It's been a while...
When I look at the date on my last post, I'm not surprised to see it was in July 2022. Let's just say my life hit a few speed bumps in Fall 2022. Sometimes when you're in survival mode you have to prioritize - and my kid had to come first for a while.
I found that it was harder to concentrate and finish reading a book when things were hardest. Sometimes I'd grab a romance or thriller - there's something to be said for a comforting formula. That said, these books did manage to hold my attention. If you, too, can't concentrate, or need a book to suck you in, I recommend them!
Beasts of Ruin - Ayana Gray
The Tethered Mage - Melissa Caruso
The Nature of Witches - Rachel Griffin
The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
Plus all of Sarah J. Maas' books
It's not intentional and yet I find myself primarily reading books written by women. I'm drawn to strong heroines in impossible situations. Throw in a little romance, hidden magic, and a feminist bent and I'm all in.
While handling life stuff I also managed to finish a novel. I crammed it in during weeks C went to visit family and I had days off. When I was younger, I tried to write four pages a day. These days I've learned how to compose in my head and then get it out on paper in concentrated writing sessions. I can write up to 10k words in a burst. Weirdly, it's helped my anxiety over long breaks between writing- I used to worry the words wouldn't come back if I didn't write daily or took months off between writing fiction.
Now I know that, after years of writing, it's like muscle memory. Sometimes I have to take breaks from dance, too. Parenting, life, work, grad school...when I fit in a ballet class, the day after class can be brutal. But, like dance, writing may be a little tough when I get back to it, but the knowledge is still there. No one has to tell me how to do a plie in first position, or how to write a novel.
(the small number of flags for the last round revisions was a LOT more for first round, lol!)
My wonderful agent, Ginger Clark, sent the novel out on submission this week. This is alternately exciting and terrifying, TBH. I haven't had a novel out on submission in years and years. I don't want to count how many years so we're just going to celebrate this milestone. And possibly celebrate with a cupcake. Here's to being back - on many different levels!
xoxo,
D