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Turning forty
Hi friends, I’m forty years old. While not exactly news, this is new, in that my birthday was the day before I’m writing this. I’ve been surprised by the number of people who’ve asked how I feel about this. There’s a lot to unpack around why peple ask that question, but that’s not what I’m…
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On plotting, and not plotting, and story vibes vs story structure…
Hi friends, Recently, my best friend and writing buddy said one of the most devastatingly true things about me I’ve ever been faced with. In a discussion about starting a new project where I’m trying to be less structured in my prep (we’ll get to that), she looked me dead in the eye and said,…
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On reading, as a writer
Hello, friends! So much for my goal of sending a newsletter every month. I kept trying to think of March themes and then didn’t. You came very close to seeing a timeline of my pandemic hair situation but it felt too silly. (Both the newsletter and my pandemic hair, thankfully long since shaved off.) First…
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February.
Hi friends, It’s February. I’m writing and sending this newsletter because I am determined to send one monthly this year… or at least, for now I’m still determined. We’ll see how long this keeps up. (Fun fact, I drafted this four days ago and just forgot to send thanks to the hazy the brain fog…
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Wrapping up 2022
Hi friends, It’s New Year’s Day! I recently posted my single annual blog entry, about my 2022 in writing, and at the end I noted that I love the potential of a new year, a new project, a blank page. I truly do love that feeling, and this year especially, I feel like I’m primed…
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Getting Back on Track… Slowly: 2022 in Numbers
Hi. So. I didn’t do my word count blog entry for 2021, because it was a long crappy year and I didn’t feel like it in January and then I forgot. If you’re curious, I spent all of 2021 on a slow, painful, major revision to the project that I’ve been working on for a…
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On finishing an experiment
Hi friends, I usually try to send this newsletter on the first of the month, when I send it at all. (So… rarely.) But did you know that if you spend a month in a 50,000 word writing marathon, you’re very tired and need a few days to process?! So I’m not letting perfect be…
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On starting something new–
Hi friends, It’s October. It’s October?!?! It’s October. Gosh. I’m currently feeling optimistic about a lot of things. Not, like, the fate of the world or anything; that’s still too big and overwhelming to think about. But on a personal level. I started my new job about a year ago now, and while it does…
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It has certainly been a year. Whoops.
Hello, friends! So, uh. It’s been a year since I sent a newsletter. When I wrote last year’s January missive about hope, I was feeling very optimistic — for the world, and for my ability to send a newsletter every month. Well, we’re now staring down the barrel of year three of a global pandemic,…
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Writing Through the Pandemic: 2020 Wordcount
Hello! First a reminder that I only update this blog once a year for this very word count post. If you want to know what I’m up to more often, try my newsletter (though even that isn’t too frequent…). After everything the horrors of last year took from us, perhaps the pettiest complaint is that…