Funny story, I meant to kick-off this whole newsletter thing five months ago. It all started when I spent thirty minutes constructing the perfect Instagram caption and thought, “huh, maybe I ought to share some of this stuff not beneath a goofy reel of me dancing around in my pjs.”
I was determined, I had a plan, and then the BER months hit…
In SeptemBER, I signed with my agent, Des Salazar of Metamorphosis! Holy Forking Shirt Balls!😀
In OctoBER, my writing buddy Jen and I launched Pathfinders Writing Collective (PWC)! We’re a fun bunch, come hang!😜
In NovemBER we started #PaWriCo24: PWC’s build-your-own, 3-month NaNoWriMo alternative!🤘
And in DecemBER…I got sick as hell. Womp womp.☹️
But now, I’m healthy and hyped for another year of writing, editing, chasing that publishing dream, and cheering on my favorite community of all time!
Okay, here we go!!
📃Current WIP(s):
📈WIP status(es):
📚Current read(s):
✨Other:
"Share Your 2024 Recap!"
"New Year, New ME!"
"What are your resolutions?!"
Sometimes ✨New Years!!!✨—and all its cheesy sayings—can seem trite asf (<-- easing in my non-spicy language friends). But, I’ve always really liked this time of year. A time to reflect, reset, and refine.
Some of you may know this, some of you may not. My writing journey actually started with a New Year’s resolution. It sounds so lame, but in 2018 after losing my Opa (grandfather) to cancer and my Oma (grandmother) to Alzheimer’s, I had this sort of WHAT THE F*CK AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE? moment.
I hated my job, I hated the programs I was applying to, and every cover letter and "statement of purpose" I wrote was a big fat stack of lies. Another year was coming to a close and my brilliant plan was to....drumroll please 🥁🥁🥁…change nothing. How freaking bonkers!?
But…secretly 🤫...for years...I’d thought of myself as a writer. Which makes absolutely no sense because at the time I’d literally written NOTHING, but hey, our brains are good at letting us live in the make believe, especially when doing so feels waaaaayyyyyy better than existing in the real world.
Anyhow, during that last week of the year, I decided to give myself one shot at the writing dream: 1 year to write 1 draft. If I failed, then it was time to axe the dream. If I hated it, then it was time to axe the dream. (Don't even think about coming after me for using e's in the word axe.)
Within a month, I was addicted to writing. My goal had been two 2hr-sessions/week, but by March, a day without writing felt like a day without skin, I was vulnerable, and hurting, and freakishly incomplete. My love for writing blossomed and pushed against every boundary in my life. I was sneaking words in during my lunch break, daydreaming and leaving myself voice memos in the car, and boring my poor partner stiff with character sheets and multiversal timelines. Not gonna lie, it was a total blast! And, surprise, surprise, when the year was up, I didn't axe the writing dream.
Jump forward to a year ago today. At the top of 2024, with draft 11 of *that very book* 👆 done and dusted, I went on a hike with my partner Oats (short for Oatmeal, obviously). Now, when I get walky, I get talky, so with 9 miles ahead of us I had plenty of time to voice my woes about writing. Draft 11 wasn't doing well in the query trenches and I'd all but deemed it and the whole story garbage.
Catching me totally off-guard, Oats turned to me and said, "I'll be so f*cking mad if you quit now."
Those kinds of statements aren't really Oat's M.O. He's usually the "do what makes you happy" type. And yes, he made a caveat that if writing wasn't what I wanted, THEN it was okay to stop. But he knew that wasn't the case, I knew that wasn't the case, and damn it if that statement didn't stick in my brain like a pin.
It was the first time anyone had turned "You got this! Go for it! Follow your dreams!" into "How dare you not go for it? How DARE YOU give up on YOU?"
From January 2024 to April 2024, I did another rewrite, top to bottom. From April to August, I queried over 250 agents. In September, Des reached out. And in about two months from now, that book will be going on submission to publishers (while I work on the next big thing).
"Share Your 2024 Recap!"
"New Year, New ME!"
"What are your resolutions?!"
In other words…
Reflect.
Reset.
Refine.
A little cheesy? Sure. A little trite? Sometimes. But so much can happen in a year, two, three, four, more, if you choose it. But you have to be ready when you’re not. And you have to start even when you're scared. And if all else fails, you gotta go on a nine-mile hike and complain SO MUCH your partner finally tells you to shut up and stop being a little punk. Writing is choosing writing again, and again, and again. Every day, every project, every submission, every new year. This year I choose more books, more short stories, and more submissions.
So, what will your 2025 look like? A repeat of last year or something new?
📘: The Searcher & The Hunter by Tana French — just enjoy, just sink into the townlands of Ireland and soak in all the magic these poetic mysteries have to offer.
🎥: A Real Pain starring Jesse Eisenberg & Keiran Culkin — I cried in the theaters…basically the whole time, so…best of luck.
🎵: “L’enfer” by Stromae — but also the whole Multitude Album, and if you enjoy that, you might as well listen his whole discography.
📺: Arcane — this will likely be my TV rec for all time, thank you, good day.
We did it! First newsletter! Be sure to reach out, ask questions, offer suggestions, and share with all the bookish/writerish/nerdish nerds you know and love! Sharing is caring.
Happy January! Happy New Year!
XOXO,
Rain ☔
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