I am so glad you’re writing this, Cathy. I just read the welcome email and said “oh my god” out loud when I got to the part about what you said to the owl, and to yourself. Only you would encounter an owl this way, I swear! And only you would come to the conclusions about it that you came to. And only you would write about that experience so eloquently. I can’t wait to get reading these newsletters!
Did you not get the subscriber welcome message? I knew as I was writing it that it might be the wrong place to put that story.
I'll past it below. In rereading it, it seems like maybe this is a better about page than a welcome page. Better to launch with mistakes than dither forever like I usually do, I say. :)
Anyway, here's the welcome message:
Hello and welcome to HIBOU, a newsletter for writers on the hunt for a wise writing life (and also those who just want to giggle at all my shenanigans)!
I’ll be exploring all facets of the writing life, with a particular focus on the writing tools I keep in my writerly toolbox—from the tried and true to the shiny and new. I welcome all writers from those who are just getting started to seasoned pros, but I have a special place in my heart for writers in the murky middle of their writing lives—like myself—who understand that a well-rounded writing practice involves not just regular reading and writing but a commitment to protect their creative flames from the punishing winds of self doubt and long odds. I’m starting Hibou with a reread of Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way that will include weekly(ish) posts about each chapter until I reach the end. Thanks so much for joining me!
And please send me your suggestions for books you think I should tackle next!
Why Hibou?
Hibou (pronounced e-boo) is the French word for owl, a symbol of wisdom and strength. Yes, but why owls at all, you ask? About ten years ago, I longed to move toward a deeper writing practice, but work stress kept that longing on the back burner. Driving on a rural country road one dark night, my headlights showed an animal standing in the middle of the road, so I stopped the car and leaned forward to get a better look—was that an owl? As if on cue, the owl’s head swiveled directly toward me. There was no sign that the animal was injured, yet it just stood there in the middle of the road. Utterly baffled, I turned off my radio, leaned forward, and talked to it as if it a) understood English and b) had any prayer of hearing me through the windshield. ”You have these big beautiful wings,” I said. “Why don’t you use them to fly?”
In the quiet stillness of that car, my breath caught as I realized my question wasn’t really for the owl at all but for myself—why didn’t I just fly? From that day forward, owls have been a reminder to myself to spread my own wings and fly, on the page and off—thus HIBOU.
Thanks! He was gone by the time I drove past the site, so I like to think so!
I'm thinking there may be a name change in this newsletter's near future, thought the logo with an owl with page wings will stay. I'll decide when I do a full social launch in the spring sometime. Right now I'm building up up newsletter habit!
I am so glad you’re writing this, Cathy. I just read the welcome email and said “oh my god” out loud when I got to the part about what you said to the owl, and to yourself. Only you would encounter an owl this way, I swear! And only you would come to the conclusions about it that you came to. And only you would write about that experience so eloquently. I can’t wait to get reading these newsletters!
Thanks, Henriette!
Soooo....what does HIBOU mean?
Did you not get the subscriber welcome message? I knew as I was writing it that it might be the wrong place to put that story.
I'll past it below. In rereading it, it seems like maybe this is a better about page than a welcome page. Better to launch with mistakes than dither forever like I usually do, I say. :)
Anyway, here's the welcome message:
Hello and welcome to HIBOU, a newsletter for writers on the hunt for a wise writing life (and also those who just want to giggle at all my shenanigans)!
I’ll be exploring all facets of the writing life, with a particular focus on the writing tools I keep in my writerly toolbox—from the tried and true to the shiny and new. I welcome all writers from those who are just getting started to seasoned pros, but I have a special place in my heart for writers in the murky middle of their writing lives—like myself—who understand that a well-rounded writing practice involves not just regular reading and writing but a commitment to protect their creative flames from the punishing winds of self doubt and long odds. I’m starting Hibou with a reread of Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way that will include weekly(ish) posts about each chapter until I reach the end. Thanks so much for joining me!
And please send me your suggestions for books you think I should tackle next!
Why Hibou?
Hibou (pronounced e-boo) is the French word for owl, a symbol of wisdom and strength. Yes, but why owls at all, you ask? About ten years ago, I longed to move toward a deeper writing practice, but work stress kept that longing on the back burner. Driving on a rural country road one dark night, my headlights showed an animal standing in the middle of the road, so I stopped the car and leaned forward to get a better look—was that an owl? As if on cue, the owl’s head swiveled directly toward me. There was no sign that the animal was injured, yet it just stood there in the middle of the road. Utterly baffled, I turned off my radio, leaned forward, and talked to it as if it a) understood English and b) had any prayer of hearing me through the windshield. ”You have these big beautiful wings,” I said. “Why don’t you use them to fly?”
In the quiet stillness of that car, my breath caught as I realized my question wasn’t really for the owl at all but for myself—why didn’t I just fly? From that day forward, owls have been a reminder to myself to spread my own wings and fly, on the page and off—thus HIBOU.
Oh I like this! Now I understand the owl logo! Did the owl fly?
Thanks! He was gone by the time I drove past the site, so I like to think so!
I'm thinking there may be a name change in this newsletter's near future, thought the logo with an owl with page wings will stay. I'll decide when I do a full social launch in the spring sometime. Right now I'm building up up newsletter habit!