The seed for My WriteDay subscription box for writers was planted about 2019 when I was elected Vice-President of programming for a genre writing group I belonged to. We were around 40 members strong, met in person monthly, had been in existence for many years, presented an annual in-person conference, and traveled together to other writing conferences. Then COVID happened in the middle of my term. I increased the number of online programs and worked with the board to maintain monthly meetings via Zoom but morale wilted. My instinct was to send care packages to members that included an assortment of writing and wellness support. My WriteDay is my brainchild after this experience because the care packages resulted in an all-around win. Members who donated items, members who received packages, and this writer had a moment of connection that wasn’t the norm for us, but was better than the isolation we were enduring while disease assaulted our lives. We mourned our friends and family taken by the scourge and lived to write another day. Which became My WriteDay.
Sample contents
Every other month for the last three years I have shipped writer care packages to MWD subscribers that contain a writing craft book, office supplies, and writerly items for support and inspiration. If you would like to join us, the shopping cart is currently open for a limited time on the My WriteDay website. The contents change with every box with the goal of offering curated products chosen to support the work and wellbeing of writers. It makes a great gift as well.
The current July/August 2026 box “You Are the Story” is available for a limited time. Become a member and I’ll send you a friendly reminder every other month of how important you and your stories are.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links although I have never made a single dime from one, I’m required by law to provide a disclaimer.
If I am a workaholic, I don’t care.
Honestly, I’m pretty sure I am a workaholic, but I’m not going to blame anyone else. Growing up, I had intense role models. My parents and extended family members were all middle class and had to work incredibly hard to make ends meet, food appear on the table, and apparel that met the fashion expectations of the day available to everyone. If we were poor, I didn’t get the memo, but I also don’t remember wanting too much besides a book to read, the time and freedom to read it, and paper and pencil with which to write my own poems and stories.
When I was twelve years old, my parents, who were self-employed (my Dad actually worked two jobs year-round; one full-time and one part-time, both as a contractor,) decided I should be more conscious of the money necessary to run a business and a household. I was happy to learn and by the age of fourteen I was keeping the financial books for both of them. As the family bookkeeper for two entrepreneurs, did I maybe see too much work going on? Did I assume everybody worked all the time? I don’t remember thinking that, but perhaps it influenced me more than I knew, because flash forward I will work, work, work until something is done or I run myself into the ground and get sick.
Something called the Bergen Work Addiction Scale entered the world around 2012. It was compiled by researchers in Norway and the United Kingdom and administered to over 12,000 working Norwegians. It’s based on the traditional psychological conditions indicating addiction to anything and is developed in specific accordance with the principles of work. Here are the seven basic criteria of the Bergen scale:
You think of how you can free up more time to work.
You spend much more time working than initially intended.
You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness and depression.
You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them.
You become stressed if you are prohibited from working.
You deprioritise hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work.
You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health.
How many do you recognize in yourself? I meet six of the seven. Whatever.
To save me from myself, my Mom introduced me to yoga when I was eighteen. She probably recognized the type A (for Always busy) oldest child syndrome leaking out. Because I was a competitive gymnast, hatha yoga suited my twisty-twirly, boneless body just fine. Consequently, I have practiced yoga and meditate to counterbalance my worker bee personality ever since.
And although not much is said about it, the dirty little secret of gymnastics AND ballet is that you can’t do that stuff forever. THAT has haunted me forever. The last day of ballet, the last day of back handsprings, and the last night of reading till dawn were difficult for me.
The last day of storytelling will inevitably make its appearance. That will be a really tough one. Eyes, hands, shoulders, spine, and hips will eventually stop cooperating. My pragmatic side gets this. My creative side says, “Get this shit done before you can’t!” So, I read books, write books, sell books, and help others with their book needs while I can and until I can’t.
That’s why I am a workaholic. One day the work won’t work.
Are you a workaholic? I took this test on the Psychology Today website and scored a B-. Well, damn. I would love to know what you score. Remember to take such things with a healthy, side-eye of skepticism.
One of my many projects is My WriteDay bi-monthly subscription box for writers, and it opens to new subscribers Monday, March 2 at noon eastern. Each box is packed with a new writing craft book, office essentials, healthy snacks, and items to support a writer’s creativity and health. The March-April 2026 box is “Picture Book Perfection.”
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JOY E. HELD is a busy author, educator, editor, book coach, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Saving Marietta: Journey to Freedom, Book 1 (Headline Books, Inc., 2026) Adult Historical Romance
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
Welcome to “Ready, Set, Memoir” the September/October 2025 2nd Anniversary box reveal!
When I first checked out the feature craft book for this box, I almost got interested in writing my memoir because RSM is so cleverly organized to entice anyone to write their life story. The reason I haven’t done it is because I don’t think I’m that unique in the world of creative people who do what I do from sun-up to late in the night. I have never thought anyone would be interested in my personal journey. Then I realized that I have tons of chapters about my life already written in the years and years of journaling I’ve done. This book has given me a new perspective on writing my memoir. It might do the same for you!
What’s in “Ready, Set, Memoir” the Sept/Oct ’25 Box?
Let’s look at it all.
1.Ready, Set, Memoir by Lindsey Grant is a colorful yet practical approach to determining IF you have a story then how to go about getting started.
Candied Pecans from Earthside Farms is a delicious treat to have nearby. They are super yummy, pecans are healthy, and surprisingly, a few nuts go a long way. (That sounds to me like it applies to more than these pecans LOL.) Ta-da! Portion control.
Journal Prompts These ready-made journal prompts are perfect springboards for when you want to journal but need an idea to get the pen (or keyboard) in motion. I glue one to a page then respond but you can copy it as well.
Inspirational Pencil Set These pencils are great to place around the house or in your journal-to-go bag so you are always with a writing tool. My idea of hell is paper without a pen/pencil!
There are reading andwriting stickers, a Thoughtfull pop-out journal prompt, MWD drink coaster, an embellished paperclip, and an enamel pin.
52 Weeks of Book Quotes This is a clever calendar that is NOT a calendar. It can be used forever for journal prompts, blog posts, and general inspiration.
Subscribers, what did you think of this box? I’d love to know. MWD unboxing video??? Yes, please. Have you ever done an unboxing of MWD on Instagram? I didn’t see it!! Please tag me. Thank you.
MWD could use your help spreading the word about our box. There are a few ways to do this:
Post on social media
Share your box with others
Mention us in your newsletter if you have one
Give out information post cards (which I will supply to you on request) at critique groups and writing conferences
I hope your WriteDay is fantastic!
~Joy
Disclaimer
This publication may contain affiliate links that may result in a small compensation to the author if you click and make a purchase. Thanks for your support! Please support our advertisers.
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links. You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time. My ideas are not ever meant as a substitute for consulting with a qualified health professional.
JANE BUEHLER
BOOKThe Fire Apprentice: A Fairy Tale with Benefits
AUTHOR Jane Buehler
GENRE Cozy romantasy
BLURBHe’s the blacksmith. But she’s the one playing with fire.
After a fairy seduced her, fathered her child, and tried to take that child, Jane swore she’d never trust one again. Surely she can find a suitable human man to be a companion for herself and a father for little Elle, right? So when her housemate mentions a new apprentice blacksmith, Jane leaves Elle playing in the yard and heads to the smithy.
Rowan is rugged and handsome but clearly not interested. Disappointed, Jane has just left the smithy when a sudden shadow swoops over the village. Jane races home to see a dragon snatching Elle. Jane is distraught. Then Rowan mysteriously appears and offers to rescue the child. He insists the dragon won’t hurt Elle—apparently fairy children apprentice with dragons to learn fire magic. How does Rowan know so much about fairies? Turns out, he is one.
Jane will do anything to rescue Elle, even if it involves the F word—a fairy. But climbing into the mountains with Rowan is risky. His reticence keeps Jane guessing, but she can’t keep her mind off him: he’s even more handsome out in the moonlit woods, with that deep voice and those capable hands. When Jane and Rowan run into trouble, Jane must take charge. Because it turns out, Rowan needs rescuing too.
The Fire Apprentice is a grumpy/sunshine romance—or maybe more of a brooding/effusive romance—that’s perfect for fans of Throne in the Dark or Jenna Wolfhart’s Falling for Fables cozy romantasy series. Each book in the Sylvania series can be read on its own but might contain spoilers for previous books. The Fire Apprentice contains love scenes and a heroine with pelvic floor pain.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Emily Jane Buehler published two nonfiction books—one on the science and craft of baking bread, the other a memoir of a bicycle trip from New Jersey to Oregon—before venturing into fiction. She currently writes cozy fantasy romances where everyday people (and fairies) have adventures and fall in love. They are lighthearted stories with action and adventure, love and magic, where protagonists learn to believe in themselves and find their courage. And yes, they are kissing books!
Emily Jane believes that by portraying positive relationships with good communication, romance novels can help readers envision such relationships for themselves, serve as a model of proper consent for young people, and portray diverse types of relationships and people. They can be a fun escape while still having depth and contributing to a better society.
Emily Jane lives in North Carolina. Her favorite things include letters sent through the mail, her fair-trade wool leg warmers, and chocolate cake with frosting. She is passionate about living waste free and usually has one or more cats.
BLURB When Serena Robinson and Tobi Doyle witness the neighborhood apothecary lifting a limp body from his fishing boat, they don’t realize they will be swept up into a life-or-death race to save a mermaid from the doctor’s greedy plans.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joy E. Held is an award-winning author, editor, book coach, educator, and yoga instructor living with her husband in West Virginia.
BLURB Writer Wellness Workbook is a companion book to Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity designed to offer hands-on practice in the five key concepts of journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joy E. Held is an award-winning author, editor, book coach, educator, and yoga instructor living with her husband in West Virginia.
BLURB It is a crisp fall day in Appalachia and Katie is learning about the season of fall as she and her mother walked to the local autumn festival. She sees squirrels and other animals putting away food for the cold winter months and compares it to the canning of fruits and vegetables that she and her mother did the day before. at the autumn festival, she experiences Appalachian music while admiring the beautiful fall mums and pumpkins. Katie sees and learns about many other traditional Appalachian customs, like making apple butter, quilting, folk, toys, and pumpkin patches. The colorful illustrations make this a book for the entire family as they go with Katie on an autumn adventure!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am a former early childhood teacher who is now the author of six books for children.
BLURB Ellie Waltham and her mother have been driven from their home by her grasping cousin. As they run out of resources, her young niece and nephew appear, needing care. But their uncle Gareth Delaney magically moves all of them to safety and returns to Belgium to search for the children’s wounded father and their mother.
Once all are safe in England, Ellie’s scheming relative tries to steal their land. Though she thinks she lacks courage, Ellie takes action to protect her family. Abducted in an effort to force her to wed the villain, she knows she will be killed so he can claim what she has inherited. While sure Gareth is riding to save her, Ellie must still rescue herself…and him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Barbara Jean Miller is an author, educator, and nature observer.
My WriteDay is a bi-monthly subscription box for writers and readers. Each “treasure trove for writers” includes a writing craft book and 3-5 writerly gifts curated to support writers.
Buy me a coffee
JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, book coach, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
Welcome to “Next Level Plotting” the July/August 2025 My WriteDay box!
Wherever you are as a writer and regardless of genre, you still have to have some kind of organization for the story, article, poem, etc. Something that serves as a framework for stability and keeping you on track and on task. From the featured writing craft book to the elegant planner in the box, “Next Level Plotting” is designed to help you develop the plot and document your progress.
Let’s look at it all.
Welcome to “Next Level Plotting” the July/August 2025 box!
Next Level Plot Structure: How to Write a Better Novel Using Advanced Storytelling Techniques by K.M. Weiland lays it out plain and simple but with handholding advice every step of the way. There is a signed book plate sticker from K.M and she has contributed a special message for MWD subscribers for the digital magazine.
I’m All Booked hand towelwas too cute to turn down! It has the perfect message printed it on to remind you and maybe others that you have a plan and a writing schedule to keep!
Writer’s Tea Bags from Cliché Tea.Cute, fun, and an assortment of yummy tea flavors. You gotta save the tea envelopes and put them in your journal (or the new planner you just received in this box) simply because they are so true to the writing world.
My Daily Organizer with Matching Ink Penis one more thing in this fun box to take you to the next level of writing and plotting. So pretty I wanted you to have them. Keep track of your word count, plotting notes, and more.
There are reading andwriting stickers, a Thoughtfull pop-out journal prompt, and promotional bookmarks from some my author friends.
Want to get in on these fun and practical gift boxes for writers? Easy. The next box will be available for new subscribers on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 @ NOON EASTERN TIME.
$59.00 every other month includes FREE SHIPPING (continental U.S.)
Look it over here then mark your calendar for Monday, Sept. 1 to get in on the next box of writerly goodies.
Already a subscriber? Camp out at your mailbox the first week of September for your next box!
I hope your WriteDay is fantastic!
~Joy
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Perfect Strangers by Barbara Jean Miller
The Mermaid Riot by Joy E. Held
Disclaimers
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
My ideas are not ever meant as a substitute for consulting with a qualified health professional.
My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)
Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every box includes access to My WRITEDAY Digital Magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.
The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers ages 14 and up will discover an experience designed to offer a healthy plan for living their best writing life. The cost per box is $59.00 and includes freeshipping (in the continental U.S.). There are discounts available on the website. Please visit us!
“MY TOP 10 REASONS FOR STARTING MY WRITEDAY SUBSCRIPTION BOX”
Monday 18 August 2025
MYWRITEDAY SUBSCRIPTION BOX FOR WRITERS is celebrating two years in September. I’m reposting this to ask if you think MWD is living up to my reasons for inventing it. Leave a comment and get ready to subscribe to the next box.
CART OPENS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 AT NOON EST FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.
“My Top 10 Reasons for Starting MY WRITEDAY Subscription Box”
When I take online quizzes, the results are generally the same regardless of the intent of the quiz. How much weight do you want to lose? Is your mindset fixed or flexible? What are your top five strengths? The final explanations generally note that I’m a CURIOUS person. That’s always been the case, and it’s a quality that serves me well as a writer and a human.
The first place I learned about my curious nature was on a career prospect survey the entire ninth grade class had to take before attending a mandatory career counseling session with the school guidance counselor. I already knew I was going to be a published author and teach writing. At the time, I’d already been a published columnist is two newspapers and won several writing awards. I was also secure about my college and career path.
Nonetheless, my guidance counselor informed me that my survey results indicated that I should be a researcher. Talk about vaguebooking. Or a salesclerk. Flash forward and I have ended up doing all four jobs:
· Published author of historical fiction
· Requires a ton of research,
· College English professor and book coach
· Retail salesclerk in my own dance supply store
Now I’m mashing up these experiences and starting a subscription box for writers and readers. It’s called WRITEDAY, and it’s rolling out in September 2023. But why am I adding yet another job to my freelance W-9 (independent contractor) classification? Because I’m curious.
My curiosity about how other people write has led me to this place. WRITEDAY, which will also be known as MY WRITEDAY, satisfies my interests in shopping (retail therapy,) helping other writers (writing teacher/book coach,) and research (learning how to operate a subscription-based business.)
Here are my top 10 reasons for having a subscription box business devoted to writers:
1. CONNECTION
Writing is a solitary occupation. Not always lonely, but a job that only a singular human (here’s giving the middle finger to you, AI) can do. One person sits (or stands if you have one of those newfangled lifted desktops) and writes. Even when a co-author is involved, the general nature of the business of writing is akin to solitary confinement but in a good way. Writers usually have unrestricted access to the refrigerator and the bathroom. My number one reason for a subscription box for writers is to remind them that while the writing process is individual, there must also be some form of connection to others and the outside world. I want to connect with other writers and connect them to each other with a monthly WRITEDAY box.
2. CONVENIENCE
While the contents of WRITEDAY will follow many themes, genres, and contain products made by writers for writers and readers, I intend for the boxes to supply writers with convenient refills on things like tea and coffee, unique variations of office supplies such as paperclips that also hold a pen, and colorful organizer thingies to straighten out all the damn cords under your desk. One of the highlights of WRITEDAY will be products made by writers who are also crafters. By including these items, I want to demonstrate that writers are NOT one-dimensional, but creative makers in more than one field.
3. CONVERSATION
Despite it being their mandate, social media is a dismal failure at encouraging and supporting meaningful conversations. One reason is that it takes so much time to wade through the piles muck to find a valuable dialogue that once arrived, the researcher is too exhausted to engage. WRITEDAY subscription boxes will contain writing by writers (from books to poetry) in a magazine where the work has already been curated and the reader can relax and enjoy the writing. Then contact and engage with the author at their convenience.
The remaining seven reasons for my starting WRITEDAY subscription are
4. A source of revenue
5. Fun planning the contents every month
6. Being something of a personal shopper
7. Surprising subscribers with fun and practical gifts
8. Expand my own customer base
9. Learn something new
10. Bring joy to other writers and readers
Want to get your books and stories into the hands of buyers specifically interested in what you write? Are you a writer who makes bookmarks or something else for writers and readers? Got other ideas or suggestions? Stay tuned for how you can be a part of this start-up. Subscriber, product supplier, cheerleader, advertiser, and more opportunities are open now. MY WRITEDAY is on the way.
***
What do you think?
Already a subscriber? THANK YOU!
CART OPENS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 AT NOON EST FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.
My WriteDay Subscription Box
Disclaimers
This article may contain affiliate links which may result in the author receiving a commission when readers purchase items through the links.
You are receiving this message because you previously signed up for notifications or participated in a program/course with Joy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
My ideas are not ever meant as a substitute for consulting with a qualified health professional.
My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)
Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every box includes access to My WRITEDAY Digital Magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.
The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers ages 14 and up will discover an experience designed to offer a healthy plan for living their best writing life. The cost per box is $59.00 and includes freeshipping (in the continental U.S.). There are discounts available on the website. Please visit us!
JOY E. HELD is an author, educator, editor, entrepreneur, and literary citizen responsible for this site and its contents. She is the author of
Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2020)
Writer Wellness Workbook: A Guided Workbook and Journal to Accompany Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity (Headline Books, Inc., 2023)
The Mermaid Riot (Fire and Ice YA, 2024) Young Adult Historical Fantasy
She writes spicy historical fiction under a pen name.
She is the winner of multiple writing and book awards:
West Virginia Writers, Inc. Annual Writing Contest, Honorable Mention, Novel, 1998.
New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention, Writer Wellness, 2020.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist, Writer Wellness, 2021.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, Member of the Year, 2020.
Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, First Book Award, 2020.
She is an adjunct faculty member in the Southern New Hampshire University Online MFA Creative Writing.
She is a proud graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA with an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction.
She is a member of The Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Joy is the founder and CEO of My WRITEDAY Subscription Box for writers and readers.
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Perfect Strangers by Barbara Jean MillerWriter Wellness by Joy E. Held
NEXT LEVEL PLOTTING is the focus of the upcoming My WriteDay subscription box for July/August.
Get ready for the doors to open for new subscribers Monday, June 30. “Next Level Plotting” July/August My WriteDay subscription box will blow your mind with the fun, practical, and educational items inside.
Cart opens Monday. We have limited quantities so snap up a new subscription while you can.
Summer is great for all kinds of activities, but the writing shouldn’t be shoved aside. This box includes special items to keep you inspired, on track, and on task with the word count.
My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)
We also offer one-time gift boxes for kids and teens!
Each box is inspired by literary themes, genres, and holidays. Every box includes access to My WRITEDAY Digital Magazine filled with writing and publishing tips, writer wellness ideas, fiction excerpts, poetry, special offers, social media options such as live virtual meetings, and more.
The idea behind My WRITEDAY is to help writers spend more time creating stories, engaging with like-minded book friends, and enjoying the juicy, creative life they deserve. From craft books to office supplies to fun, writing/reading inspired décor, subscribers ages 14 and up will discover an experience designed to offer a healthy plan for living their best writing life. The cost per box is $59.00 and includes freeshipping (in the continental U.S.). There are discounts available on the website. Please visit us!
Journaling and writers share a long and important history. From the personal journals of Gustave Flaubert that read like a laundry list of how to view life to the Story Bibles many writers create to keep themselves organized throughout the writing process, writers have always had and always will have numerous reasons to keep a journal. A journal can serve writers of all genres in many different ways, chief among them as a place to collect and hash out story ideas.
It isn’t a waste of valuable writing time to scribble in a journal in advance of working on one’s novel. In the words of author James Brown:
What matters is how journaling can help the writer come up with ideas, kind of a warm-up to a bigger process. The next step is building on those ideas, discarding some and fleshing out others, developing characters and motives, and arranging the scenes in a logical, meaningful sequence with a firm sense of a beginning, middle, and end. Whether you write your thoughts down in a journal or try to store them all in your head, which I don’t recommend, story begins when you begin to dream and brainstorm about people and their problems. (Raab 6)
Then there is the fascinating practice of documenting not only one’s life, but the progress of a book. Two books by John Steinbeck that fundamentally changed the way I look at myself as a writer and a human include Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters and Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath. Reading these helped me understand how keeping a journal alongside writing a novel can serve several purposes.
One use for a journal is a place to cleanse the palate, so to speak, before turning to the blank page of the work in progress. Reading snippets about Steinbeck’s faithfully recorded personal life reinforced my feelings on using a journal as a “dumping ground” to clear a writer’s head prior to working on a current project. All too often personal issues can make their way into our creative work and many times that isn’t the appropriate venue for hashing out our problems.
Steinbeck wrote a page or two each morning about his life, thoughts, and sometimes current events in order to “warm-up his writing arm.” He also used the journal pages to organize his thoughts about what to write. For example, one day’s journal describes his plans for writing:
May 9, Wednesday: It is time I think for the book to pause for discussion. It has not done that for a long time. I think that is the way I will do it. That way-first a kind of possible analysis and then quick narrative right to the end, explain it first and then do it. (79)
Steinbeck is just one example of a writer who uses journal writing to stay focused on the creative project at hand. Sue Grafton, prolific mystery author (“A” Is for Alibi) believes that the writing process is a constant back and forth between the right and left-brain hemispheres. She keeps a daily log of her writing progress and says:
This notebook (usually four times longer than the novel itself) is like a letter to myself, detailing every idea that occurs to me as I proceed. Some ideas I incorporate, some I modify, many I discard. The journal is a record of my imagination at work, from the first spark of inspiration to the final manuscript. (Raab 9)
Similar to Steinbeck, Grafton starts each writing day with logging the date into her journal followed by what’s going on in her life then a note about ideas she has for the book she’s writing. She ‘talks to herself’ about where the story could go and explores the writer’s question “What if?” In the privacy and safety of a “for my eyes only” journal, Grafton claims that this collection of meandering thoughts helps her jumpstart the creative juices and before she knows it, she’s writing new pages (Raab 11).
Sue Grafton
What about the time that journal writing “steals” away from the time you could be writing your novel? Expanding on what James Brown says above about “building on those ideas, discarding some and fleshing out others,” your journal is where you can learn about how a character develops in a novel because you have charted your own growth through journaling. Of course, the people in your novels are encapsulated versions, but as novelist and educator Katherine Tucker says of her journals, “I am convinced, though, that the writing of the pages taught me more than I will ever realize, that my years as a journal writer were essential to the work I am doing now, and to the work still to come” (Raab 42).
Journal writing satisfies so many needs of the writer, particularly the fiction author, by acting as a sort of playground for the practice of writing stories. Examining one’s own life is a direct conduit to having a rich, fruitful resource upon which to draw from when it comes time to create the villain, the sweetheart, the teacher, the heroine, the whatever because we have a written record of experience with that character in the pages of our journals. Journaling for writers is a safe place to practice, to record, to play “what if,” to examine, to describe, to report, to praise, to condemn, to lie, to tell the truth, to plan, and discover. The pages of a writer’s journal can serve as a handy resource when describing the realities in novels that entice readers to suspend their lives in favor of riding along with your characters.
The Massive List of Perks & Ideas to Journal About
Keeping a journal doesn’t have any requirements for time spent. In fact, writers can receive a massive number of advantages from regular or spontaneous journaling.
Journaling practice helps writers:
Acknowledge
Blog
Celebrate
Data collection
Develop voice
Documentation of process
Experiment, try new things out away from critical eyes
First drafts
Freedom from the inner critic
Freedom to think
Generate ideas
Healthy self-talk
Improve writing skills
Jumpstart thinking
Knowledge storage
Learn to pay attention
Mental and emotional cleansing
Motivational
Nurture and spark creativity
“Organize a chaotic life” V. Woolf
Organize thinking
Overcome writer’s block
“Parking spot for ideas or problems” D. Raab
Place to scribble
Place to doodle
Plan writing for the day
Quiet the inner critic
Re-examination place
Record activities/daily life/travel/conferences
Record keeping
Record observations on life/people/work/emotions
Safe place to vent/be stupid/self-indulgent
See things from another perspective
Self-knowledge
Self-empowering
Self-development
Solidify thoughts
Story/poem/article ideas
“The author’s other brain” D. Raab
Travel record
Understand
Validate purpose and direction
Write without boundaries
Word collection
Work out problems
X-ray examination, deep look
Yearnings clarified
Zone in on solutions
Can you think of anything to add?
How to Make Use of the Perks in Your Writing
At one time or another, I’ve used all of these perks from my journals in my professional life. As a college writing instructor, I found out quickly how important it is to document the who/what/when/where of things that happened in class. Teaching in higher education is quite a challenge these days, and it paid many times over to have kept a journal of what I planned to teach in class, what actually occurred in the class, and student behaviors (attendance, participation, etc.) After 14 years of tracking my English composition classes, I wrote a short story about an incident on a college campus in which I created my characters, descriptions, settings, plot entirely from my notes as a college educator.
I’ve also noticed my writing voice in nonfiction and fiction develop from how I “write to myself” in my journals. I experiment with form, shape, sentence structure, word choice, punctuation, and ideas in my journal and have seen those trials appear in my blogging and my fiction.
Art hasn’t ever been one of my strong points, but I’ve always had the urge to doodle and draw. My journals allow me to play around with forms and designs that then get transferred to my professional work. I was introduced to art journaling several years ago and loved the process of combining words with art. I took my love of scrapbooking and put it together with stories or journal entries and found a surprising amount of “artistic satisfaction.” When my nonfiction book Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity was released in its second edition in 2011, I added a chapter about how to incorporate art journaling techniques to a regular journaling habit.
I keep a word journal filled with words I like the sound of, want to know the meaning of, or plan to use in a novel. When I read anything from the cereal box to fiction, I write a word or two in my word journal and refer to it when I want something fresh or appropriate for my writing.
If you’re already a fan or regular practitioner of journaling, you will understand when journal therapy teacher Kathleen Adams says,
There’s a friend at the end of your pen which you can use to help you solve personal or business problems, get to know all the different parts of yourself, explore your creativity, heal your relationships, develop your intuition…and much more.
The possibilities are endless as long as I continue to collect my thoughts, ideas, and random musings in a journal.
The many joys of keeping a journal for writers is a lengthy list. The three writers highlighted here (Steinbeck, Grafton, and Brown) demonstrate how valuable a tool this is for brainstorming, whining, organizing, formalizing, clarifying, reflecting, and much more.
Writer or not, do you journal?
Be well, write well!
~Joy
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Works Cited
Raab, Diana M., ed. Writers and the Notebooks. The University of South Carolina Press, 2010.
Steinbeck, John. Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters. Penguin Books, 1990.
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My WriteDay subscription box for writers mywriteday.com. Subscriptions open for new subscribers on June 30!
My WRITEDAY is a subscription box program that delivers curated products from authors, creators, and small businesses to writers and readers in the continental U.S. It’s unique in that many products are sourced from writers who are also crafters and artisans. Each box delivers a writing craft book and 3-7 items associated with the key concepts (journaling, fitness, relaxation, nutrition, and/or creative play) of Writer Wellness, my flagship program and book (Headline Books, Inc. 2020.)
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It’s time to unwrap and take a look at the “My Writing Coach” box for May/June My WriteDay subscribers!
What writer hasn’t dreamed of having a solid writing coach at arm’s length with a good pair of editing eyes and a cache of great ideas to help create and polish a piece of writing? Yes, we writers must work in solitude for the sake of focus and authenticity, but all of our writing eventually needs another perspective to offer constructive suggestions to improve the final product. I hope “My Writing Coach” offers this to you.
Let’s look at it all.
1. Writing Coach in a Box caught my eye during an inventory shopping session and made me chuckle at first because, like I noted, I would love to have a decent writing instructor and proofreader handy all of the time. I just never thought of keeping them tucked away in a box until I need them. Well, the writing craft “book” is this set of inspiring and practical writing tips from “author, publisher, and writing guru” Alan Anderson. The cards are worthy of spending random time to read through, pick one for a journaling session, sharing at writer’s critique sessions, and providing sound reminders of what it takes to write anything!
2. Flower Petals, Blossoming Guidance from the Garden is part of the flower theme for this box. Each card is beautifully illustrated and includes ideas for journaling prompts. The language of flowers is a real concept developed during the Victorian era as the study of botany flourished. From everyday household suggestions to hidden meanings of different blooms, these cards are a contemporary take on this idea. Use them to inspire journal entries, blog posts, or tuck them into the celebration cards you mail to friends and loved ones.
3. Blueberry Vanilla Cashews from Earthside Farms in New York will win over anyone who already loves to snack on nuts and those who have previously turned up their noses at this healthy treat. Earthside calls their line of products “snacking reimagined” which grabbed my attention because all writers are regularly in need of ideas and healthful snacks. I keep a bag on my desk for those moments when I need a munchie but don’t want to walk away from the work-in-progress. I would love to know what you think of these delightful treats.
4. Flowered Pencil Pouch (or make-up, markers, etc.) holder. Keeping with the theme of flowers, I’ve packed this pretty pencil pouch with bookmarks and office supplies.
5. There are reading andwriting stickers, a Thoughtfull pop-out journal prompt, and promotional bookmarks from some my author friends.
Also, I am experimenting with wrapping the boxes for a couple of reasons.
1)boxes were getting beat up during shipping
2)wrapping reduces the amount of tape and stickers on the boxes themselves
3)subscribers have told me that they keep and repurpose MWD purple boxes and would like for them to be in better shape after shipping
If you’re a current subscriber, what did you think of the wrapping paper? Better, worse, no opinion? I’d love to know.
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Writer’s Tea Bags from Cliché Tea. 
Sue Grafton