Hey, Morris meant well and his car was spotless.

The Rothko Chapel The ultimate place to "Less is More" your brain.

In this month’s LOW NOTES, I found the perfect place to less my more. It’s in Houston, Texas.

Read and subscribe, peoples.

jayheltzer.substack.com/p/the-rothko...

#5amWritersClub

His account is suspended at the moment. I didn’t report anything but perhaps he was a bit of a problem child to many. Oh well. As we were….

@itsdonaldrus.bsky.social Hey there, Donald. I’ll bet a lot of money we don’t have the same pad, Lamy fountain pen, and gold-plated bass trombone mouthpiece. Please remove my picture from your header.

All the Colors Before Me The subtle art of drawing attention to something

In this month's LOW NOTES, I try to apply a year of "Less is More" to my writing desk, and it doesn't go well.
Read and subscribe, peoples.

#5amwritersclub

jayheltzer.substack.com/p/all-the-co...

First VDP of 2026 is tomorrow, building MOMENTUM for the rest of the year.

Plus... first details about the annual Journey to Jupiter in-person writing retreat.

You KNOW you want to be there... so be there.

#5amWritersClub

Virtual Donut Parties are back for '26, starting this Friday 1/9 at 5am ET via Zoom.

How to build MOMENTUM for a successful year

-Repetition
-Asking little & big questions of your work
-Measuring Success
-Celebrating without Slowing Down

#5amWritersClub

DM me for the new Zoom link

This might be my most favoritest one of all the ever. ♥️ 🐶

🧠More.
♥️Less.
✋🏻Some?
🧠It needs more.
♥️But not with unnecessary fluff. Move on.
✋🏻Gimme something, please.
🧠We haven't fully told the story. We've barely filled the scene.
♥️The reader understands. We shouldn't be working this hard!
✋🏻Kinda like this post?

#5amWritersClub

🧠I'm so tired. Not just sleepy tired, but so... ugh.
♥️I get it. You wanna write?
🧠Yeah, but... its easier to not bother.
♥️That's no fun. Writing is fun.
🧠Yeah, but–
♥️Hey... don't ever forget: Writing is fun. Doesn't have to be anything else.
🧠 😀
✋🏻Game on!

#5amWritersClub

Mazel tov! What a fantastic gift!

♥️The holiday concerts are over.
🧠Halleluyah!
♥️Time to finish with the gifts.
🧠Crap!
♥️But we get to write first.
🧠Halleluyah!
♥️Time to finish that synopsis.
🧠AW CRAP!

#5amWritersClub

🧠It's synopsis time.
♥️I believe in you.
✋🏻Good luck.
🧠The heroine... no. The night was...
♥️Take your time.
✋🏻You know the story, right?
🧠On a dark desert highway...
♥️That's not–
✋🏻Oh lord.🤦🏻
🧠Who's the MC again?
♥️This may take a while.
✋🏻I'll make more tea.

#5amWritersClub

If the void screams back, has a tree fallen in the forest? 🤔

🧠Its go-time.
♥️Hold on... a few more journal thoughts...
✋🏻We'll be with you in a sec.
🧠... Now?
♥️...
🧠Now??
♥️...
🧠Now???
♥️If you don't mind, I need to SCREAM INTO THE VOID AND CAN'T START THE CREATIVE PART TILL I'M DONE, OK?
🧠Damn.
✋🏻Told you.

#5amWritersClub

As a fellow parent who appreciates whimsy, it is time to stage an intervention.

a man wearing a yellow shirt with the letter a on the front ALT: a man wearing a yellow shirt with the letter a on the front

I predict there's going to be a ton of frustrated Wordle players today.

Anyhoo, anyone seen my focus? It was here yesterday.

#5amWritersClub

♥️You really need to finish holliday shopping.
🧠What would my MC want for Christmas?
♥️Most of the good stuff is gone.
🧠Are there any gifts in Chapter 6 of my WIP?
♥️You're running out of time.
🧠Time is a plot problem.
♥️Oy, you're your own plot problem.

🤦🏻🎄

#5amWritersClub

If I had only seen your post yesterday, I would have claimed Chroma, since The Phantom Tollbooth is my all-time, all-ages, all-favorite book of all-time favorites. ♥️

I mean I’m 8% in. The current chapter has similarities but it’s not identical. However, like I mentioned, their execution of a cool idea we both had is far superior to mine… so far. 😉

No choice but to move forward. This story lives!

👀Hey! This best-selling book is like the one we're writing.
🧠Wut?
👀Sweet! It's got scenes just like the ones we wrote.
🧠Come again?
👀Wow. That cool idea we loved... they wrote it much better.
🧠<cry, panic, anger, cry>
♥️It'll be ok.
✋🏻<opens new document>

#5amWritersClub

Hence the beauty and glory of the #5amWritersClub

the brain is more lucid, the impossible and improbable become clever and doable, and the rules haven't woken up yet to tell you "you can't."

Amen, sister! ✒️💻

🧠'26 will have big plans, big changes, BIG GOALS!
♥️What about today?
🧠Let's survive today, ok?
♥️Will we be a different person on 1/1?
🧠Same, but new, cool direction.
♥️So, why wait?
🧠Shut up. '26 is our year.
♥️What about today?
✋🏻Today we edit or die!!!

#5amWritersClub

agnostic diagnostic might be the most genius concept of self-assessment these days I've ever heard. 🐶

Let's just say I can't handle the truth right now and my feelings go to 11.

This also extends to Australia too.

♥️Please don't look at the news. Let's just write, okay?
🧠It's incomprehensible.
👀We can handle it.
♥️No... yesterday was awful. Please don't.
🧠C'mon, just a few hours of creative work first.
✋🏻<click>
👀... Holy shit...
💔

#5amWritersClub

🧠What's all this noise?
👂🏻Her name is Mariah Carey.
🧠Is she in our book about the Mississippi Blues?
👂🏻No, she sang this Christmas song called–
🧠I KNOW THE SONG! What's it doing here?
👂🏻Living rent free.
🧠Get her out!
🪗Can I help?
🧠It would be a 🎄 miracle!

#5amWritersClub