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Kelly Liken Booker's avatar

This feels like such a generous reframe. As a writer and a healer who’s spent the past year moving through grief, transition, and deep exhaustion, I’ve had to learn (sometimes reluctantly) that gathering, tending, and honoring what’s already here is just as sacred as creating something new.

Thank you for giving language—and dignity—to the quieter seasons. It’s such a needed reminder.

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Thank you, Kelly! I have just come out of a loooong season of grief and exhaustion myself. It's so lovely to meet and connect with other writer/healers here.

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Kelly Liken Booker's avatar

SAME! Looking forward to connecting more

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The Sawyer's Daughter's avatar

I've yet to dive into this but the intro could not be timelier. Other interests, passions and life concerns have been at the forefront for me the past week or so and I've barely written a thing. I'm content though to just let it play out, to see what happens. It's all good!

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Stephanie Oswalt's avatar

This is a great idea. I find I am often gentler and kinder with my friends than my inner self. Perhaps reframing pieces of me as alter egos will help me learn to be more loving toward myself. I will let you know how it goes, and oh, I would love to be friends with Alouette, she sounds lovely!

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Poetry for sanity's avatar

Wow I can’t tell How much this resonates. I Also don’t have a diagnose but recognize the neurocomplex and I love the idea of Playing with a role I need help with. I Will go forth and create a wonderful secretary woman probably a little bit of a 1940-60 esque in looks and matter of fact efficiency… Maybe a Miss Lemon ( after Hercules Poirots secretary) hmmm Pinterest here I come

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Yes!! I’m so glad it makes sense to you (phew) and I can’t wait to see your “miss lemon”

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Rebecca Cook's avatar

Alix, This is marvelous. I just called my husband and read some of it to him. It's just SO creative. Sometimes I have a hard time filtering out....I feel like things are flying into my face, like flocks of birds. Like The Birds. (Poor Tippi Hedron) Anyhow, something about this seems like it might help me with that all-over-the-place feeling I get.

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Kim Benson's avatar

I love everything about this so much and I realized I’ve been doing some of these things too! Sometimes I’ll don a flowy skirt, put on a record, pour a glass of wine or a cup of tea, and type on my old typewriter. Or listen to French music and have coffee and a croissant with a leather-bound, antique smelling book. Great idea to create names and whole personas for these characters to really play out. I’ll have to let that sink in. I feel this would be especially helpful lately, while I need some other responsible roles to shine through to get important tasks done. I get easily overwhelmed and then tend to freeze and do nothing.. it’s not something I want to keep doing. Time for a shift. Thank you for always seeming to voice the exact things I need to hear! ✨ it’s some kind of magic.

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Poetry and Miracles's avatar

This is really interesting! I’ll definitely give it a try. Off to Pinterest!

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

I’d love to see what you create!

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Alex Dawson's avatar

I love this!! Such a great and creative way of approaching things

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Kellie Brown's avatar

I enjoyed reading how you categorize and manage the different aspects of being a writer. On the most basic level, I distinguish in me between wearing my writer hat (all things creative) and donning my author hat (all things administrative about my writing life.) It does help to know at any given moment what you have the energy for. Writing takes a certain bandwidth. Submitting a different type.

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daphne cohn's avatar

this is brilliant. i love this idea. i look forward to trying this out. thank you.

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Thanks Daphne! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!

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Awen Clement's avatar

Oh my. I think I've been sort of doing this without knowing it. Now I've seen it I shall experiment with being them deliberately! Just wonderful!

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Yes! That’s how it was for me, too!

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Tombarriesimmons's avatar

Oh my goodness. This is just incredible.

I can identify with your system, and I thought that I was the only person to do this kind of thing.

I have an imaginary friend who listens to my ideas, she is very patient and understanding.

I have an alter ego i've named Dominic, because he was the person I wanted to be when I was a child.

I awake in the night, make a mug of green tea, and dictate my thoughts, and ideas for stories while sitting up in bed.

I go back to sleep, and then awake in the early hours, I make breakfast, I sit down at the table and transcribe my dreams into a journal.

After dressing, if there's no work to do, I put on a hat and take a walk. To the cliffs to meditate, or to the quay side to put my thoughts into order.

Finally I message a friend and tell them what I'm going to do, which gives me the impetus to complete because I'm a man of my word.

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Hi Tom! I love that you wake up and dictate your thoughts and ideas! And walking to the cliffs to meditate sounds divine. I love how strange we creatives get to be. I really do

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Tombarriesimmons's avatar

Thank you. Strangely, for the first time, I dreamt that I was trying to get to sleep. In this dream I was trying to sleep, and we had a power cut. I managed to find the emergency light, but it was almost out of charge, I tried to turn on the 12 V emergency light, but that wouldn't work, so I went to the front door and looked out to see if there were street lights. There were none. It was at that point that I awoke, thoroughly disorientated x

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A. Wilder Westgate's avatar

I love this! I'm going to be thinking about it as I'm working on getting my poetry book ready for self-publishing. 🧡

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Yesss! Excited to hear more about your book!!

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A. Wilder Westgate's avatar

I've been so quiet about it because I know I still need to do some editing and figure a bunch of stuff out for the publishing prices, and I'm trying to take my time so I don't get burnt out, but I'm taking little steps and will hopefully share more soon!

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The Sawyer's Daughter's avatar

Love, love, LOVE your Alouette!!

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Thanks Julie!! She’s pretty great

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Suzi Bo's avatar

I love this idea! I used to write under my alter ego "Starlight Sage" who was unapologetically authentic and a bringer of light and healing, and I found that it really helped me develop my voice as a writer. I also struggle with doing maintain "not fun" tasks, so I love this idea of creating different alter egos that specialize in these things that my "normal" self struggles with. Thanks for sharing your writing with me!

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Alix Klingenberg's avatar

Starlight Sage!!! I love that so much 🌿✨✨

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Colleen Krystyniak's avatar

I’m in Love with this whole idea!! While I have lots of “selves” & roles (& the outfits to match) I’ve never really allowed them to have full on identities- names & nuance. Who we think we are is such a shaper of our actions- this is brilliant & also such a fun idea too!!! And ps- ADORE the Poem & the Pinterest boards

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