Soft Hobbies #8: What I read, wrote, and made this week
Writing collabs, flash fiction, and paint-by-numbers
Welcome to issue #8 of Soft Hobbies, a series of creative check-ins for imperfect perfectionists around the world. New posts typically go out every Wednesday. I’m Auzin, a Seattle-based writer in the fiction, poetry, and content writing spheres. To see what else I do across the internet, go here.
Hi softies,
Happy May! Hope there is sunlight reaching you this week, however faint. Spring is my favorite time of year and it’s only partially because I have a May birthday :) This week has gone by lightning-quick, so let’s get into it!
3 things I'm reading:
Finished No-No Boy yesterday morning — wowww, even better on a second read. If you pick it up, make sure to get the 2014 version with the foreword by Ruth Ozeki, it provides great context. I consider this novel part of the American canon of fiction, tbh.
Started Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art by Lauren Elkin. This is the first work of theory I’ve read since college. It’s a large, dense book and I’m reading it on my phone, so it’ll probably take me a while. I like it so far though!
Reading a vast amount of onboarding materials for work. I joined Microsoft as a contractor a couple weeks ago and it’s like learning a new language :)
3 things I'm writing:
I’m planning a collab with a friend of mine in the fall/winter, so did some brainstorming on that. I have a really cool idea that I’m not ready to share yet, and have been desperate to flesh it out more, but life has really gotten in the way this week…
Went to an introductory flash fiction course at Hugo House on Saturday! I love Hugo House, it was my first Seattle literary community and it will always have a deep place in my heart. The class was super fun and informative regarding the craft of writing flash fiction, previously known as “short shorts.” I’ve published a handful of flash pieces and enjoy writing in the form. Didn’t write anything of note in the class, but I took away some gems and germs (idea germs, not microbial ones). It was nice to fill out 10 more pages of my notebook.
I’m an official content writer now, so you can imagine that my workday includes some writing!
3 soft hobbies:
My lovely friend had a birthday celebration where we all did paint-by-numbers together! It was a super cute and relaxing time.
Hobbies have been in a slump this week, honestly. I truly want to do more, but finding balance with a new job has been difficult. I’m hoping to record a video this week for my YouTube channel.
Still doing yoga every morning, so let’s celebrate that! Lol.
Your turn! What are you reading? Writing? Making? What’s your favorite season? Let me know, and thanks for your time.
Softly yours,
Auzin