Making and doing: What makes us human
How I got my creative groove back PLUS Limited coaching spots for summer
Hello again, Book Case subscribers!
And a big welcome, too, to new subscribers who joined after my guest articles were published on JaneFriedman.com and Book Coaches Canada. I’m happy you’re here. At the bottom of this post, I’ve left some details orienting you to this newsletter and some features to control notifications and what you read.
Now, onto this issue…
The Creative Flame
This week, I felt like myself. A little tired, but curious again.
Earlier, the grind had been wearing me down. I know I need a break when I spend my days wishing for a massage therapy appointment, when ideas stop flowing, and when I am no longer excited by plans.
But this week, I began to ask, once again, “What if?”
What if I try this?
What if I tweak that?
What I just dive in and do it?
I worked on a new guide for writers, I planned a fall workshop offering, and I could touch the future. I was back into my curious mind.
Exhale…
And today, I was back into my curious body, hands-on in household matters: painting baseboards and trim in the morning, and cooking all afternoon—falafels, black bean taco cups, coleslaw, broccoli pesto. I listened to 80s pop and a Frederick Backman book while I worked, and it felt good. (I’m sharing the recipes below.) Now evening, my feet are aching and I sit here writing, enjoying the good tiredness that comes from doing.
What changed?
Interestingly enough, it was the Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat. I co-hosted the spring retreat last weekend with
. We travelled to French River, Ontario to the Lodge at Pine Cove and spent a weekend in the company of four brilliant women writers who are deeply committed to their craft.The weekend itself was a treat. The Lodge is in a beautiful location, the cabins had a perfect balance of rustic atmosphere and comfort, and the chef-prepared food engaged my senses.
The writers brought their writing projects to the retreat, but they also brought a generosity of spirit. This is our third Rekindle retreat, and this care and consideration not only for the craft but for fellow writers — it has shown up each time amongst those who gather with us. It’s thrilling and heart-warming to us as hosts.
While I didn’t do any writing over the weekend, I credit the retreat for this week’s wonderful return to curiosity — to making and doing. Because that’s what we are, at heart. We’re creators. Humans are meant to create. We do remarkable things when we’re in touch with our creative source. And my creativity was rekindled.
WILL YOU COME? • If you want to come to our next retreat, head over to the Rekindle Creativity Women’s Writing Retreat website and sign up for updates, or send me a message. Liisa and I are looking ahead to autumn already. Beginners welcome.
Summer Coaching Spots → Book Now
I am currently accepting coaching clients for Summer 2025. If you are working on a nonfiction book or memoir, I’m here to help.
How do you know it is time to work with a book coach? Here’s an article I wrote a few months ago:
Coaching for where you are and what you need
I offer support throughout the book process, from idea through planning and writing to pitch and proposal. Here are some ways I work with coaching clients:
Monthly or bimonthly coaching – If you are mid-manuscript and you need a partner to give you feedback, keep you on deadline, or address mindset issues, we can meet once or twice a month.
Outcome-based coaching – I can guide you through the steps of book planning or proposal. Ask me about my packages. Coming this summer: Sunporch Sessions. Book day-long or week-long coaching intensives during the slow season. More details coming next week!
Manuscript review – If you need editorial feedback or guidance on next steps, I have review options available. Find out what’s working, what needs work, and where to focus your energy in your next revision.
Due to a rather large writing project this summer, coaching spots are limited, so enquire soon if you are interested. Book a call this week and let’s chat about your project.
Are you on socials?
I want to see what you’re doing, too! If you’re on Facebook, LinkedIn, Substack, or Bluesky, you’ll find me there, too. Connect and say hi!
Last month, I posted every day on LinkedIn as part of an Every Day In May Challenge with my business mentorship group. Being visible isn’t always comfortable for me, and I wanted to see if I could make friends with visibility. Practicing low-stakes visibility is one of the suggestions I made in my latest article for Book Coaches Canada, “I Feel So Exposed: Writing Through the Fear That Stops You.” I took a dose of my own medicine you could say.
Now that May is over, I’ve been looking through my analytics, and this post, it turns out, was one of my best performing. Who knew that taping walls could generate interest! But it made me think about the debate over the value of outlining.
Get cookin’!
Do you get creative in the kitchen? Here are two recipes I tried today:
Easy Authentic Falafels from The Mediterranean Dish
Broccoli Pesto from Love and Lemon
And while you have the food processor out, try this one!
Black Bean Taco Cups
1 can black beans
1/3 cup flour
Spices to taste: cumin, chili powder, oregano, your choice
2 tbsp olive oil
Prepare a mini-muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
Place the beans, flour and spices in the food processor. Using the blade, mix together. Drizzle in the olive oil until a dough-like ball forms.
Drop small balls of dough into each muffin cup, and using your fingers or a spoon, create a small cup. Repeat.
When done, bake the cups for approx. 12 minutes. When the taco cups are cool enough to touch, remove them from the tin. You can eat right away, refrigerate, or freeze. Serve with your favourite taco fillings – salso, peppers, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc. Also very good with tzatziki.
I’ll be back next week with a new Readability Review – and I’ll be opening my calendar for my summer Sunporch Sessions, too. In the meantime, maybe you want to try the recipes I made today?
Wishing you all the great feeling of feeling like yourself!
A Note on Newsletter Controls and Reader Options
As promised, a couple housekeeping notes for the newbies: I’m a former magazine editor, and magazine habits are hard to toss aside, so in The Book Case I post in three “departments”:
Writing on Purpose - Posts on writing and reading, and what I’ve learned in book coaching
3 Small Items of Great Delight - Entries documenting what I’ve discovered in my practice of delight
Readability Reviews – Book reviews that measure engagement with the books I read. I’ll be inviting guest reviews soon, so keep an eye out for the invitation.
New subscribers generally receive all of my posts by email, but this newsletter is always available on my Substack page. You have control of which emails you receive, by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any email from me, which takes you to a page where you can choose what sections you prefer to read. You will see a section like the one pictured below, and you can toggle on and off the notifications. Of course, if you have the Substack app, you can opt to receive no emails at all, and read in the app instead.
As always, I’m open to messages and comments. Feel free to connect anytime!