Aurora Bonner

Stripes at the Met!

Community doesn’t just appear—it’s something we build, and sometimes building it means taking risks and getting out of our comfort zone.

This week, I wrote about the work of building community in the creative world and how small gestures can develop into meaningful and lasting relationships.

Curiosity, Play, and the Creative Life How Play Fuels Creativity (Even for Adults)

open.substack.com/pub/abonner/...

“curiosity, play, and the creative life: how play fields creativity (even for adults)” on the Substack Root Down to Write Up with Aurora Bonner

Last week I lost ten days of work on my novel-in-progress. It sucked.

But it reminded me that creativity is about curiosity, not control. It’s all about embracing play: how curiosity keeps the work alive, some techniques for sparking creativity, and how to find joy in the process of discovery.

Friendly reminder: back up your writing! Just lost ten days of progress on my work-in-progress because of a rookie move.

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up: Flow, Don’t Force: Creating a Routine That Works. Build a Schedule that works with yourself, not against yourself

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up: “When I first left my 9–5 job to pursue a more creative life, I was ecstatic. Of course, I was also nervous and anxious about what I was giving up—but mostly, I felt free. That freedom became daunting, however, when I realized that it wasn’t as simple as writing from 9-5 every day—I needed a routine, a clear set of rules… “

From Aurora Bonner’s Substack Root Down to Write Up: “I also noticed that I did my best writing in the morning, and that the writing I did late at night—those loopy, daydreamy pre-sleep sessions—often wandered a little too far from my project. In other words, I seemed to work best when I was honoring the natural rhythm of me. When you begin to understand your own rhythms, and stop judging the way your process unfolds, you can begin to work with yourself, not against yourself. Sometimes, that meant going against well-meaning advice that gets tossed around in the writing world. For instance, I had heard Don’t revise, just get to the end…”

If you are a writer, artist, or maker, you know that every day is a little different—some days ideas flow and are some days not. But what if you could create a routine to get them flowing more regularly?

This week on Substack I’m exploring how to structure and schedule your days and weeks.

So pleased to see Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania — the anthology that includes my essay “Fractures” — has been longlisted for the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia’s Book of the Year. Grateful to be part of this collection!

Goal-Setting for the Creative Life How I Learned to Plan My Way Into Creativity

here’s the link: open.substack.com/pub/abonner/...

Goal-Setting for the Creative Life How I Learned to Plan My Way Into Creativity

The creative life isn’t just about making art — it’s about managing everything underneath it.

I’m starting a series about Living the Creative Life on Substack about how to organize a life devoted to writing and the arts.

If you’re a writer, artist, or maker trying to find your rhythm, join me!

Booklay of Mary Simmons poetry collection “Mother, Daughter, Augur” by June Roads Press

Kicking off spooky season with this poetry collection! Loving the eerie, enchanted world Mary Simmons creates. Folklore, myth, and womanhood seem to blur into something wild and otherworldly. ✨🌒

Picture of someone laying in hammock reading a cozy mystery with fall foliage in the background

Cozying up to fall

A trail leading through an aspen grove

A moment of magic on the trail! 💛🍂

It is gorgeous!

So glad to be spending time with Level Watch by Mary Ardery, by June Road Press, a woman-owned boutique press publishing some gorgeous books.

In this chapbook, she weaves recovery and nature, threads that resonate deeply with my own writing interests, together with such clarity and depth.

I’ve been talking about how to write about the places we live (and imagine) lately, and just posted the first post in a new Substack series on the craft of writing place as a lived experience.

Stay tuned if you are a writer or are interested in the intersections of mindfulness and creativity.

A lot of my college students don’t read for fun but they CAN enjoy reading, and that is fun to see.

Why Everyone—Yes, Everyone—Should Join a Book Club “Books are something social—a writer speaking to a reader—so I think making the reading of a book the center of a social event, the meeting of a book club, is a brilliant idea.” –Yann Martel * Our …

Linda-Marie Barrett thinks that you (yes, you!) need to join a book club.

Review our Creative Nonfiction — Books by Hippocampus Magazine Support indie authors by leaving an honest review.

Reviews are so important to indie authors and small presses. Have you read one of ours? We'd appreciate your honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. More details: https://www.booksbyhippocampus.com/reviews

How to Keep Your Post-Event Writing Spark Alive Practical steps to carry inspiration from workshops and retreats into your daily writing life.

Have you ever left a writing retreat or writing event buzzing with ideas—only to watch that excitement fade once you got home? I’ve been there (am literally there right now!).

Read how to keep your momentum here: open.substack.com/pub/abonner/...

"The best writing comes not when you want to say something but when you want to find something." ~ Andre Dubus III

Came home to a pub acceptance on a piece I had almost given up on. Note to self: don’t quit on yourself before you even take the chance.

"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe." ~ Gustave Flaubert

Left with a list of awesome reads thanks to the editor panel at #Hippocamp2025

Elisa Gabbert “30 Ideas About Writing Nonfiction”

Vivian Gormick “The Situation & the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative”

Phillip Lopate “Reflection and Retrospection”

Joseph Hurka “On the Invisible Palm of God”

So much fun getting to talk about using place to evoke emotion, reveal identity, and anchor us in our CNF writing at #Hippocamp2025

"When we tie setting to emotion, it becomes part of the story's emotional terrain." — @aurorabonner.bsky.social at @hippocampusmag.bsky.social online today!

Her first tip for effective sense of place in a story?
"Really anchor into the body."

Not what you expected, eh?

#WritingCommunity

Justin Ancheta’s session on “How to Give Sensitive and Effective Feedback” should be required for anyone going into workshop! #hippocamp2025 @hippocampusmag.bsky.social

Wow! What a way to kick-off #hippocamp2025 Some really great insight into really important craft topics. #cnf @hippocampusmag.bsky.social

Love this and the coziness of that delicious bread!

Loving my morning with @hippocampusmag.bsky.social filling my house with fresh bread smell while @aurorabonner.bsky.social gives rad tips on writing place in CNF.

What a wonderful discussion of place as a reflection of emotion. Don't we all experience places differently based on mood? And how difficult to shake that connection. Thank you @aurorabonner.bsky.social for such a thoughtful presentation.