Many of you lovely readers are people I’ve known through my writing life in one way or another. Maybe we were in a crtitique group together. Maybe we met at a conference. Or even online on the socials when that was more of a thing. Maybe we used the same writing coach. Or sat in the same workshops. Thanks to all of you who have found your way to this Substack where I get to opine on all things creative.
To those of you who haven’t met me personally, maybe you’re one of my readers. If so, yay! You are so welcome here. I’ve also had a recent uptick in people I’ve never met or interacted with in any way that I can determine. You make my day when as you discover this newsletter. Thank you so much for trying it out.
I have always been a believer in the seasons of life. Yearly. And as the decades come and go. I’ve had my young self season filled with self doubt and desire. My college seasons-two because I was lucky enough to go to both U of Florida (Go Gators!) and Penn State and both of those seasons were so full of brightness. Learning and laughter and even snow in Happy Valley. It’s also where I met the hubs, JKR.
Then there was marriage and then motherhood. The kids were little and all over the place and I loved every minute of it. Then we moved to Wellington and life changed again. I changed. I went from having a private practice to working in the schools which has moments of loveliness, but didn’t fill me. So I started writing.
And that became my new love. I wrote through terrible times in my life. When we lost my parents. Then we lost JKR’s parents. Through JKR’s addiction and my silent acquiescence which didn’t help but which I couldn’t break out of. And then our family’s collective healing and recovery.
I wrote through my kids turning into teens and then adults. I wrote as they left me for college and then to live their own beautiful lives. I couldn’t be prouder of them or happier for their fearless march into their own personal convictions and destinies. I am their biggest fans.
All of these seasons were beautiful, despite the challenges.
But now things are changing again. When I first started writing I was unsure. I held the imposter syndrome to me, close, maybe believing that if I stayed humble and even insecure, the Universe would gift me with treasures.
I no longer think it works that way. I think writing rewards you when you are fearless. You can tell when you’re reading someone’s book or manuscript if they feel comfortable on the page. When a writer is in command, you will go along with them. No matter the content, genre, or style. I am becoming that confident writer now and it feels so good.
My agent told a mutual client/friend that my energy has changed and she is so excited to see what I’ll do this year. I don’t even know how she knows that as I haven’t actually seen her in a long time(must rectify!) But, I have upped my game. I’ve learned to pivot. I’ve learned to press on. Mostly I’ve learned to just keep writing(advice from my friend). I have so many exciting possibilities in front of me now. It is my season to grab hold of. I don’t intend to stumble as I follow a path that feels divinely given. It’s such a change for me and I’m swimming with gratitude. I hope you all will come into this season of writing where you trust more than you doubt. Where you write more than you’re stuck. Where you love this writing thing with your entire heart. Amen.
Now for some reccs:
I recently attended a workshop entitled “Screenwriting and Playwriting vs Narrative Fiction” by Jule Selbo which really cemented some things for me. She told us that she never wanted to be a starving writer. Wow. At a young age she was writing for television and movies and animated series. She almost never said no to any opportunity. She never questioned whether she could learn a new form of writing—just plunged in. The webinar is up for viewing for members of Sisters in Crime which I recently joined. I’ve attended three of their webinars so far and they have each been so transformative and filled with knowledge. Highly recommend!
While I was flying back to Florida, I tried to listen to How to Solve Your Own Murder on my iPad but I couldn’t get it to play despite having downloaded it since I’d been listening to it already. I did also redownload it to my iPad, but whatevs. Instead, I listened to most of The Mobius Book …and I am floored by it. How it winds its way around and through time and seminal moments in life. Touching on painful pasts with the most careful approach. Highly recommend. Also definitely recommend the murder one. So fun!
The hubs and I have been waiting for the new Jurassic Park movie to be available to stream at home. When it was made available mid last week, we knew how our weekend would be structured! I’ve loved most of the movies. Even the ones that were less impressive. But these movies mark the seasons of my life just like a well curated playlist does. And Jurrasic World: Rebirth definitely sent me back. It had the same feel as the first one. I loved the wonder of the dinosaurs in the wild. I loved most of the choices they made. Some of the obvious homages to the original that felt subtle and well done. The dock as an important set piece. The small dinos that this time do not attack the little girl -sorry if that’s a spoiler. Even the container to hold the dino dna felt like the tubes in the shaving cream dispenser. It all hit me and filled me with love for the past me who fell in love with this franchise.
As for this newest movie, I did not love the mutated dinosaurs. It bothers me on a large level that dinosaurs aren’t enough for people anymore and they have to be altered to be interesting. Maybe that’s the way the world is, but I’m not giving up on wonder just because other people tell me it’s so and I don’t believe kids are unimpressed by impressive beings. Just my take. Also, Scarlett Johansson was amazing and I need to figure out which white tank she wore because it was perfection.
Oh, I also read the first book. I suggest you do, also. I read so many of Michael Chrichton’s books. Prey. The Andromeda Strain to name two. He has a way of making you afraid of things you didn’t know to be afraid of and I loved that. He also was super sciency and I’m a science nerd. There is so much to know about this world. He serves that up with a side of dinos in this case. I’m a fan.
I read a piece in the The Free Press by Park MacDougald entitled I tried Wall Street’s Famous Brain Drugs the other day that has stayed with me for days. Most interesting to me was the thought that if you do a million little things to keep your mind and body humming, you don’t actually need the drugs. This is not new info, but it’s real and it’s right and it’s so hard. But so worth it. Today I started with the cold shower thing after my hot shower. Will report back. But mostly I feel like when you aim your intention towards honoring your body and set reasonable standards for a good life, you are rewarded tenfold. Working on the limiting screen time at night. That’s a biggie for me.
That’s it for this week. I hope this next season is the best one for you in all the right ways.
As always, thanks for subscribing and/or reading.
Here’s where you can pre-order my upcoming novel Spellbound by Murder which recently got a finalized cover that I hope to share soon. So cool! Pre-orders can really help a book, so I’d love a little boost if you are able.