The Coffeehouse Experience: Part 9 & Questions

I thought I’d venture out again after my monthly networking meeting to check out a new kid on the coffeehouse block – Good Ground Coffee in Camp Hill, PA. 

If you’ve been a steady reader, then you already know that I love supporting local businesses that have a cause. Good Ground meets this bill and more. Good Ground is one of two enterprises run by a local anti-trafficking nonprofit, Peace Promise. Good Ground & Peace Promise help survivors of human trafficking get out of the life they’ve been in by providing employment opportunities, community and most importantly, hope. Many of the employees of Good Ground are survivors on the way to being thrivers.  

Good Ground officially opened a few days ago and judging by the lack of seating in nearly every section, they have gotten off to a grand start.

I ordered my usual – hot chai latte – and settled in. Good Ground ticks off all the boxes when it comes to my ideal coffeehouse – big menu, lots of seating, friendly staff and plenty of cozy places to write. It is a bit noisy in here, which is to be expected because….people, so fortunately I brought my headphones.  

I have not encountered any negatives so far except for the fact that this coffeehouse is over 30 minutes from my home. Too far for me to visit on a regular basis, but close enough to my monthly meeting venue, ensuring a future visit.  

A side note regarding my coffeehouse search….one of the previous locations I’ve featured here is opening up a second location in my town. The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop is another coffeehouse with a cause and I’m very thrilled to know they’ll be closer to me. In fact, I intend to make this my regular writing spot once they open.

Writerly Grade: A 

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I’ve been mulling over a few questions over the last few weeks that I haven’t quite found the answers to yet. I think my brain is stuck in question-asking mode and hasn’t switched over to solution-finding yet. Some of the questions that have been dancing around in my head:

1.    Where am I going with my writing and writing business? (This is the BIG question.)

2.    Why haven’t I gotten much done with my next book?

3.    What will I write next – a memoir or a novel?

4.    What is the next right step for me?  

Come along with me while I sort this out. Maybe these are similar questions that you’re mulling over right now.  

1.    Where am I going with my writing and writing business?  

The answer that immediately comes to mind is “I don’t know.” That’s the God’s honest truth. This answer brings up some shame I have about achievement or the lack thereof. It also brings up a bit of Imposter Syndrome. Like I should have all this figured out by now and because I don’t, then maybe that means I’m not cut out for this writing thing. As a therapist, I know this is faulty thinking, but this is where I am right now.  

I do have some projects on the burner so it’s not like I have been idle. I have begun editing my third book – it’s been slow but moving nonetheless. I am also halfway through a series of classes on the art of journal coaching, which is a service I hope to offer soon. It’s always been my intention to add offerings beyond the actual writing, so these classes are part of that vision. And, I’ve gotten some signs from the Divine that I should lean into group experiences. That part I haven’t fleshed out yet, but the seed has been planted. So, as I am writing this, I’m seeing that maybe I do have some inkling about where I am going. The path is filled with twists and turns though and maybe that’s why I feel like it’s going nowhere.   

2.    Why haven’t I gotten much done with my next book?  

I have an answer for this, but it’s one that I’ve been trying to avoid. I am no longer in love with this book. I can’t explain how or why this happened, but it has. However, I feel compelled to get it out in the world. This has nothing to do with my ego – if it were up to me, I would just jettison the manuscript, but I feel called by the Divine to birth this book. So, I’ve started working on it again. I know I need to reframe here because it will boost my motivation. You may ask why I don’t start another project and then return to this. I’ve asked myself this a few times and I feel I need to get this done now rather than later. Why? I don’t know but I feel the time is now to get it done. My hope is to get this editing done by the end of summer. That’s so beyond the original goal I had set, but it is what it is. 

3.    What will I write next – a memoir or a novel?

This is the million-dollar question. I do not have an answer yet, but right now, I’m intrigued by the idea of writing a memoir. I think I mentioned in a previous post that the genre scares me as I do have a lot of emotional baggage to unpack. Since that time, I’ve gotten closer to my fear. I’ve been thinking about hiring a memoir coach to walk me through this or attending a retreat devoted to this type of writing. But first, I believe I need to obtain more healing before I start to peek inside Pandora’s box. I’ve done a lot of work around my trauma but as healing occurs in layers, I know there is more to be unearthed, and I want to be in a better emotional and mental space before I start digging again.  

4.    What is the next right step for me? 

I am going to follow the gentle guidance I give my clients and identify just 1 or 2 small, wee, baby steps to take: 1. Finish editing my book. 2.  Finish my journal coaching classes. The rest of this needs a bit more thinking and then planning, but for now, these two steps feel good and doable for me.

This process of identifying core concerns and related questions that I just took with you is something that’s helped in a lot of areas of my life. I find that by writing it all out, or in this case typing it out, brings me clarity.

What is your process for figuring out stuff, writing-related or not? What is the one question you’ve asked yourself that you haven’t found an answer yet? What is your biggest writing-related concern right now?  

If you like, you can do what I just did – write down all those questions and concerns and walk yourself through it. If you want, you can share with me what you discovered by emailing lori@loriapeterswriter.com.  

One last note – if you’re wanting to know more of what goes on in my head as a writer, then listen to my newest endeavor, my podcast “Write & Rise.”   

Write & Rise, my friends.