Month: November 2023

Hello and a happy Monday to everyone. I’m launching right into the week with today’s prompt.

Try It Out – Try some stream of consciousness writing

I so needed this today. You’ve probably heard of morning pages. I don’t do it every day, but I do find great value in letting go of the tight grip of all my thoughts sometimes and just letting it all fall onto the paper in the chaotic mess that they are. Life feels a little overwhelming right now, and that’s perhaps even a better time than usual to just spill everything onto the page. Even if you don’t know where to start.

Speaking of, if you don’t know where to start with your stream of consciousness writing – write that! “I don’t know what to write” has started me on many writing journeys.

The funny thing is that I was just talking to someone yesterday who said he had so many ideas for a project but he didn’t know where to start. I suggested he get a notebook and start writing it all down…

Pen and paper forever!

How about you? Was this a good thing to try out? Will you use it again? Were you using it already? Let me know in the comments, and/or feel free to tag me on Instagram!

Other Participants:

*https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
*https://www.instagram.com/erica.engdahl/
*https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeinatedzinester/
*https://www.instagram.com/thegnomewife/
*https://www.instagram.com/apocalypsegrrl/
*https://www.instagram.com/livingjazzy/
*https://www.instagram.com/sierradecarmen/

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.

Lightbulb Moments – Share your zine ideas boo/idea file/Notion/etc

Another day, another prompt! I’ve already mentioned how I capture ideas and current projects here and there, but today is dedicated specifically to showing the ways we capture ideas.

I am still all about carrying around a little (or big, you do you) notebook wherever you go and/or making sure you have a notes app on your phone that you like. You never know when or where inspiration could strike. Maybe you don’t use all of the ideas, but it’s a good thing to get into the habit of letting the ideas flow and viewing the world through a creative lens.

A large part of that for me has been starting to use Notion. While I’ll never let go of paper entirely, Notion (not sponsored) has made it super easy for me to pop ideas down and have them appear on my computer for when I’m ready. While still being available in Notion on my phone to poke around with as desired.

But, as I mentioned about paper, I do like the action and mindspace of writing things down and working out ideas that way, so I do still have my Kismet notebook that I turn to for such occasions. And finally, for all the partially finished zines, I have a soft, A5 zipper folder to keep everything in one place. While that’s not so much ideas as current projects, I think it still counts.

So that is me for today. I hope you all are having a most fabulous weekend and enjoying your time.

Until next time…

Other Participants:

*https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
*https://www.instagram.com/erica.engdahl/
*https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeinatedzinester/
*https://www.instagram.com/thegnomewife/
*https://www.instagram.com/apocalypsegrrl/

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.

Make a Zine: Meet the Zinemaker! Make a zine introducing yourself

Hello and welcome to day four of ZineWriMo! Today we have our first make a zine day. I have seen a few of these ‘meet the artist’ and ‘meet the zinemaker’ mini-zines floating around over the years, and I think they are so fun! It’s a mini-zine, a perzine, and an introduction all wrapped up in a cutie little package. So much fun.

Full disclosure, today has been a super busy rush day, and it was hard to focus even when I did finally sit down with all my bits and bobs to make a zine. Alas, I didn’t get very far, but I got a start, and that makes me very happy indeed. Started is better than not at all. But even if you didn’t start today, it’s all good! ZineWriMo is about encouraging creativity, not stress.

I am so excited to see what people come up with today. Please feel free to tag me @seagreenzines on Instagram and/or leave your links in the comments!

Until tomorrow…

Other Participants:

*https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
*https://www.instagram.com/erica.engdahl/
*https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeinatedzinester/
*https://www.instagram.com/thegnomewife/

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.

Prep Time! Fold your mini-zines, get your supplies ready, create your playlists

Day three! Woohoo! Usually by this time I feel like I’m running behind already, but I’m still feeling really good about how things are going and excited to make some zines.

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan today, so I didn’t get as much done as I thought I would. However, I was able to pick up a beautifully minty paper pad that just plain makes me happy to look at for the upcoming 24 Hour Zine Thing zine, and perhaps some other projects as well.

I also did some cleaning out and rearranging so I could use this drawers set for all of my highlighters, coloured pens, dot markers, gel pens, and sticky notes. I got frustrated with them being all in different places, so on my desk they go!

I don’t have a music playlist as such (please share yours if you do), but if you’re looking for an inspirational playlist, I have the Zine Goodness Playlist for your enjoyment.

So that’s me for today. I have some papers to cut down and more fine planning to do. I hope you are having a smooth cruise into the month and having fun already. I would love to see what everyone else is doing to prepare.

Other Participants:

*https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
*https://www.instagram.com/erica.engdahl/
*https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeinatedzinester/
*https://www.instagram.com/thegnomewife/

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.

Plan It Out: Make a Plan/Set Your Goals for ZineWriMo 2023

Hello and welcome to a bright and sunny (here around the zine cave anyway) day two of ZineWriMo. I am so, so happy to have received several emails and tags from people about ZineWriMo and joining in. I’m always so excited to see what people are creating and all the good zine energy happening.

Like always, it’s about a gentle, as low stress as possible zine journey in November. Yesterday was about letting your ideas grow wild and free to see what appeared. Today is about picking and choosing the particular seeds or blooms you want to nurture this month.

While my wild and tangled garden is kept in Notion (and on various scraps of paper and sticky notes), my more extensive notes and things go in a lovely sage green book. I have a decent typing speed, but handwriting will always be for me.

So on to my plan for the month!

Nyx’s Plan

*Post every day (this is my goal every year, and I don’t think I’ve ever made it without needing catch-up days, but we shall see)
*YouTube shorts as much as possible (I’m getting a cold so I don’t want to commit to using my voice every single day just in case)
*Make all the minis from the calendar prompts
*Make my long-overdue 24 Hour Zine Thing 4 (which always takes longer than 24 hours)

Bonus Zines (you never know):

*For the Love of Washi
*Just Because I’m On YouTube

So there we have it! Given my track history with Novembers, that will definitely be a challenge, but I’m really hopeful and excited to get going. I’ll be back tomorrow preparing for all the things.

Until then, please feel free to tag me or drop me an email to let me know where you’re posting so I can put you on the participant list!

Other Participants:

*https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
*https://www.instagram.com/erica.engdahl/
*https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeinatedzinester/

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.

Day 1 – Brainstorms & Thought Gardens

And so we begin!

Gosh, I am not ready. I feel like I write that every year, but I am most definitely not ready for November this year. I feel like I needed at least a few more days in October, but here we are, and it’s time to get a move on!

Today is all about getting ideas on the paper. It’s not (necessarily, but you do you!) about choosing what you will do for the month so much as opening yourself up to all the possibilities. Creativity is a wonderful thing, and you never know what you might come up with once you start writing down (or typing or colouring) all the possibilities.

I’ve started jotting down my zine ideas in the program Notion. It can take a little while to get used to, but a few YouTube video tutorials later, and I was off and running. I like the versatility of it while also liking that it’s only as complicated as I want it to be.

It’s not a very exciting picture to share, as I want to keep a lot of things under wraps for the time being, but it’s nice to have such a big list. And Notion makes it super easy to pop in there, throw in any more ideas I have, and then move along with what I’m doing. And, in my experience, it works seamlessly between my phone and computer.

Easy peasy – and I’m all about that.

So that’s me for today. I did have to keep reminding myself that I didn’t have to choose today, just write down my options. It made of a fairly gentle but exciting start to the month, and I’m excited to start hammering out the details tomorrow.

If you are participating, please let me know! I keep a running list of all participants all month long so you can check out their posts.

Other Participants:

*

Get the full list of prompts and find out what this whole ZineWriMo thing is all about here.