7.22 writing update!

A weekly newsletter dedicated to the craft

This is only my second Substack post yet, but I’d like to make it a weekly routine. Every Monday, I’ll post a little update that includes:

• a check in of the last week

• an update on my writing journey

• what I’m currently reading

• something I noticed during the week

• a writing prompt

Let me know if there's anything else you would like to see! These updates are both for me and you, so I can keep track of my progress while also sharing it with the world <3

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check in

• Finished The Housemaid in one day, a feat I haven’t accomplished in some time.

• Finally watched Saltburn and LOVED it?? It’s giving CMBYN x Parasite and I’m here for it!

• Played dress to impress and won third place. A slay.

• Got diagnosed with flat foot, something I’ve known about it for years but never had formally evaluated.

What’s been going on in your life? Let me know in the comments:

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writing update

I didn’t write a single word in the last week. Well, I wrote an article on Substack, but beyond that. Nothing in the realm of fiction. Which is hard, because that’s what I’m dedicating my summer to—writing fiction. All I did was sit, think, and do other things.

I’m always scared, when I sit down to write. Scared to confront the words in front of me, to be disappointed by them. Which, most of the time, means that there are no words in front of me. That’s the most disappointing thing of all. I’m trying not to let fear control me so much. Substack has already helped with that—I treat this pretty casually, not scrutinizing over every word and phrase I put on the page. My prose feels different, though. I’m working on it.

After a really valuable talk with my mentor, I decided to finally start the novel that’s been racking my brain for months. I originally wrote it as a short story, but I’ve always known that it’s more suited for longer form. Starting it is daunting—for me, the hardest part of writing—but sometime this week I’m just going to do it. You’ll get more updates on that.

I also am going to start a new short story! A psychological thriller set in 1970s Michigan. At least, I think it’ll be a psychological thriller—I’m not very tuned into the genre, but I have the idea and want to work with it.

Yesterday, I read a flash fiction piece that I am almost done with at a reading. It was for the SUNHOUSE Literary mentorship program, where fellow mentors and I presented some of our work. Hoping to finish that piece up soon, and I’d love to get it published by the end of the summer. I have high hopes for it.

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current read

Yesterday, I started The Handmaid’s Tale. I tried getting into it during Spring Break but ended up getting distracted and focusing on other things. Since I’m starting a dystopian novel, I thought it would be fitting. I’m enjoying it so far—the prose is BEAUTIFUL. Such a fan of Margaret Atwood (if you’re looking for a good short story, read “Torching the Dusties”).

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one note of the week

Each day, I try to take note of stand-out things around me. Here is this week’s best:

A few days ago, I was driving next to a bright pink convertible. The man was donned with a flower shirt and a tipped white hat, two dice dangling on the dashboard. The license plate had something to do with a flamingo, which felt fitting. There was an eccentricity to it all.

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writing prompt

Think about an object from your memory that stood out to you. Then write a fictional story surrounding that object (think Pet Milk by Stuart Dybeck).

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