#60 A Slow Sunday Scroll ☕️

stephen king's advice, a mid-life novel and a moving play

“Write from the scar, not the wound” the old saying goes. Share only from scar tissue once it’s all healed over and you’re strong enough to withstand any poking. A memoir is not a diary; it is not a big messy cake, it’s more like something that’s been moulded using those metal cookie cutter shapes. Selected, crafted, arranged for consumption. However I am always as surprised as anyone else with what the finished product ends up looking like. I really didn’t think I’d write any more about my year last year, certainly not in book-form — it was honestly the last thing I wanted to do. However, the fact that I have turned a truly topsy turvy mental health year into a piece of writing (and published it independently) has only proven to myself that I’m a writer whether I like it or not.

We’ve sold over 2,000 copies of A Year of Nothing in 1.5 weeks. No big publishing house is behind me; it’s just me and JP Watson, founder of brilliant indy The Pound Project, organising the whole campaign mostly over Whatsapp. (It’s only available for 10 more days. Don’t miss out if you want one.)

This is the magic of creativity, it’s a collaboration with the unknown. A new book is a nice thing to come out of a bad year. I’ve been asked if I am nervous about it coming out (it’s probably my most vulnerable piece of writing yet) but I’m actually not feeling nervous at all. If anything, my year of nothing has given me the gift of resilience, even though it’s a vulnerable book. I have a deeper respect for myself, for my work, as a person and a writer. Which means, a deeper respect for life.

I hope you enjoy the book. I hope we all keep going and keep showing up for ourselves, despite any bumps in the road. I received an early endorsement this week from none other than Julia Cameron herself. I sent her some colourful flowers to say thank you. A special moment. Grateful for support, mentorship and intergenerational friendships. As Glennon Doyle says: ‘we can do hard things’.

“Emma Gannon is a brave writer. Take the book you hold in your hands: A Year of Nothing. Her honesty, open mindedness, and willingness to be vulnerable lay out a path for her readers to follow.” — Julia Cameron, author of New York Times Bestselling The Artist’s Way

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It’s been quite the week. Lots going on. All good things.

I announced my new audio series which I’m recording live, in a library(!) (with some of you there!) next week. I’m also hosting a small launch event at The Twenty Two club in London next week to celebrate A Year of Nothing. I’ll be in conversation with JP, hosted by fellow author and Substacker Alice Vincent (of

savour by Alice Vincent

and

In Haste

) — I have 10 spaces saved for any Hyphen members who might want to come. Please leave a comment below if you live in London (and missed out on the podcast recording invite) and would like to come along!

I also contributed to this piece from Substack HQ on how to take a break on this platform when it’s your full-time job. I also did some podcasts to talk about the new book. Firstly, the Women Are Mad podcast, where the two hosts (actress Salima Saxton and psychotherapist Jennifer Cox) discuss rage with the guest. I also spoke to psychotherapist Anna Marthur on her podcast The Therapy Edit and we discussed why embracing our child-like self is important for healing. I thoroughly enjoyed both conversations.

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Your Slow Sunday Scroll

— We Need To Rewild The Internet 
— There Are So Many Ways To Have Children In Your Life
— Writing and swimming help each other
— Nine books to soothe your nervous system
— Is there a Bridgerton group chat?
— The Era of “Peak Content”
— Writers who make me a better writer
— Penguin Random House Dismisses Two of Its Top Publishers
— How giving birth triggered a life-changing illness
— Miranda July’s First Novel In A Decade
— Jenn Romolini on a rejected book idea
— Colleen Hoover Is a Wildly Successful Author. Why Did She Stop Writing?
— Suleika Jaoud’s Art of Survival
— Life lessons from Stephen King
— The life-changing magic of finding a hobby

— All Fours by Miranda July. A 45-year-old woman on a road trip, yes please! It’s giving me Big Swiss meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation vibes.
— Steve Almond’s new storytelling guide.
— In lieu of actually going to LA (I was meant to be there this week but I had a flight mishap), I’ve been reading Eve Babitz Slow Days, Fast Company — one of the best writers on LA lifestyle, gossip and culture.
— Looking forward to reading Home Matters: How Our Homes Shape Us, and We Shape Them, the new book from

Penny Wincer

.

— I loved Idea of You of Amazon Prime. Based on the book about a 40-year-old woman’s relationship with a 20-something boy band star, I don’t like the phrase ‘guilty pleasure’ but it did feel like one.
— Selling Sunset is also my guilty pleasure (I watched a lot of it during my burnout) so I’m loving that there’s now Buying London to get stuck into. The same vibe, same absolute ridiculousness, and I love to hate it — or hate to love it?
— Loved Marian Keyes on the No Filter podcast, about all the times she couldn’t write and how she got through it.
— If you want to learn more about Joni Mitchell, listen to Legend on BBC Sounds.
— The trailer for I Am Celine is out — I cried, so god knows how I’ll be watching the whole thing!
— Nelly Furtado’s Tiny Desk concert, what an icon.
— I remember reading Henry Fraser’s brilliant memoir The Little Big Things about an accidental life-changing injury. The play version is now available to watch via National Theatre.

— Really enjoyed Fragile Beauty at the V&A, photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection. It was moving and brilliant.
— If you’re looking for a stylish and practical side-bag that can fit books in.. look no further.
— For a dash of dopamine dressing: HOFF trainers.
— I’ve honestly not shopped in River Island for fifteen years — but I stumbled across this long skirt in a towel-effect/crochet fabric for an upcoming holiday and it is SO comfortable and you can get a matching cardigan.
— Thank you for showing support to my friend’s new venture The Herringbone Studio — I saw some of you left her a comment on her Instagram. She’s really deserves some nice things coming her way after a difficult few years. So thank you!
— And a small reminder: I’m hosting a beautiful weekend retreat with with EASE in November in Wales — there is ONE space left. Could it be yours? I’ll be delivering my ‘creative unblocking’ masterclass plus a relaxing weekend of learning, connecting and reflecting with a group of like-minded individuals. You can find the details below.

You're invited on my next retreat

What are you loving/consuming at the moment?

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