My Renaissance

A rebranded identity crisis

Florence lookin’ like a Renaissance painting (The clouds!!!!). From my anniversary trip in October.

In my last newsletter, I mentioned my writing “renaissance” and the fact that I am writing something different than I have ever written before.

For some context— The first book I ever wrote was a fantasy, then I wrote a romcom (which I queried prematurely and pulled fairly quickly), then a YA romance that I shelved for ~reasons~, then I wrote a contemporary romance (which is still in the query trenches).

Let me preface this by saying, I love every single one of the books I’ve written (maybe save for that first fantasy, she was a MESS). I think the book I am currently querying is great, and I really believe in it. I also love the romance genre in general. But something that I have realized during my renaissance (re: identity crisis) is that, while I tend to find my way into stories via the romance plot, I don’t necessarily think those are always meant to be the A plot… In everything I have written, there are seeds and side plots that I could pull forward into an A plot and then make the romance the B plot.

The more I sat with this (honestly gut wrenching) realization, the more right it felt. So, that leads me to my current project— I am writing a friendship story with a romance B plot. And I am LOVING it. So far, it is very fun and funny, and I am having a blast.

Now, while this is a different genre for me, it is still very much a me story. If you’re someone who has read one of my books before (thank you, I love you), then I think you’ll see this one is still inherently me.

Without further ado, here are the vibes! (the most important part, yeah?)

I feel you should know there’s a cat named Peter

I’ve just completed the first 10,000 words, which feels like a huge accomplishment, and I’m excited to see where this story takes me.

Writing Tips and Tricks :

Imposter syndrome hits me hard whenever I think about sharing anything related to writing advice, but as I’ve been getting back into a more regular writing practice there are a couple of things that have helped me get words down when it feels like pulling teeth.

• Write by hand. I really never thought this would be me, but there’s something about putting pen to paper that really does it for me. I love how tactile it is, and seeing the pages fill is really satisfying. I won’t lie, transcribing it is kind of a pain, but for me, it’s worth it for the output. For instance, just now I got about 800 words written and transcribed in an hour, where before I had been staring at a blinking cursor on my computer screen, seconds away from giving up and online shopping instead. For this, basic is best. I’m not using my pretty notebooks for this, I want something utilitarian, like the spiral bound notebooks we used in school.

• Start with dialogue. When I’m having trouble getting into a scene, I will skip to the dialogue and write out the whole conversation, disregarding things like dialogue tags, descriptions, and internal dialogue. I stick to the words being said and nothing else. It helps me move through the scene quickly, and then I go back and fill in all the gaps. It makes it much more digestible and helps me get past that blank page.

What I’m Reading :

• The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith— I just finished this book, the second in a duology, and I loved it! I really love both of Sasha’s duologies. If you haven’t read them, I highly recommend.

• Up next will probably either be This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
  (I’ve heard great things by multiple people I know have great taste), Go Gentle (I’m so happy Maria Semple is back with a new book!), or Romantic Comedy (this has been on my shelf for a couple years, and I think it’s time to pull it down). Let me know if you’ve read any of these!

What I’m Loving/ Finding :

• Noah Kahan’s new album. Guess I need to write another angsty book! Good thing I have one coming down the pipeline after I finish my current manuscript…

• I just ordered this nail polish and nail kit. I kinda hate getting my nails done (something about another person using a nail file on me makes me want to crawl out of my skin), so I wanted to be able to keep them up myself at home. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this brand!

• I am eyeing these shorts to primarily wear around the house this summer. They’re comfy but cute enough that I could run an errand or open the door in them and not be embarrassed- ha. I love this Air Essentials line!

• There are a handful of shows I’ve really enjoyed this year, and I wanted to share because I feel like a couple of them have been under the radar.

  • The Burbs— I love Keke Palmer, and this show was funny with an entertaining mystery, and I also found it sort of cozy and comforting. I already want to rewatch it, and I JUST learned there will be a second season. I am very relieved.

  • Young Sherlock— I thought this show was excellent. I really enjoyed the different take on Sherlock Holmes and his origin. This was also renewed for season two, and I’m pumped!

  • Rooster— a new show with Steve Carrell by the creator of Ted Lasso and Shrinking (if you aren’t watching Shrinking, what are you doing?!). Loving this one!

• I made this for lunch last week, and it was delicious!

• I really need some new swimsuit cover-ups, and I am contemplating this set. It’s technically PJs, but I would honestly wear this out with sandals, swimsuit under or not.

That’s all for now! Until next time….

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