabeth but just on the subject of money and creativity. I wish I’d taken a screenshot now because I found what she said very powerful. If anyone say it and remembers what she said do let me know.
Okay, this is where I put my paywall in as I go deeper into my writing business…