Let's make a splash, y'all 🌊
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As regular readers know, I’m spending the month of November revising my book for (hopefully) the last time. I started this novel about five years ago after shelving my MFA thesis, which met a somber and resigned end when it couldn’t find a publisher. “We love the writing,” various people said, “but the story is too quiet.”
“Quiet” is a common criticism of manuscripts that don’t make it, and it can mean one hundred different things. (Here’s a helpful rundown by literary agent Carly Watters.) When I started a new project, this feedback was very much in the forefront of my mind. Forget quiet, I thought. This book will be LOUD. The stakes? Raised. The plot? Full of hooks. The marketing potential? Splash central.
As I got deeper into the draft, however, I learned more about the characters and focused less on plot. I love a good internal struggle, the careful parsing of someone’s past and how it informs and sabotages their present. Those big splashes became smaller waves. Quieter, maybe, but still powerful. That’s my hope, anyway.
Because, after five years, I've reached the point where I can’t tell if my draft is good or terrible. This might seem like a weird thing to admit. After all, I read all day. I have an MFA in creative writing. I know a good book when I see one. But there is a blindness we have when it comes to our own work. We’re too close to the material, too attached to the story. We see not only the scenes and sentences, but the years we spent on the draft, the time we devoted to the story, the mornings we sacrificed sleep to sit at our desk and work. It’s harder to recognize the potential on the page, the excitement in each reveal. The story seems dull because we already know every twist and turn. But are we bored because we’ve read it 300 times, or because it’s actually boring? What all that work was for nothing? What if all that time and energy was a waste? What if we picked the wrong project, and now it’s too late to get those five years back, to create something that is actually good, and worthwhile, and loud enough to be noticed, but quiet enough to say something that matters?
When I'm in the middle of an existential crisis about writing (AKA, all the time) I think about the last book I wrote, the one that sits quietly in my desk. It never got published, which was heartbreaking and frustrating. I drank a lot of wine because of that book and shed a few tears, too. But I didn't stop writing. There are a lot of unknowns about the future of this draft. Will it end up on shelves or in a drawer? Who knows??? One thing, however, is certain - I'll keep writing, keep learning, keep trying. No matter what happens, I won't be quiet. 💛
🌱 Plant of the Week 🌱
I had big plans to feature Trader Joe's new Chocolate Lava Gnocchi this week, but my store was all out. Instead, here's a picture of my pride and joy - the pothos that is surviving and thriving in my jungle-themed guest/writing room. This plant is great for those just beginning on their ~plant journey~, as it can survive in low light, doesn't require a ton of water, and appreciates a little neglect. This guy seems to sprout a new leaf every other day, which is the perfect vibe for the room in which I do all my writing.
Relatable Reads
The Myth and Magic of Generating New Ideas, The New Yorker. "All problem solvers and problem inventors have had the experience of thinking, and then overthinking, themselves into a dead end. The question we’ve all encountered—and, inevitably, will encounter again—is how to get things moving and keep them moving. That is, how to get unstuck." I loved these tips about how to make room for new ideas. The author is talking in terms of math, but I could easily relate it to writing. 🤔
The Role of the Artist in the Age of Trump, The Atlantic. "What artists can do is bring stories to the table that are unshakably true—the sort of stories that, once you’ve heard them, won’t let you return to what you thought before." As I finally wrap up the novel I've been working on for five years, I'm excited to tackle a new project that takes place in a time and world closer to this one. ⏰
I’ve Eaten a Meal Replacement Shake Twice a Day for Two Years. Here’s What it Was Like, Vox. "There are times when food can and should be used as a sensory pleasure, as a method of caring for and connecting with others, and as an opportunity to share in new experiences. I’d also argue that there are times when food should simply be the best product — for your health, for your wallet, and for the environment — to help you meet the challenges of your day." Nicole Dieker's work is one of the joys of the internet, and even though meal replacements are not for me, I loved the ideas in this piece. 🌮
A Tiny Challenge
There will be no newsletter next week! I need to make some serious progress on my revision and this weekly email, while a beloved part of my routine, takes up a lot of time. I'll be back in your inbox post-Thanksgiving, full of tofurkey and pie. In the meantime, here's your challenge: take a look at your schedule, your obligations, your goals. Give up one thing in the service of something else. Sometimes saying no is the most powerful way forward.
See you in two Sundays! 💌
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