My Writing Practice: She Will Not Be Quiet

When the Door is Opened

She Will Not Be Quiet: A (mostly unedited) daily writing practice

Julia Fehrenbacher

Sep 22, 2025

blue wooden door — Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash

Jotting from my Journal. Day #201 of (mostly unedited) daily writing/sharing.

Note: (I will now be posting my daily writing only on weekdays, rather than 7 days/week)

When the Door is Opened

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

The fly buzzes around and around inside 
the bedroom where I am trying to write.

Irritation grows. A buzzing beneath 
my skin. 

I don't want to kill it. Don't want to snuff 
the life from this buzzing inside.

So, gently, I cup its small body,
open the front door and release

it into the September sun,
noticing how everything quiets 

when listened to, 
when the door is opened—

when the thing
is set free.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING EVENTS FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS

Mark your calendars!

Join me & writer/poet Julie Barton, author of the amazingly touching New York Times bestselling memoir “Dog Medicine”.

Next Wednesday, September 24th, from 4:00—5:00 PM (PST)

for a conversation (via Zoom) about writing & the writerly life. I’m so excited for this! I hope you can join us.

RSVP & ZOOM LINK HERE

There will be time for a Q & A with Julie.

NOTE: All live events/classes are recorded. The replay will be available shortly after the live event.

Our next Write Yourself Free class will be held on Tuesday, September 30th from 4:00—6:00 PM (PST).

NOTE: If you plan to come to this class (and any future “Write Yourself Free”classes via my Substack page) and have not yet written with me, please listen to minute 14—25-ish of our first recording so that you can come to class having a good idea of “the rules” of writing practice (which is really that there aren’t any rules!).

I will spend very little time introducing writing practice in upcoming classes (assuming you have listened to these 10-ish minutes of the recording) so that we are sure to get lots of ink on the page!