2026 writing pathways, with Mistress M
step into the chamber with me this year
Welcome to 2026 in the chamber.
Every year, I offer curated creative experiences for writers.
This year, I wanted to share what’s on my heart, and to invite you into that pathway alongside me.
Right now, as the mother of the most curious, most active, starry-eyed almost 2-year-old girl, as I fall in love with the world again by placing my intimate attention on it, what’s on my creative heart is the act of noticing. I’m immersing myself into deep noticing of my life and the world around me. I’m creating an archive of glimmers of memories that I can return to whenever I want to remember this wild, tender, and intense season of my life.
I’d like to invite you to notice your life, and your world, alongside me.
I offer containers of different lengths of time–one month, three months, six months, or a full year, to begin anytime–with…
gentle creative guidance
writing & creative prompts to stir the senses & call us to notice the great “what-is”
monthly (or weekly) themes to softly guide our attention
plus lots of flexibility to be open to whatever comes up for us along the path during our time together!
check-ins with me, walking alongside you on the creative path, by Zoom / email / text… whatever works for you. If you happen to be local(!), I’d LOVE to hold our creative check-in meetings in person!
the opportunity, at the close of our time together, to publish the writing we’ve created together in a small zine or chapbook (that you’d be totally welcome to sell–create some abundance for yourself through your writing in 2026!!). I’ve self-published a dozen books of different genres, edited and published multiple anthologies with other writers, and have traditionally published as well; I have lots of guidance and ideas to offer in this realm. I’d love for you to emerge from our cave time together with a beautiful & tangible talisman to take with you on the rest of your life’s creative quest.
Our 2026 writing pathway offerings…
Noticing nature
I am a black woman living in one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. And yet… and because of this… my connection to and noticing of nature is one of the most important and most nurturing aspects of my life right now. This is partly because I have a companion who accompanies me in this noticing, someone for whom the entire world is fresh and new… my 2-year-old daughter.
No matter where you live in the world, whether you are immersed in a deep wilderness or you live in a 32-story building in the city like me, I invite you to notice nature alongside me in 2026.
Weekly or monthly, we’ll notice the shifts in nature together, from the corners of the world where we are, as well as the shifts that occur inside us as our planet spins. We’ll create writing based on our noticing–small vignettes, sketches of memories, nature writing, poetry–and check in together to share. At the end, there’s the opportunity to merge our writing together into the tapestry of a small book–which will be yours to keep and to share.
Noticing for new parents
One of the other reasons I've been loving sharing more over on my Substack, Dear creative dreamers, is because it gives me space to write memories about my daughter. When I do that, whenever I share writing about my time with her, someone reaches out to me and says, I loved your piece. It brought me back to that time with my child. New parenthood is so tender, intimate, and close; the focus is so tightly zoomed in. It’s beautiful to zoom the lens out just a little bit and see the world we’re creating together.
If you want to notice memories, experiences, and flashes of wisdom from your time as a new parent, I’d love to be on that writing pathway with you. (Note: you may interpret “new” however you wish, if you feel this pathway calling to you. My daughter is 2 in March. I am happy to be on this pathway with any parent whose child is of any age. I’d also love to work with anyone who is pregnant and desires to create a record of memory and experience of their pregnancy in their writing. The realms of pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood are still extremely fresh for me right now.)
This may be writing that you wish to keep private, only within the safe confines of our container. Or it may be something you wish to share. I personally do not share my daughter’s name or any photos of her in any public space, including Substack and social media. When I do write about the time I spend with her, I do my best to keep the focus on me–my experience, my feelings, what I’m noticing–rather than on her, to protect her privacy and her right to grow into and become her own person in her own time. These may be considerations you’ll wish to think about if you want to publicly share writing from our “noticing for new parents” pathway together. But the opportunity to create some small book to share is certainly there. <3
Noticing the cosmic flow
This one’s for my astrology peeps and energy babes.
In this writing pathway, we’ll notice the energy shifts in life, nature, the world around us, and within ourselves in response to the changing astrological weather. We’ll tap into the zodiacal seasons, lunar phases, and planetary transits–plus our own birth charts, if you wish!–with gentle writing & creative prompts inspired by the current cosmic ambience.
If you’ve ever wondered how your writing, creativity, life, or inner landscape vibes with the idea of “as above, so below,” here’s a chance to slow down, notice, and intentionally check in with some gentle guidance. As always, at the close of our cosmic time together I’d love to help sew our stories together into a small book for you to take with you, and do with what you choose.
Noticing your one wild, precious life
One of the other reasons I’ve LOVED writing my Substack to y’all over the past 2+ years(!) is because I love giving myself the opportunity to truly notice, romanticize, and create story out of my life. Each of our lives is singular, wild, and precious, no matter who and where we are.
In this pathway, in our writing, we’ll be invited to notice the flow of miracles of our “ordinary days,” the small sensory details in which we are immersed, and the fleeting memories that we long to hold on to. Let your writing help you hold on to those memories, to create a container for yourself where you can return to them whenever you wish. Capture the tiny moments of wisdom that the flow of your life is offering you. Fall in love with where you are.
We’ll check in and share what’s on our hearts. At the end, if you wish, we’ll weave our memories together into a small book–which will be all yours to take with you.
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Apply for the 2026 writing pathways here.
As a reminder, all of these writing pathways with me will include…
gentle creative guidance
writing & creative prompts to stir the senses & call us to notice the great “what-is”
monthly (or weekly) themes to softly guide our attention
plus lots of flexibility to be open to whatever comes up for us along the path during our time together!
check-ins with me, walking alongside you on the creative path, by Zoom / email / text… whatever works for you. If you happen to be local(!), I’d LOVE to hold our creative check-in meetings in person!
the opportunity, at the close of our time together, to publish the writing we’ve created together in a small zine or chapbook (that you’d be totally welcome to sell–create some abundance for yourself through your writing in 2026!!). I’ve self-published a dozen books of different genres, edited and published multiple anthologies with other writers, and have traditionally published as well; I have lots of guidance and ideas to offer in this realm. I’d love for you to emerge from our cave time together with a beautiful & tangible talisman to take with you on the rest of your life’s creative quest.
-I’m offering containers of different lengths of time–one month, three months, six months, or a full year, to begin anytime.
-The investment for these pathways is $500/month. I also do offer scholarships–because creative guidance and accompaniment along the path should be available to everyone. So if any of this calls to you but you need a softer price point to be able to do it–just reach out. Let’s do it together. <3
-I’m also offering a discounted price of $300/month for 2026 writing pathways to anyone who is a paid subscriber on Substack or on my Patreon, Writing Magic. So if you are a paid subscriber and would like to open up a 1:1 writing pathway with me this year, let me know.
Apply for the 2026 writing pathways here.
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I’m also offering one more place this year in my more robust, more intimately guided yearlong writer’s journey, Into The Chamber. This container is for anyone who feels called and ready to vision, write, and share a full book of their own in 2026.
In this container with me, you will
· Create a writing practice that flows with your life rather than against it—sustainable, nourishing, and uniquely yours
· Join a circle of creative souls who understand the sacred nature of the writing journey
· Meet yourself at the page time and again, discovering the version of you who has completed a book: the book your heart has been yearning to bring into the world
· Transform your relationship with creativity from one of struggle to one of devotion
· Navigate the publishing landscape with clarity and confidence, whether your path leads to traditional publishing or indie authorship.
It’s the season of looking inwards, the season of creativity, the season of new intentions. Come + write the book that your heart wants to write. I’d love to help guide you in that process.
The investment for Into The Chamber is $550/month or $6000 for the year.