Today is my birthday.
I turn 62 today.
Notice the word “turn.” It’s as if I have “turned” a corner.
I became aware that the words we use to describe our age tell a lot about what we feel from one of George Carlin’s writings. George Carlin is an American comedian and actor who has a gift of gab. He can twist words like no one else can.
He wrote:
If you are less than 10 years old, you are so excited about aging you think in fractions. I am four and a half going on five.
You are never thirty-six and a half!
When in your teens, you jump to the next number or even a few ahead. I am gonna be 16! You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16!
And the greatest day of your life…..you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. You become 21. Yesssss!
But then you turn 30. Ooooooh! What happened here?
You become 21, turn 30, then you are pushing 40. Whoaaa! Put on the brakes!
Before you know it, you reach 50!
But wait!! You make it to 60. You weren’t sure you would!
So, you become 21. Turn 30. Push 40. Reach 50 and make it to 60.
You’ve built up so much speed that you hit 70! After that, it is a day-by-day thing.
You get into your 80’s and every day is a complete cycle; you hit lunch; you turn 4:30; you reach bedtime!
And it doesn’t end there. Into your 90’s you start going backwards. I was just 92!
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. I’m 100 and a half.
Well! I didn’t “make it” to 62, I “turned” 62.
And it does feel like turning a corner and finding everything is changing.
I consider birthdays to be 'rebirth' occasions.
Typically, as my birthday approaches, I take a moment to reflect on my life's journey, appreciating how much I've progressed and eagerly anticipating the journey ahead.
Today, as I reflect on various aspects of my life, I find myself revisiting 'Letters From A Whimsical Writer.' I launched this publication on a spontaneous impulse, much like many other ventures I've embarked upon (hence the name 'whimsical').
My initial goal was to stay connected with a small group of readers I had three years ago and to challenge myself to maintain a consistent weekly writing routine.
After successfully publishing 165 letters and hardly missing a week, I now possess the confidence to sustain this practice in the foreseeable future.
The moment has arrived to elevate this publication to new heights.
Starting next week, 'Letters From A Whimsical Writer' is undergoing a transformation. It will focus on a specific theme, delve deeper, and align more closely with my life's mission.
The Letters From A Whimsical Writer is changing from next week. It is becoming more specific, going deep, and aligning with my mission in life.
Instead of unveiling the new name and format for the publication (as I'm still refining some details), I'll dedicate some time to reflect on what I've accomplished with the current format.
I launched A Whimsical Writer as a newsletter with the intention of sharing current insights on writing, publishing, and marketing, all while infusing a sense of fun. The goal was to dismantle the clichéd perception of the struggling artist and replace it with vibrancy, humor, and a spirit of playfulness.
For the first 18 issues, each issue had 4 parts:
A story to share an insight.
Authorpreneur journey one step at a time.
Writing industry news.
What I was up to.
After about six months, it became too much to handle and I found myself in a puddle. To get out, I changed the format of the “newsletter,” taking the “news” out of it, and keeping the “letter,” and “A Whimsical Writer” became “Letters From A Whimsical Writer” where I shared stories and insight from my life leaving the Authorpreneure Journey and Writing Industry news to my Medium publication Authorpreneurs.
In January 2022, I introduced an extra issue every Wednesday, titled 'Behind The Scenes' exclusively for my paid subscribers. In this edition, I shared my personal experiences in building my author business, provided practical advice, and covered noteworthy updates within the writing industry.
During this time I was really proud to share How To Make Learning Plans, Ten Business Models For Writers, Building An Author Brand, How To Turn Your Digital Clutter Into A Knowledge Base, and Building and Selling a Digital Product.
"However, the subscriber count didn't see significant growth, and it felt like I was putting in all this effort in vain. So, after a year, I decided to discontinue it.
In January 2023, I embarked on a fresh start with great enthusiasm and introduced mini-courses. Unfortunately, this endeavor was short-lived due to what turned out to be a 'year of unexpected travel,' forcing me to abandon the plan.
Instead, I wrote about my travels and found great joy in that. It’s one of those times when I am never short of material only time.
I also shared a few of my short stories, but regrettably, I didn't continue with that endeavor. Somewhere amidst my travels, online writing, and non-fiction books, my fiction writing took a backseat."
In 2022, I also shared some of my short stories but didn’t continue with them. Somewhere along with travel, online writing, and non-fiction books, fiction writing fell off the wagon.
It's amusing to observe that the letters I took great pleasure in crafting (Four Levels of Consciousness, Four Kinds of Energies…), went relatively unnoticed, while the posts I wrote spontaneously (Stay on the bus…, Another Creative Quitter, You Are an Artist Too) garnered the most attention."
Three of my posts (as far as I know) were picked for the Recommended Reads by Substack - Scheduling Time To Explore, First we explore then we exploit... and Why some succeed beyond expectations.
I derived immense pleasure from creating sketches for these letters, and I'm delighted to know that some of those sketches earned your admiration."
What next?
I've been yearning to infuse my newsletter with greater focus and depth for a while but was uncertain about the approach.
In the past, my trusted confidant was
of The Turnstone, with whom I've frequently consulted to bounce ideas and chart the future course of my publication. Melanie, thank you for your guidance over the years.Recently, I discovered
and I'm so excited to collaborate with Sarah on shaping the new iteration of this publication.I'm eagerly anticipating the beginning of this new chapter in both my life and my publication.
You know what they say, the future is so bright that it almost hurts my eyes to gaze upon it.
That’s all from me this week.
See you next week.
I'm looking forward to the new direction Neera. I'm glad you are finding Sarah Fay helpful. Someone else recommended her to me too. I'm thinking of doing some sessions with her when I get back from my upcoming trip.
I look forward to your new direction! Oh, and happiest of birthdays, dear Neera.