Aligning Your Craft with Your Cycle
Writing in Rhythm with the Body
Every mile is two in Winter. —Maisie Hill
In a world that pushes consistency and productivity, it’s easy to forget that we are not 9-5 machines. And thank God for that, because machines, while they also operate on rhythm, go until they burnout and are ultimately destroyed. We, however, have the option to align ourselves to a cycle of continual renewal.
If you do not have a menstrual cycle, here is a companion piece I’ve written for you.
For writers who menstruate, the hormonal cycle presents an obvious influence that we can point to and maximize synergy. An opportunity not to push through but to flow with our natural rhythm.
Learning to write with your cycle is not weak—it’s wise.
Much like the shifting moon or the changing seasons, the menstrual cycle carries a creative intelligence of its own—one that can guide your writing practice with clarity, compassion, and flow. It moves through four primary phases: menstruation, follicular, ovulation, and luteal, each offering a unique energetic frequency and cognitive lens.
Menstruation — Inner Winter (Days 1–6)
This is the fertile dark, yet the veil between the outer world and inner wisdom is butterfly-wing thin. Your energy may dip, but your sensitivity heightens. The thinking mind quiets, making space for the innate, the primal to dominate. What usually hides beneath the surface peaks through, and your intuition sings.
Creative invitation:
Journaling, meditation, or simply rest.
Record dreams or intuitive images
Let the page be soft and unstructured
This is not inactivity—it’s incubation.
Read!
Free Writing without pressure
Trust that the time is part of the process.
Painting, puzzles, gardening, or other creative activities that do not feel like work.
Follicular Phase — Inner Spring (Days 7–13)
Estrogen begins to rise, and so does your optimism! You may feel lighter, brighter, more curious. This is a natural time for exploration and experimentation. Nothing is overwhelming! Yes-she-can.
Creative invitation:
Draft boldly—let ideas be messy and alive, or total rewrites.
Explore new ideas, apply for workshops, residencies, and programs.
Sketch characters or outlines!
Learn! Research!
Start something new!
Build vision boards or outlines for a new WIP.
Ovulation — Inner Summer (Days 14–18)
Your energy peaks here. Words come easier. Conversations flow. You may feel magnetic, expressive, and ready to be seen. This is a great time to connect, and collaborate. You are a social butterfly.
Creative invitation:
Submit your work.
Perform, record, or share aloud.
Host a reading or co-write with a friend
This is the moment to let your voice carry. Let yourself radiate.
Say/do the thing you were scared to say/do!
Work on growing your community.
Luteal Phase — Inner Autumn (Days 19–28)
As progesterone rises, so does discernment. Your inner editor comes alive. You may feel more emotional, reflective, or even critical—but this is a gift if you use it wisely.
Creative invitation:
Edit with honesty and precision.
Write emotionally rich material.
Finishing/wrapping up Projects, preparing for rest.
What stays? What needs to be cut? Trust what wants to be released.
This is the harvest of your creative cycle—a gathering up of what you’ve seeded.
Writing as a Ritual of Body: You find your most intuitive poetry flows during menstruation, your boldest ideas sprout in follicular spring, your most confident expression shines in ovulation, and your strongest edits emerge in autumn’s quiet discernment.
F I N A L T H O U G H T S
Your body is not disrupting, it’s guiding. The womb has always known how to create. Let her lead.
Note: All content is free and accessible for 30 days and then archived. Subscribe for free to get notified of new posts before they're archived. Paid subscribers can always access the archives.
At-A-Glance: Phase | Ritual Bleeding | Light a candle, read, journal ideas, free write. Rest. Follicular | Create an outline, first draft, plan boldly, research. Ovulation | Connect, record, collab, or submit your work. Luteal | Tea, Edit, Write what pleases you, when you want.
If you enjoyed this please tap the heart below. It helps me grow as a writer/artist.
https://open.substack.com/pub/njsimat/p/read-for-a-soft-reset?r=4logur&utm_medium=ios