Annabelle Needles // Move Beautifully

I’ll admit, when my lovely friend Amy of Creatrice Mondial asked me to participate in this little blog hop on writing, I felt a twinge of guilt. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been seriously writing + it’s one of those things that your soul misses deeply, but you don’t always realize how much until someone points it out. But the good thing about these creative endeavors is that they wait for you, ever so patiently, until suddenly they are missed + coaxed out + picked back up again. It’s like they know no time (and isn’t it so easy to lose all sense of time when you’re in their midst?). So here I am!

Amy + I met at Alt Summit back in January + immediately connected over our shared travel bug. Living all over the world is a goal of mine + she is out there living it up! I get so inspired reading about other’s creative processes so it was fun to read about why she writes.

And without further ado, on to the blog hop!

What am I working on/writing?

Right now, I’m writing a lot behind the scenes: a website update is in the works for Evergreen Lane, along with a newsletter full of video tips + tricks. I’ve also been doing a lot of personal writing – I’ve heard it said that quiet people have the loudest minds + that is definitely true in my case. Brain dumps into the journal are good for the soul – both when I’m on the road + at home.

How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?

I think one of the most beautiful things about blogging in general is that there is so much room for personal voice. So I guess I can’t help being a little bit different if I’m being genuinely myself (which I try to be). I loved writing in school, and I think I still look at it a bit academically, but when travel writing, I also try to focus on how a place made me feel, what it evoked + how it inspired more than what restaurants we ate at or tips about buying museum tickets. Although you best believe I will share the love if I figure any of that stuff out. Travel for me is about creativity, inspiration + community, so I hope that I bring that same sentiment in my writing.

Why do I write what I do?

“Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.” – Madeleine L’Engle

For me, storytelling is so intertwined with creativity – whether it’s making videos, taking photos, painting, songwriting or writing. Our ability to tell stories feels so essential to our humanity, doesn’t it? So I write about my travels to remember the humanity of all of these adventures: the emotions, the connections, + the inspirations. And ultimately, I write what I write hoping that it will evoke those same things in the people who read these stories.

How does my writing process work?

I’ve attempted NaNoWriMo a few times (and successfully completely it once), which is a super condensed + lofty endeavor of writing 50,000 words during the month of November. Facing that challenge teaches you a lot about the creative process, but it’s also intense + not something I could maintain long term. Initial writing for me happens best with pen + paper, even better if I can find myself a little spot outside. When I’m working on the blog, I mostly like writing in the evenings, with a glass of tea or wine (depending on the subject matter + my mood). I am a constant editor, which means that writing even a first draft takes me a long time, but I’m also admittedly a bit of a perfectionist.

My auditory environment is also really important when I’m writing (or really any kind of creating) – I love the white noise of coffee shops, classical music or nature documentaries. Yeah, I know! Something about a narrator, music + nature sounds just does it for me. In fact, I have a PBS special about the National Parks on as I’m writing this post. Do you have any quirks to your creative process? I’d love to hear about it!

I hope you enjoyed this little snapshot into what’s happening behind the scenes here on the blog + that it maybe inspires you to get to writing!

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To continue the blog hop, I’m passing the torch to my good friend Jaici. She’s definitely in a different niche of blogging than I am, but I love that her writing is so raw. I feel like sometimes I hide behind the stories in my writing, and this girl definitely doesn’t. It’s pretty beautiful. So I can’t wait to hear more about why she writes!