Back to School

I've always felt that fall is the appropriate time to mark a new year. It just makes sense! It's back to school season! And even if you aren't heading to school this fall, there are so many ways to incorporate that feeling of a fresh start and new possibilities into your routine.

1). Chasing the high of a new pencil and a blank notebook? Me too. 

2). If life-long learning is your thing (hello, that is my love language), I suggest taking a class to satisfy that craving. How about a short story writing class? Author Danielle Lazarin is teaching at Catapult and has openings in her private teaching schedule. I took three of Danielle's classes and highly recommend them. She is impeccably thorough, is sensitively and skillfully attuned to all aspects of excellent writing, and is quite honestly, brilliant. She's also kind (kind is better than nice*), which is a very important trait when sharing your work with any sort of authority/teacher figure. Budding and established writers would both benefit from her course. *She's also nice. 

3). I love pens with a little weight to them. These are my favorites for writing.

4). There's nothing quite like listening to an entire record while bathing in candlelight as the nights get longer.

5). I like to re-read this book before the end of summer. While parts of it have aged poorly, Maureen Daly manages to capture the quiet pulse of a specific flavor of young American life (and bizarre family dynamics) in the 1940s. Her writing is honest, close, and straightforward, so saccharine elements balance out rather unexpectedly for a 17-year-old writer. 

6). A lap desk for writing in bed (my preferred letter writing spot).

7). Back to school means a new agenda. This cheerful cherry red Smythson one starts at the 15th of November. I also love using a Five Star notebook for daily to-do lists.

8). I am obsessed with this face cleanser. My skin is sensitive, and the second a bit of coldness creeps into the air, it's difficult to keep the dryness under control. This helps. If it's a bit out of budget, I also love this cleanser.