The Flower Games of November: Writing with Honesty When You Start to Feel Blocked

The Second Petal of November — Honesty

Welcome, dear one, to The Flower Games of November | Honesty.
Each month we gather around a new flower and each week a new petal. Last week, we played with Joy, remembering how creativity can be light and alive.
Now, we turn to the second petal: Honesty.

Like chrysanthemums that endures through the faltering light of November. honesty asks less of your polish and more of your pause. It invites you to notice what is real through the fog.

Pause, Fellow Writer: The Moment Flow Falters

Every year when the days grows shorter, I am reminded of that small flicker when the flow falters when I am writing.


The moment the words stiffen, the breath shortens, the shoulders rise.
The sentence that was alive a moment ago begins to feel careful.

Once, we might have called that writer’s block.
But within the Flower Games, we call it noticing the tightening.

Because it isn’t a brick wall to smash against. It’s a threshold. I have seen different versions of a rewrite of hitting the wall but I think it is accredited to Brandon Kyle Goodman having tweeted:

I told my friend that I'm emotionally "hitting a wall" and she said "Sometimes walls are there so we can lean on them and rest”.

Conversations with friends are the best.

This morning I spoke to a friend while commuting to work. She told me a story about a man who would stop his practice anytime he noticed himself tensing up and wait to resume his practice until he wasn’t tense anymore. This inspired me through the day.

It’s like my body whispering,

“Something is here — will you pause to meet it?”

The tightening is not your enemy; it’s a messenger.
It appears in the very space where honesty begins to tremble —
where what you mean and what you show begin to part ways. And stop to noticing when it happens is a practice I want to keep honoring.

The Pause of Noticing

This week’s ritual is the art of pausing.

When I feel contraction in my breath or in my words, I practice stopping.
I do not rush to fix it or push past it.
I simply notice.

“Ah,” I think, this is where I usually turn away or perform.

What happens if, for one breath, I stay instead?

Sometimes I feel the warmth of what is unsaid rise quietly to the surface. Then I soften.

The Flower Game of Honesty invites you to pause in the exact moment you would rather perform. It is not a stage for display but a garden for presence.

Ask gently, What do I really want to say?

Honesty does not rush.
It does not demand revelation.
It simply asks for one more breath of staying.

Let Honesty Find the Page with the Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums, bright against the cold, remind us that truth endures through every season.
They bloom even as frost gathers. That steadiness of breath is how trust grows. To write with honesty is to bloom like the chrysanthemums. 

I remind myself that I don’t have to expose everything. One sentence at a time I can remain faithful to what is real.

Sometimes that truth is quiet like a confession unsent or a sentence half-written. Trust those small, trembling words. Because they are honesty in bloom.

So this week of participating in the Flower Games I’ll try to let it come from the breath I almost skipped, and the feeling I almost hid.

That is how honesty finds the page.

🌸 Download the Honesty Workbook: The Second Petal of The Flower Games

Deepen your practice with the Honesty Workbook, your guided companion for November’s Flower Game.

Inside, you’ll find:


• Rituals to help you meet your tightening with compassion


• Prompts to explore honesty through story and reflection


• Seasonal imagery and quiet spaces for your truth to bloom

🕯️ Download your free Honesty Workbook and begin your honest writing ritual —
one pause, one breath, one petal at a time. (When printing, choose A4 size and select “Print without borders” for the best result).

[DOWNLOAD]

A Final Reflection | Writing as Presence

This month’s Flower Game is not about performance. It is about presence.
Each pause, each noticing, and each unguarded word is a petal of honesty unfolding.

Stay with yourself there, at the threshold of tightening.
Let truth move through you as gently as a breeze through petals.

Honesty in writing is not the absence of fear. It is the willingness to stay curious when fear appears.
It does not need to be declared, only discovered, one noticing at a time.

May your words this November be steady as chrysanthemums and clear as winter light.
And when honesty arrives on the page, let it bring the exhale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Honesty Workbook?
A: It is a free guided writing companion from Writingdates - The Creative House, part of The Flower Games of November. It offers mindful prompts and creative rituals to help write with truth and presence.

Q: How can I begin a writing ritual for honesty?
A: Pause before you write. Breathe. Notice any tightening in your body or your words. Download the Honesty Workbook for gentle guidance through each step.

Q: Who are The Flower Games for?
A: They are designed for writers and creatives who want structured yet nourishing practices to explore joy, honesty, and loyalty through the rhythm of this November

The Flower Games is a year-long creative writing ritual that follows the rhythm of the seasons and the language of flowers. Each month blooms with a guiding flower and three words. This November the Games are inviting you to write with joy, honesty, and devotion.

Disclaimer:

The Flowergames is designed to be a tool for creative self-expression and exploration. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional mental health or therapeutic advice. If you are struggling with significant emotional or psychological difficulties, please seek guidance from a qualified professional.