🎧 41. The Discomfort of White Space

Hello! Kicking off the rest of the season with reflections from taking intentional time off this summer, including how difficult it is to live with uncertainty

Welcome! This space is a bit of an experiment (for now). When new episodes of the Wild Words podcast arrive, I’ll post notes or a portion of the transcript here so we can discuss it! This is *not* my monthly author newsletter—you can sign up for that here.

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Photo by Dominik Schröder on Unsplash

Notes on Episode 41: As much as we long for time to rest and afternoons to daydream, the reality can sometimes be… uncomfortable. After taking the summer to pause, I’m sharing four lessons I came away with, including why I almost thought this experiment was a bad idea, the project I dusted off and completed in a single weekend, and more.

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A few highlights from this episode:

• On creating pauses any time of year

• What to do when new ideas come rushing through

• How much work it really takes to create white space

• Why white space can feel uncomfortable

Linkable mentions:

• Episode 40: Searching for White Space

• Wintering by Katherine May

This summer I created intentional white space around my creativity, allowing for more quiet, more rest, and a necessary refresh after spending the past three years working on my memoir manuscript.

But as

Katherine May

writes in Wintering: “Some winters happen in the sun.” A great reset does not need to occur during the heat of summer for it to be effective. What’s most important is that you’re intentional about taking the time you need, and listen to the whisper or nudge from a place deep inside that’s craving it. 

A few noticings from my months of white space:

01 An onslaught of ideas

These started arriving in rapid succession very early on. At first I wondered if pausing was a mistake, because I suddenly had so many things to say. But no, their presence is only because of the pause. Ideas are always brewing under the surface, and it’s necessary to allow opportunities for them to come through, which often requires that we’re doing less. 

02 White space requires planning

It took a lot of effort to arrive here. I planned for months and methodically ended things and wrapped up projects in order for this to happen. White space doesn’t just fall into our laps—it requires intention so we’re able to be present down the line.

03 Hard stuff suddenly feels easy

I’d been wanting to update my website for a long time. This wasn’t an essential project, so it was easy to put aside in favor of other writing. Not only that, but all that was required behind-the-scenes to make this happen felt a bit overwhelming. At one point I made a list of all the tasks I’d need to complete for this transition, and broke them down into manageable bits. But I still didn’t move forward. Then suddenly, over the course of a single weekend, I had a new website. Everything that felt daunting was easeful. And I was so pleased with myself in the end! In the end, it makes sense that when we create openings, other things can come through, even administrative projects. 

04 White space is uncomfortable

Despite the positive outcomes of my summer, I also felt like I had no idea what I was doing much of the time. This is a natural byproduct of having worked on one project for years and then suddenly … not. Circling back to my first note, having lots of new ideas was a very good thing, but it also made me feel scattered. I’m not beholden to any one idea yet, and they’re all sort of vying for my attention. Humans don’t like uncertainty, period. It’s no different in our writing life, which is why I’m trying to be extra gentle as I fiddle around with some things and rather than jump into something just for the sake of it, explore with curiosity to see what surfaces. 

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Your turn! How was your summer? Did you take some time off from writing, social media, or life in general? Share what resonated with you in the comments!

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Nicole Gulotta is the author of WILD WORDS and the literary cookbook EAT THIS POEM. She helps sensitive writers embrace the season they're in, create at their own pace, and care for their minds and bodies along the way.

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