the craft. welcome back.
First and foremost, I wanted to check in with you at the start of a new year. Thank you for your grace during our holiday break. I’m learning how to schedule rest into all this craziness and writing a weekly newsletter requires some rest in between. Although it did not quite go as planned for all the writing I hoped to get done, I’m truly learning how to go with the flow.
When I got my first book deal, all I could think about was getting the next, so I immediately started working on a manuscript while I was waiting on revisions from my editor. I wrote another manuscript in 2021. And was about 20k words into another that I’d gotten stuck on. And now I’m onto a fourth and trying desperately not to start something new and actually finish this one so I can make it into something. But I am much more patient now. Now that I’ve been through my debut process and I wasn’t automatically this breakout writing star with folks begging for the next book, I had to ask myself, what’s the rush?
Yes, I want to write more books. But yes, I also may be making transitions on my team. And also yes, I have some exciting developments happening with Good Morning, Love. So believe me there is enough to keep me busy in the interim while I’m trying to sell the next thing. I’m thankful that writing is not like sports where you’re dependent on your body holding up. Prayerfully, I have a lot more years of writing ahead of me, so I want to be a lot more patient with myself in that aspect.
Normally, I’m off to the races at the start of a new year and feel like if you’re just doing a vision board in January, you’re already late. Not this year. The fourth quarter rocked my whole world, and frankly I found myself wondering if any of this matters. But your village is everything and I got together with some friends of mine to work on our digital vision boards, and I felt reinvigorated. The hopelessness dissipated, and I was motivated again to make the most of this upcoming year.
My goal is to do less, better. It wasn’t about adding a ton of stuff to this board. A lot of it was focused on “more” of the things that I’m already doing. Improving, streamlining, and getting more organized with my execution. No more haphazard, adhd execution. (IYKYK it gets chaotic over here, but we get it done.) Which has helped me get to where I am in life, but Lord knows, mama is tired now.
The goals I’ve set for myself definitely include writing, making space for it again regularly. I am working with Claude.ai to figure out a good strategic approach that includes alternating my writing and gym days because your girl tries to do it all in the morning before work which can be exhausting. I’m putting off certain things until Quarters 3 and 4 so I can focus on income generating things in Q1 and Q2. It’s all about thinking about the year holistically and not taking life as it comes.
So to start this year, I wanted to encourage you that it is okay to ease into the year. Especially with the existential dread many of us feel with the incoming administration. We’ve been through a lot both personally and collectively. We’re not machines. Our worth is not based on what we can produce. We are artists who know that whether or not we receive any accolades or book deals, we would still write. Because it’s part of who we are. Because it heals us. Because it helps us make sense of the world.
I have a lot of great content planned for the new year. Excited to be working a month ahead to ensure that I can continue to give you great value in these. We’re launching a six-week course to help the planners who want to outline their novels and working on a slate of one-off masterclasses as well for spring and fall.
I have to be honest with you, there are so many moments when I feel like “I just can’t do it anymore.” I can’t write and run this community and survive with my full-time job. But it’s not about my ability, it’s much more about my approach, getting focused, and wasting less time, honing in. My word for the year is “focus.” My main goals with writing are continuing to develop in craft and finishing this manuscript draft by spring.
Do you do a word for the year? A vision board? What other ways are you easing into the year? What are your writing goals for 2025?
P.S. We sent you an end of the year survey and it would mean EVERYTHING if you took a minute to complete it. In the spirit of strategic planning, we only want to do the things that will truly help you in your writing career. To do so, we need your feedback.
Upcoming topics for the craft:
Digital lives, real characters
Balancing AI tools with creative intuition
Building your literary tribe
Scalawag Magazine is seeking long and short-form essays, media reviews, poetry, art, photography and short fiction submissions that cover Little or unknown Southern histories and cultural practices, New perspectives on popular Southern historical events and figures, Media Reviews of Southern Black history focused films, art and books Interviews with and profiles of contemporary Southern Black history makers and preservationists, Original Southern Black history focused digital art & photography All contributors will be compensated for their work. Please send all pitches to tea@scalawagmagazine.org by Jan. 20, 2025.
Bolts is always seeking to work with freelancers to report on critical voting rights and criminal justice stories across the United States. We encourage pitches that fit our mission to grow coverage of the local and state politics, elections, policymaking, and organizing that shape these issues—think of county prosecutors and sheriffs, secretaries of state and local election administrators, state legislators, municipal officials, and the activism brewing around them. (~$800).
The New Republic is looking for an experienced journalist to cover class in America as a full-time staff writer. The ideal candidate is open-minded, intellectually curious, and comfortable interviewing people from racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. This writer also needs to be able to think beyond the cliched categories we see in much of the media (the Youngstown Trumpist, the coastal Harrisite) and tell much more complex stories about the interplay of class and politics that challenge conventional wisdom in all directions. ($125k).
The LARB Publishing Workshop accepts fellows who expect to complete their undergraduate degree by December 2025, current graduate students, and professionals of all ages who are interested in transitioning to a career in publishing or starting their own press, magazine, or literary organization. (Closes April 1st).
The 19th is seeking a part-time contract reporter to report and write articles about the economy, focusing on how politics and policies impact women and LGBTQ+ people. You will report to the politics editor and help illuminate what state and federal governments are doing, covering issues that could range from the child tax credit to tariffs to immigration. The six-month position is for 25 hours a week, from mid-to-late January through June or July 2025. ($50/hr., contract role).
