Every cloud has a silver lining
| JUNE NEWSLETTER | writing prompts, travel tales from West Timor & inspiration
Hello writing friend,
we’re at the end of another month and it’s time for some writing inspiration to honor the halfway mark of the year. How has the first half of this year been for you? Are you on track with your goals? What about your happiness levels?
I’d meant to write this ahead of the solstice, but as so often happens, my best laid plans for a working holiday with my retreat co-host and writing buddy Edwina got off to bad start.
We were headed to the island of Flores in Indonesia when we unexpectedly became stranded in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara, in the southwestern part of Timor Island. We had boarding passes all the way to Maumere, our intended destination, where we had reserved two charming beach bungalows in a low-key resort on a remote beach.
Nobody had mentioned an erupting volcano at check-in, the airline was unavailable to help and there was no indication that flights would resume any time soon. What to do?
My first reaction was to feel angry, annoyed and defeated. It had been the perfect plan and after two busy months promoting my book, I was more than ready to stand still for a couple of weeks, exhale, relax and regroup—and to set up the new company we’ve just founded (more on that later).
But there we were, hot, exhausted and cranky, forced to check into a hideously decorated business hotel, overlooking an inaccessible beach littered in plastic. We spent the solstice manically howling at the moon—though Edwina was more level-headed than me and made wishes to the angels. At breakfast the following day I stood next to the only other western tourist in the toaster queue. As we waited for our slices of bread to brown, we struck up a conversation. The bread never turned into proper toast, I walked away with a slice of warm bread and an important bit of new information.
We’d become stranded at the gateway to one of the world’s best surf spots! Rote Island, one and half hours on the fast ferry from Kupang, is Indonesia’s southernmost island, the only protestant island of the vast archipelago and one of the world’s best kept secrets.
The trip across was stomach-churning but on arrival we realised we’d accidentally found paradise. Rote Island preserves the Indonesia I visited forty years ago. The beaches are powder-white, the turqoise ocean is balmy, there’s hardly any traffic, the locals are welcoming and nobody locks their doors.
We found a rustic guesthouse in a quiet part of the island, where we are the only guests and the only people on a mostly plastic-free beach. And according to our charming hostess Cindy, we are also the only guests she’s ever had who work all day, when we could be out surfing. But since we don’t surf, we’ve been busy setting up our new, joint business: transformational writing retreats.
We hope to have the website up soon. For now, we’ve updated the original Vietnam retreat page and sign up for Heavenly Hoi An (February 10 -16, 2025) is now open!
We’ve also just had a cancellation for Blissful Bali (July 11 - 17, 2024). It’s a very last minute opportunity to join us for a week of writing at beautiful Bali Ecostay. Hit reply for more info and to book.
Back to the moral of our travel adenture: every cloud has a silver lining. A bad thing can turn into a good thing, and the key, it seems, is to stay open to the unexpected, or as Kipling put it in his famous poem If:
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
(…)
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it
Which brings me to this month’s writing prompts.
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.”
– Chinese Proverb
From the minute we became stranded in Kupang, I kept thinking, stay calm, there’s got to be a lesson to be learned from this (let alone paradise to be found). It’s as if the universe was challenging me to see if I could remain unfazed in the face of the unexpected.
Obviously, spending a few nights in a tacky business motel isn’t the end of the world. And neither was the alternative—turn around, fly back to Denpasar and find something suitable in Bali. A hassle and a headache, especially in high season, but a first world problem no less.
But cultivating mindfulness and calm starts in the small moments, the everyday disasters, the non-life-threatening grievances.
Reaching the halfway mark of the year can feel like a painful juncture. We get here exhausted, having tried so hard to get it all done, only to realise that we’re still chasing our own tail. So now is a good time for a little mindfulness meditation and a reset.
Then set a timer for five to ten minutes and write without stopping to think or edit to any of these prompts:
Write about a bad thing that turned into good thing, a time when disaster turned into a blessing in disguise.
Write about what you have learned so far this year about yourself.
What goals have you reached this year? Which goal posts have shifted?
How willingly have you treated triumph and disaster as two equal imposters?
In other news, the first print-run of my memoir has sold out on Amazon and Booktopia. If you’re in Australia, you can order it from Abbey’s bookshop or listen to the audio version now out on Audible (worldwide), narrated by the wonderful Jo van Es, or on Kindle. Readings ships worldwide.
If you’ve read and liked my book, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon. It doesn't have to be polished or very long, but it would mean the world to me! Thank you so much in advance.
In the media this month
Chatting with Sarah Kanowski on ABC Conversations about my memoir was an absolute career highlight. You can listen to our conversation here and here.
I also had the opportunity to chat with my friend and former retreat guest, and now retreat host, the sparkling Emma Lovell on her podcast. I got to hang out with Emma for a few days at the Gold Coast and at one of her one-day retreats in Brisbane which was lovely. You can listen to our chat on here.
Attending the Brisbane Writers Festival, my first ever festival as an author, was another career highlight. I was part of a panel on grief with authors Nova Weetman and Lamisse Hamouda, expertly chaired by Edwina.
Being amongst authors and readers was a total buzz and it made me feel like I finally belonged.
I got home with a stack of new books, but since I am still travelling and my suitcase was packed to the brim, most of the new books I bought whilst on tour will have to wait until after I return.
But here are some that I’ve read and loved:
Wishing you a great month ahead!
With many blessings,
PS: you can follow my journey on Instagram @kerstinpilz.author.
Heavenly Hoi An (February 10 - 16, 2025) NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!
We’ve got a full waitinglist, so be quick to secure your spot for this retreat in beautiful Vietnam.
MORE RETREATS IN 2025 (Sign-up will open next month)
Blissful Bali (June 23 - 29, 2025)
Incredible Italy (10-17 October, 2025)
Beautiful Byron Bay (7-12 November, 2025) - more info soon
Please hit reply on this email if you want me to add you to the waitinglist (please provide name, email address and retreat location). Hope to meet you on retreat next year!
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