Hi Kelly - I think you rock too. You have always been so kind and supportive to me as a writer and you were one of the first publications on Medium to publish one of my short stories and yesterday I had the most amazing news. A publisher has offered me a contract to publish my debut novel so dreams do come true! Keep up the good work and things will pick up, I’m sure. ❤️
Oh My Gosh!!! I am beyond excited for you! That news made me cry with joy (like an actual tear!) You deserve it after all your consistent work. Please let me know when it's done so I can promote it and buy it!
Thank you so much, Kelly. I am still on cloud 9 (sorry, Steve - simply means ecstatic!) to be honest and kept waking up in the night because I was so excited! I will definitely keep you posted and my lovely subscribers here on Substack too. I’m looking forward to the journey and seeing my book on the shelf in a bookstore. That will be the day my dream came true!
I know none of that was what you asked but I had that glass of wine and a bath and a laptop nearby and I’ve
moved on from my recent Substack piece which was completely satirical but I forgot to tag it as such and most of the comments completely missed the satire. But it made me happy to write it regardless of how it was received. All that to say, Kelly you are a rock star and the most dedicated motivated writer I know.
Kelly, I did a rewrite of the piece that’s about to go live on Medium that I hope makes it abundantly clear it’s satire. I think it’s better written too.
That’s one aspect of having a weekly newsletter that is difficult for me. My best writing requires many rewrites, and I often post essays when they could use a few more drafts, but time does not allow when I must keep to a schedule. Humbling but also illuminating.
What stops me from quitting is that I have no choice. I’ve been writing since I was about 8 years old. It’s something that I just need to do. But the last story I enjoyed writing? That’s an excellent question. And I wonder if the answer to that will help in my never ending search for a topic or niche. I’m so sorry about your week. All the kids gone at once! I hope you enjoyed at least some of it.
Will commiseration be good enough? Answers are overrated anyway. And you have a wide reaching international community of writers, to help when writing life sucks, for a week or a month or even a fortnight. I'm from the US and still don't know what a fortnight is. I think it's when you get a bunch of friends to bring over blankets and pillows and sheets and tall thing-a-ma-jigs that make it all stand up fort like? Or maybe I'm thinking of the game Fortnight. I just saw the first episode of the new season of Black Mirror, so my sense of what makes community is a bit warped at the moment. The takeaway, I believe is to drink a glass of wine, listen to James Taylor's version of 'You've Got A Friend,' then take a hot bath with your laptop nearby, cause a wave of inspiration is about to hit and every reason you've ever felt in your entire life to be a writer will appear to you all at once. So get ready.
Steve! I love this comment so much. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. (And Yes, I think a fortnight is a night you make forts in the lounge with friends. Or at least it should be)
Hi Kelly - I think you rock too. You have always been so kind and supportive to me as a writer and you were one of the first publications on Medium to publish one of my short stories and yesterday I had the most amazing news. A publisher has offered me a contract to publish my debut novel so dreams do come true! Keep up the good work and things will pick up, I’m sure. ❤️
Oh My Gosh!!! I am beyond excited for you! That news made me cry with joy (like an actual tear!) You deserve it after all your consistent work. Please let me know when it's done so I can promote it and buy it!
Thank you so much, Kelly. I am still on cloud 9 (sorry, Steve - simply means ecstatic!) to be honest and kept waking up in the night because I was so excited! I will definitely keep you posted and my lovely subscribers here on Substack too. I’m looking forward to the journey and seeing my book on the shelf in a bookstore. That will be the day my dream came true!
Rosy, I think I'mon cloud 7 where I am, so you are like two clouds over?😀 Congratulations!
Cheers, Steve. I love that even though we speak (and write) in the same language, we are still learning new words. How cool is that? 😎
I know none of that was what you asked but I had that glass of wine and a bath and a laptop nearby and I’ve
moved on from my recent Substack piece which was completely satirical but I forgot to tag it as such and most of the comments completely missed the satire. But it made me happy to write it regardless of how it was received. All that to say, Kelly you are a rock star and the most dedicated motivated writer I know.
That's so funny! Now I need to go to your comments section and have a laugh.
Kelly, I did a rewrite of the piece that’s about to go live on Medium that I hope makes it abundantly clear it’s satire. I think it’s better written too.
That’s one aspect of having a weekly newsletter that is difficult for me. My best writing requires many rewrites, and I often post essays when they could use a few more drafts, but time does not allow when I must keep to a schedule. Humbling but also illuminating.
Sigh. So much waiting. Pitching. Job hunting. So little actual writing.
... I feel like this a lot.
It's a tough job sometimes.
What stops me from quitting is that I have no choice. I’ve been writing since I was about 8 years old. It’s something that I just need to do. But the last story I enjoyed writing? That’s an excellent question. And I wonder if the answer to that will help in my never ending search for a topic or niche. I’m so sorry about your week. All the kids gone at once! I hope you enjoyed at least some of it.
I'd love to hear which story you decide on and read it! Send a link if you like.
I agree with the others, you rock, Kelly!
That's lovely. Thank you Anthony. You rock, too! Hope you're doing well.
Will commiseration be good enough? Answers are overrated anyway. And you have a wide reaching international community of writers, to help when writing life sucks, for a week or a month or even a fortnight. I'm from the US and still don't know what a fortnight is. I think it's when you get a bunch of friends to bring over blankets and pillows and sheets and tall thing-a-ma-jigs that make it all stand up fort like? Or maybe I'm thinking of the game Fortnight. I just saw the first episode of the new season of Black Mirror, so my sense of what makes community is a bit warped at the moment. The takeaway, I believe is to drink a glass of wine, listen to James Taylor's version of 'You've Got A Friend,' then take a hot bath with your laptop nearby, cause a wave of inspiration is about to hit and every reason you've ever felt in your entire life to be a writer will appear to you all at once. So get ready.
Steve! I love this comment so much. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. (And Yes, I think a fortnight is a night you make forts in the lounge with friends. Or at least it should be)
Thanks, David!