[Writing Challenge for Women] Writing According To Your Moon Cycle

As someone who bleeds on a monthly basis, it has taken me a long time (far longer than I'd like to admit) to see the 'pattern' that emerges around that cycle.

In fact, I'm deeply grateful to the many experts and non-experts out there who have shared their experiences and findings about bleeding with the world; because without them I wouldn't have had the literacy to start thinking about the ways in which my own particular shifts in mood, energy, thoughts, and passions as a result of that cycle can also effect my energy around writing.

But it's something I'm thinking about all the time now. And for the last few months, I've been paying close attention to a few different things depending on where I am in my 'moon' cycle. For instance, I've been connecting the dots between that cycle and:

• What types of stories were coming up for me.

• Whether I felt motivated to read or write.

• The energy surrounding writing when I did sit down to write.

As it turns out, there is totally a pattern arriving for me! And while I expect this to also shift and change, I wanted to share some of my findings with you.

SKIP AHEAD TO WRITING CHALLENGE

Luteal Phase and Writing

For example, in the week before I bleed (luteal phase), I have discovered that I like to write passionate self-expression pieces that are filled with anger. This is exactly around the time when I wrote a short piece called Bleed Like a Man, or my more recent piece, The List*.

Here, I've noticed that I feel like I have to write or I'll explode. Almost like, if I don't write, the world will fall apart. More often than not, I'll be writing in response to something that's pissed me off in the real world.

At this time, I notice my writing is more like my journalling as a young person. I will go to the page to spit fire at it. I'll use my words like a weapon, and I'll edit for hours just to get things said as I want them to be. I have less inhibitions, I care less what people will think about what I say, and I have more guts to publish things that I would otherwise hide inside.

How knowing this has helped me become a better writer: Because I know I feel angrier, more relentless, and even cold during this time of the cycle, I have been actively setting more editing tasks during this time. I'm better able to 'kill my darlings' and create more economical stories that are in a style I enjoy.

I also now know this is not the time to go and work on my most special darlings or my first draft manuscripts (unless a character requires an angry scene).

Because if I force it and make myself work on those, I'll end up hating them, hating myself, and slamming the notebook closed. Which will in turn cause me to stay away from a story for months! (But that's another story).

Similarly, it's just not the time of the cycle for me to be writing whimsical, creative pieces. It's the time to get in touch with my angry side, my 'drunk girl' (as a writer I mentor calls it), and find out what is really bothering me through characters, stories, and edits on the page.

*Trigger warning: sexual assault and harassment

Menstruation and Writing

During the week that I'm actually bleeding (menstruation, menses), I do NOT often feel like writing. I've noticed now that this is a time where I go 'inside' and reflect deeply and even process much of what I've taken in during the rest of the cycle. As a result, there is rarely a lot of output here. Things feel very raw, and so I feel extra protective of my own story, I suspect.

Yet it's also a time where I start to really seek out stories from other people. Whether that be through reading, film, scrolling, or just hanging out and talking with friends, this is a time of collecting and feeling deeply. Even if it's just small talk on the street, I sense that I am listening more deeply, and connecting new stories into the schema of my own experience. And of course, I cry more often when people share their inner experience during this time.

Then, when I do sit down to write during this phase (as I am at the time of writing, actually), I find that the impulse is to nurture through writing. I end up writing in a more academic, philosophical, or educational style. This is when I end up writing articles like the one you're reading, or other 'help' articles like The Way We Hold Ourselves, or Your Body Issues Hurt Me Too.

How knowing this has helped me become a better writer: Because it is part of my career aspirations to continue to help other writers write better, I now know that this is the time of the month to schedule myself time to write supportive-style articles. Whereas I used to force myself to write articles in the moment I think of them (no matter the time of month), now I simply start a new draft, save a few lines, and then come back to them at the right time in my cycle, when I am in a more patient, nurturing mindset.

This is also a great time for me to start dreaming up new projects, since in my upcoming follicular phase, I become a super-productive demon for about a week!

Follicular Phase and Writing

The energy I have around writing during the two weeks after I stop bleeding (Follicular Phase) is split into halves:

Week 1 - Follicular Phase

During the first week, I get into an intense hyper-focus state where all I want to do is focus on my projects, do 'good' and get into a career mindset. At this time, it doesn't matter whether I'm writing or just being creative in any capacity, you can literally not tear me away from the creative project I've set my mind to. I think it's because at this time, I find myself drawn to thinking about the future.

Thankfully, due to some of the good writing habits I've built up over time, my passion-projects taken on during this week are often writing-related. I have unfinished manuscripts, drafts of short stories, or even just my daily 'pens' that I like to share through my creative writing page that I am able to put this intense focus into.

Yet I've also noticed each cycle is a little different in terms of what topics come up for me, and what I want to write about. I think this has more to do with my shifting interests than my cycle per say, but it has been enjoyable to look at it through this lens.

For example, some cycles I feel more compelled to write magic, fantasy, or adventure, which means I'm writing Bris Claymaster or Domingo (two unseen manuscripts). Other times, I'll end up doing a few comedy pieces like with Bait and Twitch or Narcotic. Other times still, I'll want to write scarier stories, like Fire Out, or The End of the Road. I'm still seeking out a wider pattern in terms of what I want to write, but for now, I know that this is the most dynamic time of the month for me when it comes to what I end up putting down on the page.

How knowing this has helped me become a better writer: Knowing now that during this week I will always have a hyper-focused energy about me, I've learned that it benefits me to set myself a tangible, achievable week-long project. Because I also know now (and you'll see in a second) that when the first week is over, I will abandon the project whether it was completed or not!

Week 2 - Follicular Phase

This has been the most interesting phase to observe as I've gone through it now with this lens several times.

I say this because in my experience of it, it's almost as if a 'fog' washes over me. I don't particularly want to write. I don't particularly want to read. But I also don't not want to write, or not want to read.

It's not like the feeling or compulsion to write or read is gone; it's more like drifting through each day as if it's my first one ever, and remembering I'm a writer at some point during it. (I talk about this phenomenon a little bit in my flash piece, Sometimes I Disappear).

So when I do sit down to write during this phase, I find myself having to pull ideas out from the ether instead of having them spill out of me. I have to look through the fog and try to hold onto a story long enough to see it go to page.

Of course, when I look back on them, they do end up being quite sweet. Like Soup's On, for example. This came from me just opening a blog post and staring at it until something came to me, and I truly do like the result. It's just strange to look back at the pieces I wrote during this time, as they often feel like they were written by someone else entirely.

How knowing this has helped me become a better writer: I have, in my time as a writer, carried a lot of guilt about writing. If a day came up and I didn't want to write, didn't feel like it, or wanted to write something I'm 'not working on right now', then I would often call myself a failure. I would deny myself the title 'writer'.

Knowing that there is this time in the month - along with some of the other dips in the month I talked about before - where my energy around writing naturally shifts but always always returns has helped me understand that I am not a bad person if I'm not always writing. It's helped me understand that it's okay to take breaks when 'I'm not feeling it', because the impulse is a part of me that I've built up over years and years of loving to write.

And as someone who finds that guilt will make them avoid someone, knowing my cycle has helped me stop avoiding writing and get back to having fun with it instead!

Ovulation Day and Writing

I honestly don't think I've done much writing during the ovulation day of my cycle, but there is a significant feeling of coming out of the fog, and suddenly getting 'charged up'. It sometimes feels like remembering who I am, or remembering that I had goals in the first place. I'll start walking around looking for a to-do list, or writing a new one to help remind myself of the projects I've been wanting to work on.

As a result, and because it's really just one day, I haven't had any significant 'patterns' arise around what I want to write, or the energy around writing. I'll keep watching that day though, as I'm certain there are elements to it that trigger the next phase's energetic display!

Writing Challenge for Women - Writing According to Your Moon Cycle

As I said before, I've spent the last few months paying more attention to my moon cycle, and how it affects my creativity, sensibilities, and motivation to write.

If you read what I learned about myself from that experience above, you'll know that there are a few short phases in each month where I feel super compelled to write and express, and other phases where I feel very internal.

And I share this because it's really helped me feel less pressure to write every day, all the time. It's helped me understand that my relationship with writing is always ongoing, but that the production side of things comes in loops; in a cycle.

And knowing that my writing impulse is always bound to return does help me express, explore, and process my creative writing projects without the nagging guilt of not always writing-challenge-for-women-writing-according-to-your-moon-cyclewriting them down.

Which is why I want to offer you this short writing challenge for women, especially if you find your energy around writing ebbing and flowing throughout your cycle:

STEP ONE: Observe your writing habits for 4 weeks

1. Start with your luteal phase. Mentally note any times that week that you think about writing. Pay attention to WHAT you want to write, IF you want to write, and WHAT HAPPENS when you sit down to write.
   

2. At the end of the first week, record your observations. Take a dedicated 10 minutes to reflect on any writing you did this week, whether it be for work, yourself, or some other type of writing. Record any highlight notes about what you wrote, whether you wrote, and whether it was a positive or negative experience.

   Tip: you can always email your findings each week to me at manifestcontentsolutions@gmail.com. I'll respond!

   
   

3. Repeat the process for the remaining three weeks. Mentally take note any times each week that you think about writing. Again, pay attention to WHAT you want to write, IF you want to write, and WHAT HAPPENS when you sit down to write. At the end of each week, record your observations and set them aside.
   

4. At the end of the four weeks, review your observations. Take stock of what came up for you each week. Be gentle and compassionate. Even if you didn't record one week, you can still reflect on the reality of that, and take notes on the energy that surrounded writing for you.

   Tip: you can always email your findings each week to me at manifestcontentsolutions@gmail.com. I'll respond!

STEP TWO: Observe your writing habits for another 4 weeks

1. Repeat the process you observed in STEP ONE. At this point, you do not need to make any comparisons to the prior cycle until you reach the end of the four weeks.
   

2. Compare the most recent four week cycle with the previous cycle. Seek out alignment, or repeating patterns of behaviour in your energy, habits, or creative compulsions.
   

3. Create a plan for the next cycle based on your findings. Schedule yourself one small task each week based on the patterns you've observed around your writing energy. For example, if you notice you're productive one week, two cycles in a row, you can schedule an action, like 'write a flash fiction piece and publish it'. Whereas if you find that you're low energy when it comes to writing one week, you can schedule yourself to take 20 minutes to watch a short film you might not usually watch instead.

   
   

STEP THREE: Test your plan, continue to observe your habits, and send me an email

1. Test out the plan you created in STEP TWO. Continue to take weekly notes about your habits, and record whether the tasks you set out for yourself felt easier to complete, or came with any less resistance or guilt based on where you organized them in the month.
   

2. Take stock of whether there were any major changes between the first two cycles, and the next ones. Whether the changes were positive or negative, it's important to get a grasp on what's changed, not just what's stayed the same. So if you find you were suddenly more motivated to write one week, it could be because you planned great tasks, or because you're more motivated to write overall!
   

3. Send me an email about your experience to manifestcontentsolutions@gmail.com. I am very curious about whether other women (or folks who bleed!) will notice any patterns in their creative 'flow' energy according to their cycle. I am also very curious to see if there are any overlaps between our cycles, and what happens for us during each phase. So if you are so inclined, send me your notes, your findings, your patterns, and your stories! I'd love to read them all.

All the best with my latest writing challenge!

I'll touch base on this again in a year or two to see if there are any other major findings to report.

Until then, keep writing anytime the feeling strikes. And send your work my way anytime! I love to see it.

Best,

Jessica Barratt

Founder, Manifest Content Solutions