I'VE BEEN MIA

WRITING LIKE A MOTHER

I’ve been a little quiet over here for the past few months. 🙂 No sooner do I send a newsletter celebrating one year of keeping up with this newsletter than I drop off the face of the planet and leave everyone hanging.

The truth is that I took a little break from Instagram, and it segued into me being super productive. This year I’ve re-written two books. Yup. Take a second to swallow that. In the time that I took off from socials, I finished my second rewrite of the year, as well as a full round of revisions. I workshopped it at Better Books Marin with the brilliant and talented Laura Ruby (I’m still pinching myself). Then it went to my phenomenal beta readers and now I’m applying a final round of revisions before I pass it on to my agent.

I also started working through Nina LaCour’s Slow Novel Lab. (10/10 Would highly recommend!) And in the process of trying a new, low-pressure, slow approach to story building, I’ve become completely infatuated with yet another book. This will be my next project and I hope to start writing it later this year. Or, since I’m supposed to be slowing down, early 2025.

In between all of this creative productivity, I’ve parented my 7th and 4th graders back to school and found the most wonderful doggie day care for my problem child, Waffle. (Remember him?)

All of this is to say that life has been messy and wonderful and busy, but writing is my form of self care and self care is healthcare. So that’s where my priorities have been in this season, and I’ll probably continue to be a little quieter.

WHEN NOTHING MAKES SENSE, MAKE SPAGHETTI

I mentioned I started a new project. It’s a mess. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a mess it is—you wouldn’t believe me. There are no less than 4 major plot lines that I want to cram into a quiet, emotional young adult novel—but also, fabulism! Don’t ask me how I plan to do this. Or better yet, if you know how to do this, DM me!

My point is that this project makes no sense to me. But I’m infatuated with it. It has everything I love: an atmospheric setting, heavy pop culture references, stormy weather, a will-they-won’t-they romance, messy family dynamics, and (I think) fireflies. Right now I’m pretty much just throwing all the spaghetti at the wall because I have no idea how it’s supposed to come together.

So that’s exactly what I did:

This is the third giant piece of paper I’ve used, and the second with a line down the middle. Whenever I have an idea or a question, I toss it up there in the general area of where I think it might land. Eventually, I run out of room and have to start over with a new sheet, but with each go the story gets more defined.

This isn’t something I’ve done before, if I’m being honest, so I hesitate to say “DO THIS TO WRITE A NOVEL IN ONE DAY!!!”… But for this very early brainstorming stage in the process, I’m finding it cathartic to have a place to see the big picture.

Have you ever done something like this in your writing process?

BACKLIST BOOK CLUB

I did a speed-read of OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu this month, and I think you should too. (Or, take your time with it and savor every last anxious drop in a reasonable dose that won’t make you more anxious…) Bea is a seventeen year old with OCD who isn’t really “that crazy” and is forced to join a support group for other teens with OCD. She meets Beck, a cute guy from a neighboring school with his own triggers and rituals. You can probably guess where this is going.

There is so much to love about this book, not least of which is the fact that it illustrates many different “flavors” of what OCD looks like. Yes, there’s the kid who can’t stop washing his hands. But that’s not the only costume OCD wears, and Haydu shows the heartbreaking experience of having OCD with care, precision, and love.

It’s a heavy read, so take care of yourself if you choose to dive in. But an excellent one. I give it 5/5 Journals. 😉 

That’s it for now! I’m going to try to get back into a regular schedule of monthly newsletters. I’ve missed connecting with you, dear Reader. So, until then…