Welcome to Nebula Notebook!

(Formerly known as Mothers Who Make)

Hi Friends!

It’s been a while, and I’m so glad to be back! Unless you’re one of the very kind people who subscribed during the break (THANK YOU!), this newsletter probably looks a little different now. Here’s why…

When I start writing a new book, I don’t jump into a Word doc and tippy tap all my ideas into a big outline. That would be an invitation my inner editor couldn’t resist. Instead I start a new notebook.

I call it my Nebula Notebook.

I fill these notebooks with whispers, questions, lists, phrases, and weird doodles. I take notes on books, podcasts, and anything else that feels connected to my work, even if I don’t understand why. I don’t try to organize anything or figure out the book. I give myself permission to slow down, dream, play, and explore, as though I was floating through a starry nebula in space. It might sound simple, or even like a waste of time, but when I finally adopted this process, it transformed my writing, making it deeper and more original, and now I can’t imagine writing without it.

That’s the inspiration behind the newsletter refresh.

THIS Nebula Notebook is a place to celebrate creativity, get inspired, dream up new ideas, and meet kindred spirits. I’ve got a little end-of-year content planned, but once we get going, you can expect:

• Mothers Who Make Mondays

• Oohs and Aahs on Fridays

• Essays on children’s books, creativity, and motherhood sprinkled in between

If you’ve been a part of the Mothers Who Make community, I hope you’ll check out the refresh. I love how it turned out! (I’m still posting interviews, so please reach out if you would like to contribute, or send yours in if you’ve been feeling called to contribute but worry you somehow missed the deadline. There’s no deadline, and your timing is perfect!)

If you’ve been getting Hellos from Heidi, you’ll still get to enjoy fun links and inspiration. You’ll also have a chance to meet other readers, comment on posts, and generally just immerse yourself in some heartwarming literary shop talk. You can also catch up on interviews with amazing creative mothers like Kristen Drozdowski, Rebekah Taussig, and Noha Beshir. There are about 1,500 of us here now. I’m happy to say I know many of you personally, and I imagine you will get along wonderfully, so please introduce yourself in the comments!

To celebrate this new chapter, you can use discount code NEBULANOTEBOOK to get 15% off any workbook, manuscript critique, or coaching session on my site.

(PS—If you’re new to Substack, I highly recommend trying the app. I read all my Substacks on the app or in my browser, rather than in my inbox. I actually set up my subscriptions to skip my inbox. Here’s how you can do the same.)

Thank you for being here! I am excited to see what the new year brings.

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