i. maintaining your wonder

“Refilling the well” has become a popular phrase to explain the importance of taking breaks. But the phrase doesn’t work for me.

muse: (noun) a person or personified force who is the inspiration for a creative artist (verb) to be absorbed in thought; to gaze thoughtfully at.

A newsletter in which I, Ashia Monet, think about writing and aspire to be the sort of woman that would make Lilith proud. This is my curated corner of the world, so I invite you to dim the lights and find something lovely to drink. Here it is calm, here it is quiet, and here you are always welcome—though I cannot promise that strange things do not lurk in the darkness here.

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The phrase “refilling the well” comes from the Ernest Hemingway quote: “I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.”

“Refilling the well” has become a popular phrase to explain the importance of taking breaks, resting, and enjoying art instead of simply creating it. It’s a phrase that seems to work for everyone but me.

I think the words lean too utilitarian. The image of a well—a tool whose entire existence revolves around being useful—doesn’t help me to build a healthy work-life balance. When I built my work schedule with the well in mind, I saw burnout as inevitable. Even if I saw exhaustion approaching on the horizon, I’d shrug and think, that’s okay. I’ll just take a break to refill the well so I can move past it.

I don’t think it’s helpful to view breaks as things you must endure in order to do more work. I think, instead, it is more helpful to view these creative breaks as sustaining periods—they are, after all, the reason you will want to create work in the first place.

I don’t presume to know everything. There are writers with twenty years in the business under their belts, and I am not one of them. But those are the people I look to when I think about how I want to structure my career.

Writers who have been working for years are the kinds of people who take long breaks in-between books. They have periods of impressive levels of production, but they also may disappear for a decade, existing in silence, until they finally reappear with something new. (Unless they’re Nora Roberts—but we can’t all be Nora Roberts.)

Rest is not optional when you are planning to do something for your whole life. Time is not a limited commodity. Suddenly, in the grand scheme of things, taking a break no longer seems annoying.

I started writing—and storytelling—from a feeling of joy and wonder. I loved films, TV shows, anime, books, manga, music. Everything with the capacity to move an audience to laugh, cry, feel. Even the most generic daily routines could inspire me (I once wrote a short story inspired by a particularly chaotic trip to the supermarket).

When I take a break, it is all about maintaining that curiosity and excitement. I am seeking out people, experiences, and media that will fill me with wonder. And wonder is not well that is meant to run dry.

When I think of my work as a well, I feel as if I can work regardless of feeling a sense of wonder. But the quality of that work isn’t as good when I do that. If I tell myself that losing wonder is when the work has to end? That’s how I can convince myself to stop, to course correct, to spend time living and dreaming and rediscovering things that are meaningful to me. Then I can go on making good stories—and, more importantly, turning my life into the sort of story I’m proud to share with others.

I know it seems insane to talk about rest during the start of the year, which is usually focused on goal setting and productivity. But Mercury is in retrograde until January 18th, which means we’ll be facing some challenges in communication and travel during the start of 2023. Furthermore, we are literally in the middle of winter, the season of the year that calls for rest and introspection.

Our Gregorian calendar is telling us to take a running leap into the new year, but I think it is worth considering if we should mimic nature and continue hunkering down, preparing to make our big splash in the spring.

If it moves you, I invite you to reclaim your wonder. Create a list of unfamiliar things that make you curious and find time to play within those spaces. Travel, try new foods, visit an old friend, watch a film or a show from a genre you haven’t seen before. Get that piercing, start taking piano lessons, try pilates, cook a new recipe, go on a hot girl walk. Maintain your wonder.

book updates.

Our Black horror anthology ALL THESE SUNKEN SOULS releases on October 17th and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait for you to read my short story, BE NOT AFRAID, a gloriously grotesque blend of cosmic and religious horror. It’s about anti-Black racism within the church, biblically accurate angels, and some other things that I won’t spoil. :)

The preorder links are here!

recommendations.

I read so many good books in 2022 but a lot of them are very popular titles that have already received quite a bit of buzz. So, the two I will recommend that feel apt for a winter read are STONE AND STEEL by Eboni Dunbar and THE WORLD KEEPS ENDING AND THE WORLD GOES ON by Franny Choi.

STONE AND STEEL is a sapphic fantasy novella and can easily be finished in a single sitting. Despite this, the worldbuilding and character relationships will linger with you. This is a story about the rise and fall of empires, the destructive and reconstructive powers of love. It’s as good as it sounds, I promise.

THE WORLD KEEPS ENDING AND THE WORLD GOES ON was one of my most anticipated poetry collections of 2022 and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite sentiments is the idea that society has always had to reckon with great pain; no tragedy is the first, nor will it be the last. Choi explores this with gorgeous prose, honesty, and hope.

As for lifestyle, I earnestly recommend Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa. If you love rich chocolate with hints of salty sweetness, you’ll adore this. It’s a fancy little drink that will warm you up during these cold, midwinter nights. I make mine with milk and top it with whipped cream, but I’m sure it’ll taste just as delightful with any substitutions.

where to find me.

Website: ashiamonet.com

Twitter: @ashiamonet

Tiktok and Instagram: @ashiawrites