Dear Luminous Writer,
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I call my courses Lit Mag Love, Revision Love, Writerly Love. It’s not a marketing ploy. It kind of just happened, but it works.
Love is at the center of my work. Not the romantic or easy kind, but the kind that insists on belonging, on care, on connection even when it feels risky.
My ways of showing care can sometimes come across as awkward, or a little “too much” (or so I’ve heard over the years). Let’s just say belonging has never come easily for me. Maybe you’ve felt this, the familiar tension between wanting to belong to a creative community and wondering if your voice truly fits. That’s why I keep returning to the Lover archetype when I write these letters and talk to writers in our community. This figure isn’t about romance so much as devotion: devotion to art, to truth, to each other.
Life can test our capacity for that kind of love. I’ve noticed how easily my self-love shrunk under pressure this year. Stress pushes me to keep going instead of resting, to measure my worth in output instead of care. I forget to offer myself the tenderness I so freely give others. And yet, every time I reach for writing (or for you, luminous writers) I feel the opposite pull. Love is stubborn. It wants to move through us, even when it feels impossible.
What I’m learning alongside you: love and belonging are not conditions we have to earn. They are practices we return to. When we write with love, even when it feels awkward, even when belonging feels out of reach, we make space for others to recognize themselves in our words. That, to me, is the real heart of writing.
With love, always, imperfectly, and a little “too much,”
Rachel
—August 27, 2025
P.S. If love feels hard to come by right now, may this be a small reminder: your words are welcome here, and so are you.
This is a sample of my Writerly Love Letters, filled with gentle reminders, writing prompts, and encouragement delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe here to receive them most Wednesdays.
Who Am I?
Hello! I’m Rachel Thompson. I am an author and literary magazine editor, here to help you write, publish, and shine! I offer online courses on getting published and crafting your most luminous writing.
Warm Weekly Writing Advice
My Writerly Love Letters are filled with motivating ideas, prompts, and practice notes. Sent each Wednesday. Subscribe to connect!