When do you see Fall? Is it when the leaves blossom into their vibrant colors? Maybe it’s the homey smell of an apple pie! Or perhaps it’s the weather getting colder. Whatever it may be, the transition from summer to fall marks a turning point in our lives.
Like the trees losing their leaves, it’s time to reflect and shed that which no longer serves us. In today’s post, we’ll go through (1) why we need to let go, (2) what to let go of, and (3) what to let in its place. Let’s begin by talking about the roots of the very trees letting go.
Rooted in Place
Rooted in place, watching its leaves flow away into the distance, the core of a tree stays through the coming seasons. Letting go of its leaves is not easy. The tree would love to hold on, but the climate and breeze push it to let go.
Similarly, the fall transition invoked a reflection of what no longer served me. One example is where reading a book a month provided minimal value. The deadline kept me on track, but I wasn’t present & absorbing it fully. Reading stopped being a joy I woke up to and started feeling like a task to check off and report on.
Even now, reading On Writing Well by William Zinsser, I find myself wanting to spend more time in a chapter, but a clock dangling before my spirit moves me away from the quality that really matters.
It was a treadmill that never stopped until I did.
What changes?
Reading is still a big hallmark of my writing. Instead of having a completion goal, it’s more about describing what I dissected from the rich content.
A question you may be asking is: if you’re removing the deadline for finishing a book, are you also doing the same for writing?
That’s where it’s different. Writing is more about releasing and creating rather than absorbing and digesting. Let’s take the Fall apple pie, for example. Writing is like making an apple pie regularly because we love cooking, whereas reading can feel like eating apple pie over & over. One sharpens the skills, whereas the other dulls our taste for richness.
Reading fatigue is real & in its place, there is more time to pause, digest, and explore other content.
Letting In
Lately, I’ve found that making space also lets me return to old joys like rewatching Vinland Saga, a story that mirrors this season’s theme of shifting purpose. The premise is a historical epic about a young Viking warrior driven by revenge who gradually seeks a more peaceful purpose.
It’s not something I want to talk about all the time, but every once in a while, in between books, we can talk about other topics to keep things fresh.
Perhaps that is my biggest takeaway from Zinsser’s book so far; I want to keep writing what makes me excited and curious about this world.
“If you write for yourself, you’ll reach the people you want to write for.” – pg. 134
Preparing to Grow
Like the roots that stood in place, we’re changing our approach and preparing to grow a new set of leaves in the future. These new leaves will change just as much as we did because we’ve learned why to let go (reading for deadlines without intent), how to let go (reading at one’s own pace), and what to let in its place (new content to inspire our writing).
Like a tree in fall, I’m trusting what’s shed makes space for new growth. The winds will carry us forward. Let’s see where they lead!
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Additional Book Quotes
Nonfiction as Literature
“Good writing is good writing, whatever form it takes and whatever we call it.” – pg. 99
Writing about People: The Interview
“To learn the craft of nonfiction you must push yourself out into the real world–your town or your city or your county–and pretend that you’re writing for a real publication.” – pg. 104
“Writing is a public trust…When you get people talking, handle what they say as you would handle a valuable gift.” – pg. 115
Writing about Places: The Travel Article
“Your main task as a travel writer is to find the central idea of the place you’re dealing with.” – pg. 122
“But whatever place you write about, go there often enough to isolate the qualities that make it distinctive.” – pg. 126
Writing about Yourself: The Memoir
“EXCESSIVE WRITING ABOUT YOURSELF CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO THE HEALTH OF THE WRITER AND THE READER.” – pg. 134
“Memoir is the art of inventing the truth.” – pg. 136
“But the most interesting character in a memoir, we hope, will turn out to be the person who wrote it.” – pg. 144
“Give yourself permission to write about yourself, and have a good time doing it.” – pg. 146
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