When I returned to social media, I thought it’d be with news about my book or our new doc. That can wait.
I am officially back on the apps because we took a day off and binged Ahsoka Ep1-5 and it’s perfect and I need to talk to other Dave Filoni devotees about these FEELINGS.
This evening’s walk was gorgeous—creambrush, ribbon grass, showy goldenrod, and rose spirea (and a chonky bee friend).
ALT
An evening visitor to our meadow.
ALT
Ending my day here.
AAH!! My literary novel, The Ashes, got funded! Proof that grant writing isn’t as useless as it feels when you’re in the midst of it!
Now it’s time to finish up the third draft of my dragon novel and hand it over to a trusted few so I can dive into the rewrite of my early oo’s-set family drama examining neurodivergence, dx bias, queer community, religious trauma, punk music, and first loves.
I’m excited! Terrified! Ready to dive into old wounds, excavate them, and fashion them into fiction for public consumption! Some of you Tumblrinos read the first round over a decade ago, before I knew I was autistic. My MC’s terror at the prospect of socializing may’ve been a giveaway, but honestly, there are at least half a dozen neurodivergent characters in that book and I’m excited to rewrite it with more intention. Also. Ready to get into some religious trauma that I only dealt with in the vaguest ways. I wasn’t ready to tackle certain things when I wrote it. I’ve been mapping my way back into the story for years, and this grant will give me the time to fully revisit, rewrite, and let’s be honest, retraumatize myself (a tiny bit! in a good way!) so I can finally get Chloe, Anne, Arnold, and Nishan out into the world.
I’ll be coming off my newsletter hiatus as soon as I finish the third draft of my dragon novel (hopefully within the week.) This is a summer full of project announcements, so much more soon!
Cinder was a vital part of yesterday’s preproduction meeting.
© Bruce Pennington
It’s 17F tonight and our space heaters can’t keep up with the cold. I’m baking citrus madeleines and the oven being on is helping raise the temp. We can’t leave it on all night obviously, but it’s a delicious temporary solution.
ALTTaking my work reading on a walk in the woods around the lake.
ALTBack in the novel today and Cinder makes an excellent work desk. She’s mostly snoozing or making biscuits on my foot, but I have to admit, when she flops over and lets me pet her belly, I’m not getting anything else done.
ALTI had to take a break from the novel for a few work meetings yesterday. I have to say—I love working with other artists to design websites and art that articulate their aesthetic. I’m getting my head back into writing mode, but wow—I’m excited at the projects lined up for 2023.
Now back to the book—14 days of finishmybookcation left!
ALT
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Writing day with The Claire. I made lemon madeleines (new recipe!) and brewed a couple pots of tea and, time spent on the Seahawks notwithstanding, we’ve had a pretty good day in our respective stories.
I added +8300 words to the novel this last week and there are 2.5 weeks of ‘finishmybookcation’ left. I’m going for it.
I haven’t been in my novel for six weeks. Work deadlines, COVID, and barely recovering by the holidays scrapped the December deadline I’d set for myself.
On the last day of 2022, I got back to it. I’m celebrating the 486 words I just added (after deleting and reorganizing a lot as I reoriented myself to where I’d been late November). I have all January off to work on it, and I’m going to make it count. I don’t know if I should set a new deadline—I’m still reeling from how thrown off the end of autumn was. For now, I’m just going to focus on moving forward, and being grateful I’m moving at all.
My latest newsletter explores I’m reading in fiction, poetry, and craft books, what Vasant and I have been watching in film and TV, links to my latest essay, and what’s been on my mind the last month with all that’s gone on with COVID, Christmas, and approaching the end of the year with adjusted expectations.
https://sarahsalcedo.substack.com/p/telling-ourselves-stories
Presents are wrapped, everything’s baked, family’s gathered for Christmas Eve celebration, and White Christmas is on (and we didn’t lose power the other day!)
Merry Christmas to all who’re celebrating this weekend. I hope you’re all warm and safe and know that you’re loved.
I spent most of my birthday prepping for the ice storm that’s on its way. It was not at all how I wanted to spend today—I wanted to write and read and take a walk. But I checked off everything on my storm prep check list, my family helped and ran errands with me, and as we raced around, I felt loved and supported.
After the checklist was complete, and everyone was warm and safe—my family and I had a tiny party. Vasant made his amazing linzer cookies, I introduced my parents to Mythic Quest, and everyone took turns making me cry (in a good way) with words of love. Overall, it was a strange, but wonderful way to start the year.
ALT