Hi there! There are a ton more of us now, so I thought this might be a good time for a chat and a giveaway. (And if you found us via my piece for Jane Friedman about how this newsletter helped me find an agent and get a book deal, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.)
Now picture us all sitting in a cozy seminar room somewhere with the tables in a nice U so we can all see each other. I know lots of folks hate introductions and ice breakers, but I always like to know who I’m talking to and who I’m writing with.
I’ll go first: I’m a poet and a nonfiction writer, and I’m working on my first book of nonfiction, The Good Mother Myth, about the history of our bad ideas about what it means to be a good mom. I’m really excited about the project, and it’s also really hard work. (Do you know how many words are in prose??? Each chapter has as many words as my entire last book of poetry! So right now I’m really obsessed with book structure, and I’ll have some good posts on that coming up in the next bit.)
this is me! with chapter 3 outlined on the wall behind me
Who wants to go next? As a little incentive for checking in here, since I can’t stare meaningfully at you until you speak, I’m doing a giveaway this week. I have some great postcards and stickers with the Write More logo on them—perfect for posting at your writing space or sticking to your notebook. (They were designed by the talented Lindsay Lusby, if you’re in the market for book swag.)
***updated to note: I’m headed to the post office, so the post card giveaway is closed for now!***
To enter the giveaway, do two things: 1) write a comment below introducing yourself—what you’re working on or where you’re stuck, plus anything else you’d like to share and 2) fill out this google form with your name and mailing address.
some reminders at my desk
So what’s everyone working on? How’s the writing going?
(and if you found your way here, but you’re not subscribed, you can do that! it’s free!)
I'm Chrissy, in Wilmington, NC. I've written three novels (all currently unpublished, lol). I recently decided to return to my first love, short stories, because spending years and years on a project that no one actually gets to read is kind of depressing!!! I also write So Relatable, a newsletter about the creative process that isn't afraid to get personal. My actual job is in marketing - Writing and Content Strategy for a fintech company, which I could write a whole series of short stories about, and which might just be my next project.
Hi, I’m Bonnie, a retired grant writer in the Florida Keys. Brand new to Substack. Brand new to sharing my creative writing, and happily struggling through which story sample to upload first. I’ve given myself a Friday midnight deadline. 🤞
I'm Richard Wilkinson, a happily married grandpa in Tacoma, Washington. I'm semi-retired and teach occasionally for the MBA program at the local campus of the University of Washington. Finishing Line Press is publishing my first book of poems, Near Afar, next May. I'll be a debut poet at 73! I "discovered" Nancy at the AWP conference in Seattle in February and am already a fan of your newsletter.
I'm Sarah! I'm working on revising this one essay that is gnawing at me, and concepting a first book idea. I'm stuck on how to make time and attention for these things, especially in the summer! I would like to share that writing is fun and also HARD.
Jul 26, 2023·edited Jul 26, 2023Liked by Nancy Reddy
I'm Susan Albert from TX, currently working on the Reader's Guide to my author-published biofiction coming in Nov, Someone Always Nearby: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe and Maria Chabot. Found you through Jane Friedman. Looking forward to your posts!
Hi Nancy! I've been following your newsletter since I read your piece "The Mom in ‘Home Alone’ Is a Messy and Magnificent Model of Motherhood" in Catapult last fall. So cool to hear how your small-yet-engaged platform helped you connect with agents. Congratulations again on the book deal — and sold at auction, too!
I'm writing a memoir set in the big ol' dilapidated Victorian house where I grew up. It's about how far my family stretched themselves to achieve their version of the American Dream. For stories that don't fit neatly into my book, I publish 1x a month at https://betsymikel.substack.com/
I'm Tara from Maine. I work as a substitute librarian in the tiny satellite branch of our local public library. I'm mom to two "big kids" (18 and 21) and am providing lots of support to my elderly mom who has dementia and now lives in a memory care facility. Lately I'm writing mostly poetry, but used to do a lot more creative non-fiction/ essays. Thinking about tackling more of that soon. I'm trying to be more diligent about writing. My youngest leaves for college in a few weeks (yikes!) which will give me both more flexibility and a need to stay busy. I've never published any poetry before but I finally screwed up my courage to submit to several publications just a couple of weeks ago and am hoping to write enough that I'll have new submissions to make soon. I've also signed up for a panel discussion on publishing poetry presented by a local writing org next month. I'm at a sort of jumping-off point, a transition so whatever comes next. I don't know exactly what that looks like but I want it to include a more regular writing practice, maybe a writing group for feedback and encouragement. But I'm not sure how to find that.
I’m Jeanie from Wisconsin. I’m a retired RN living my dreamed of dream of writing and visual art. I love prose poems and am working on a sequence that is sort of a story. I don’t know if it is for children or adults! But in the best world, maybe for both. The adventure is the writing and how one word leads to to the next.
Hi Nancy, I indeed found you through the Jane Friedman article. It was encouraging! I am a current writing student pursuing a bachelors and about to start a fiction manuscript for school that is part of a series that has been ruminating in my brain for awhile. I have several published articles and write for a Christian missions organization after completing a journalism internship with them earlier this year. I also have a Substack page: https://tiffanylink.substack.com.
I’m Ashley, from Tennessee. Full time criminal defense attorney and mom of 2, currently just working on trying to write 100 words a day of fiction — any 100 words, using prompts, etc. I’m VERY rusty on any writing that isn’t a legal brief, so I appreciate being back in these spaces for encouragement and support.
Hi! Leslie from Cincinnati. Mom of two young boys, former middle/high English teacher. Currently teaching at their preschool and loving it. Writer, more specifically poet, I suppose. I love writing poems about motherhood. It helps me process, find peace, etc... with all the range of emotions of keeping two crazies alive. I’d love to be published someday. I’ve done some self-publishing, but that’s it. Ultimate goal: fiction novel(s) with poetry interspersed {think Louise Penny}. Lofty, I know. 🫣 Glad to be here. Thanks, Nancy!
Hi everyone! I’m Deb, in Haddonfield, NJ, and one of Nancy’s colleagues at Stockton U where I teach in the Literature and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality programs. I’m working on a non-fiction book called “What Choice Did She Have?” with my friend & writing partner Natasha Weston (a psychotherapist ) based on interviews & surveys with women who came of age in the first post-Roe and Title IX generation about the choices we had and didn’t and the choices we made and
what we can learn (about our own lives and about what kinds of choices all women need to have) from reflecting on that. We’re about 1/3 of the way through - it’s taken a while to find a compelling non-academic voice and structure. And time to write. 😊
Hi! I live in Madison, WI and did my MFA in poetry at UW-Madison, so I heard about Nancy from people around here, and I love the book she edited, The Long Devotion, as well as these newsletters.
I have 4 kids, the youngest was a surprise that was born during the middle of my MFA program, which was wild! She is 4 now. I am currently sending out my first poetry manuscript and working on starting a new collection. Nice to "meet" everyone!
Hi all, and thanks for creating this community around writing! I’m Emily from Akron, Ohio. I am currently working on an essay collection on voice (literal and figurative) and a campus novel. It started as a pandemic analgesic romance but has morphed into a two storyline beast satirizing the identity crisis surrounding higher ed, while also delivering a very sincere romance. That’s the goal, anyway. I hold an MFA in creative nonfiction and a love for poetry. I coach students writing their college essays, edit all types of writing with my writing partner and group, and for anyone who hires me. Hoping to get hired on the other side of the application process as an application reader this season.
Jul 26, 2023·edited Jul 26, 2023Liked by Nancy Reddy
I'm Lizzie and I found you via your piece on Jane Friedman's website. I'm writing a romantic suspense novel and the first draft is over half-way done. I live in the United Kingdom and I work part-time as a library assistant in a small local library.
I'm Sharon from Pittsburgh, PA. I had the wonderful fortune of teaching poetry to Nancy at the University of Pittsburgh many years ago. I am a poet whose most recent collection was "Life Without Furniture." I teach literature and creative writing at a private high school in the city. My first book of essays, "Millions of Suns," which explores the life of being a creative writer, is forthcoming from the University of MIchigan Press this November 2023.
Hi! I'm Amira, originally from Cambridge, MA but a long time NYC resident (but NOT a New Yorker-- as a die hard Red Sox fan/masshole, the distinction is crucial).
Thank you so much, Nancy, not only for your prompt and thoughtful replies here and on Instagram, but for your wonderful newsletter and books.
I am a high school English teacher/tutor and a mother of a 3 year old and a 10 month old. I am currently working on revising a couple of short stories (realistic fiction) that have been following me around for years and starting a few new ones, hoping to possibly turn one or more of them into the first draft of a novel.
Hello! I’m Kara, mom of three girls and part-time attorney in Iowa. I’m in the query trenches for my self-help memoir. It’s about finding belonging outside religious/social rules through communication with animal, ancestor, and star beings in the otherworld. I also create oracle decks and offer workshops/retreats. I’m a recovering pantser and looking forward to your structure insights!
I'm Sara - a film studies professor in Toronto. I'm working on revising my first scholarly monograph, and right now it's going great because I had a stellar day of working intensively, which always makes me feel good.
Hi Nancy, I'm Nina Briscoe from NY. I am a nurse disabled with chronic illness and pain. I'm writing a self-help book on how my nursing experience helped me become a better patient. My main struggle has been building my online platform. I wasn't sure about starting a newsletter while writing a book, then I saw your piece via Jane Friedman and decided to go for it. I also write flash fiction and had a poem published in an anthology.
Hi, I'm Wendy from Minnesota! I'm working on my Substack (mostly non-fiction essays), a book of poetry, and trying to finish my first novel. I also have a day job in higher education and am training for a triathlon next month so I never quite enough time to do all the things I want to do!
Hello, I’m Katie. I am a writer, singer-songwriter and show writer. I write essays and columns, mostly, and my first book was published in 2021 (The New Lawyer Companion - Essays on law, life and humanity). A long period of ill-health took me out of the creative world entirely but I am coming back, gently but surely. 😌 I am currently putting finishing touches on a website to host my work publicly, and will be starting a substack called Symphonia in August. The purpose of that substack is to have a lot of FUN (fun is the output I am prioritising for myself) within complex and otherwise difficult topics. I will also be publishing my essay/song project The Waiting Room, about the experience of medical limbo, later this year. Glad to be back in the world! 😀
Hello, all. I'm Mary Austin, working on blogging more, writing mostly about grief, and how grace shows up in so many unexpected ways. I just moved to Kalamazoo, MI, from the DC area.
I'm Heather, currently living in Phoenix, Arizona. I stepped away from writing for awhile, but I'm back and having fun exploring different ways to tap into storytelling. It's fascinating how the brain organizes and reorganizes memories to make sense of them!
Alright let’s go. I’m Jessica, from Ireland, and I live in Belgium. I keep bees and make zines and am trying to live a slower, wilder life. I write fiction and poetry, and studied how to do that in college. I try to treat every day as a new day, a fresh start. I believe in the power of gardening and letting the earth run wild. I believe that the future is fertile.
Hi Nancy--Thanks for sharing your experiences and asking us to share a bit about ourselves and what we’re up to! I’m a writer/illustrator in Madison, WI, and I’m researching an HF novel based on my family’s experiences in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during WWII and the subsequent Dutch-Indo War. Also, I’ve been trying to put the finishing touches on a children’s book manuscript, but I’m a bit stuck at the moment. So I’m switching gears to work on the thumbnail sketches to get a different perspective. Finally, I’m excited to be developing my website after several starts and stops. I’ll be attending the class “Author Platform Accelerator” today with Jane Friedman and Catherine Baab-Muguira, so perfect timing! It helps me to have 2-3 different projects going on at the same time. That way, if I get bogged down with one, I can leave it alone for a while and work on something different. Kudos to all for living the dream!
Hi! I'm Sarah Graves. I recently found you through your interview with Heidi Fiedler on Mother's Who Make. I'm also a "mother who makes." :) An English professor by day, I write both non-fiction and fiction by night. Currently, I'm working on shopping kids' picture books around to agents. (I also write middle grade, YA, and adult novels, so far unpublished). Additionally, I'm working on a non-fiction book aimed at helping the current generation navigate college.
I'm Janet, from Montana. I'm a fiction writer and educator and work full-time, ten months out of the year. I've sewn in a small but sturdy pocket of everyday time, between 5:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. to work on a Middle Grade novel (ten plus years in the making). I've made this ritual such a regular one that I'd as soon not brush my teeth as skip it! I'm currently working on a final run through my manuscript. And ready to tackle the next! I appreciate the support and camaraderie this space offers. Onward!
I'm Ruth, living in rural Vermont. I raised six children, homeschooling them through Classical Conversations--teaching others how to write well but not having time to dig in myself. Now that I am retired from that and five years of teaching Music in a Christian school I am writing a 650 word episode of a children's story I read for Children's Message regularly at church. Each episode of this allegorical fiction illustrates or references a biblical theme and we sing a memory verse song at the end. Most of these are my composition. The Tales of Walker tell the story of a boy who used to be Blind Bill now walking the King's Highway, bit by bit learning what is in the King's haversack he was given and growing in wisdom. There's a bad guy and a mission. I plant a lot of 'Easter eggs' for the adult audience, too.
Hi! I'm Emory, a writer in coastal North Carolina. I have been a journalist for ten years but finally reigniting my passion for fiction and personal essays; which is why I forced myself to make a Substack, ha! I am very new here but have enjoyed publishing my first two pieces. I'm also sharing my work on TikTok at @mymorningjournal I'm excited to connect with other writers and help each other stay passionate and content in what can sometimes be a very lonely and disheartening creative pursuit :)
I’m Leandra in Athens, GA. I do higher ed fundraising for a living. I’m mom to 2 kids but my older is in college and my younger is about to go to college so I’m trying to figure out what that’s going to be like, this empty nest. I’m working on a book -- slowly slowly slowly. It’s technically my third but I haven’t finished either of the others, so . . . I get bogged down in the “soggy middle” every time. I found you through The Long Devotion, which a friend gave to me (and that I love!)
Hi! I'm Lucy from Australia, lawyer and mum of a 1 year old. I found you through "Coffee and Crumbs" a few weeks back, and only discovered the Jane Friedman article through this post, but just read it and very much connected with the idea of a newsletter with a niche topic and a long runway - I have just begun mine, "Walking Mothers", where I intended to publish monthly (thinking that would be the most likely to be sustainable for me), but my mind is already brimming with ideas of books and other ideas content I could write about, so I may just have to increase the frequency! My other big project is a walking memoir, about my year on maternity leave.
I’m working on a Q&A for Nancy on caregiving and creativity! I write a Friday newsletter called Unpacking where I unpack the human experience. Friday’s post will be how I approach slow(er) living.
I am also working on my podcast, which launched in May. It’s called Real Mother Fuckers, and my co-host and I explore the many realities of motherhood. You can find us on every podcast platform (except on substack).
Hello all- My name's Christa. I'm a nonfiction writer and a poet. I currently have lots of poems and a chapbook on submission. I'm working on finishing my first poetry collection. I live in Florida and my favorite food is guacamole 🥑
I’m Valerie and I’m a mental health counselor who works with children and teens. Right now I’m working on writing more consistently. I struggle with knowing what to write.
Hi, I'm Dana. I'm working on revising a Contemporary Romance Novel. Unfortunately, that's all I seem to be doing. I have no idea if it's ready to be submitted to an editor for publication. I intend to keep working on it until I know.
I'm Caroline, a New Yorker living in San Francisco, where I codirect Sustainable Arts Foundation (through which I first got to know Nancy's work!). After years of editing other people's writing and writing mostly short essays, I'm working on my first book-length collection of essays and somewhat daunted by grappling with a longer project. I'm grateful for the prompts, interviews, & inspiration here!
Hi everyone! I'm Wendy, a mother, wife, writer, and former teacher in Los Angeles. I write a weekly blog at www.wendykennar.com where I focus on books, boys, and bodies (living with an invisible disability). You can also find me on Instagram @wendykennar. I am currently at work on a memoir-in-essays.
Hello! Dorothy Fleming here dragging myself over the finish line of my memoir THIRST. Need the motivation to stop trying to make it perfect. I have set a deadline of September for letting go. I am happily married and living in Boston.
Wow! Big thx, Patricia! Looking forward to being here on Substack--lots of good stuff happening here. What I really like: being behind a paywall, beyond the (easy) reach of trolls. Haven't gotten into it yet, but it looks like writers/readers can have a serious conversation here.
I'm a senior writer who finally decided to finish that novel from 30 years ago. Currently with an editor who may or may not publish. But at least, the damn thing is done! Until the next round of rewrites/edits. Now working on a novel started during NaNoWriMo. It's in very rough shape and needs a lot of work.
Thank you for the invitation to share and connect. My name is Lonny Cain from Ottawa, Ill. I am a retired managing editor of the Ottawa paper (30 years) but I still write a weekly column and contribute commentaries to a nearby local NPR radio station. I am working on a narrative nonfiction book on Molly Zelko, a newspaper editor who vanished in 1957 in Joliet, Ill. I have evidence to suggest she was buried in an open ditch where a sewer line was being installed at the time. So besides researching and writing I am also trying to convince public officials that a body might be buried under a city street. I'm struggling with a very complicated and challenging story arc that not only involves Molly's mystery but also myself and a fellow reporter and how we found an eye witness to the burial in 1978.
Hi. I'm Mark, from Texas. I am trying to get some kind of writing routine going during my dwindling summer break from teaching, trying to get back to writing a few drafts of poems a month and then revising some past poems.
I'm Toniann. I love outside of New York City. I am currently working on a collection of poetry (which is posted on my Substack) and a collection of short stories. I have found it very difficult to write lately. Everyone is home for the summer and it has disrupted my routine. But I am slowly get back in the groove.
Hi Nancy! Thanks so much for this. I've been loving your newsletters. Process! Prompts! The former is one of my very favorite topics, and I'm grateful that you're so generous about yours. Re the latter: prompts often don't feel super helpful to me, but the ones you share are inspiring. I'm a poet and work very much poem-by-poem, though I feel regular longing to be more "project-y"--however, that doesn't seem to be who I am as a writer, at least not at the moment. So I'm working on... poems. I'm not sure they'll ever be a manuscript or a book (when do we ever know for certain about this, though? I guess when the book is out in the world...). I spent at least a year after my 2nd book came out writing pieces that not even the kindest person in the world would call poems... so, now, it is a relief to be (at least sometimes) making work that pleases me again. Oh, and I live in upstate NY, in the mountains.
I am Lenny Cavallaro, classical pianist and composer, and also a novelist. Having recently completed a series with some rather "extreme" scenes (THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI -- with hardcore sadomasochism and other kinks), I am now attempting a relatively expurgated version, in which I attempt to gloss over those portions. The S/M and kink are still there, but they will be nowhere nearly as explicit. // I am also sketching another novel altogether, while dealing with revisions of a musical manuscript (variations for violin and piano).
Hi, I’m Marlena Maduro Baraf. I found you, Nancy, several years back when you were devoting your newsletter to writing poetry. I’m a poet, essayist, and author of the memoir “At the Narrow Waist of the World,” a coming of age, lyrical story set in Panama (and the US) I’ve been writing the newsletter Breathing in Spanish now on Substack featuring intimate conversations with Latinos and immigrants of different backgrounds. I’m devoted to the idea that diversity matters. I am also working on a poetry manuscript.
Hello! I'm Erin from Dayton OH! I'm a big fan of Nancy's and so impressed with this community she's grown! I have a novel coming out next month and am feeling my way into a new idea. There have been a lot of starts and stops, but I'm hopeful I'll get there soon!
Hi everyone. Great intro, Nancy. I'm Roselyn Teukolsky, writer of mysteries and thrillers, former high school teacher of math and computer science. I've written 7 novels in 13 years, and may finally have found a publisher for my last two: A Reluctant Spy and The Fourth Woman. Keeping my fingers crossed and doing what all of we writers do: Waiting [for Godot?]
I love a good intro!
I'm Chrissy, in Wilmington, NC. I've written three novels (all currently unpublished, lol). I recently decided to return to my first love, short stories, because spending years and years on a project that no one actually gets to read is kind of depressing!!! I also write So Relatable, a newsletter about the creative process that isn't afraid to get personal. My actual job is in marketing - Writing and Content Strategy for a fintech company, which I could write a whole series of short stories about, and which might just be my next project.
Hi, I’m Bonnie, a retired grant writer in the Florida Keys. Brand new to Substack. Brand new to sharing my creative writing, and happily struggling through which story sample to upload first. I’ve given myself a Friday midnight deadline. 🤞
I'm Richard Wilkinson, a happily married grandpa in Tacoma, Washington. I'm semi-retired and teach occasionally for the MBA program at the local campus of the University of Washington. Finishing Line Press is publishing my first book of poems, Near Afar, next May. I'll be a debut poet at 73! I "discovered" Nancy at the AWP conference in Seattle in February and am already a fan of your newsletter.
I'm Sarah! I'm working on revising this one essay that is gnawing at me, and concepting a first book idea. I'm stuck on how to make time and attention for these things, especially in the summer! I would like to share that writing is fun and also HARD.
I'm Susan Albert from TX, currently working on the Reader's Guide to my author-published biofiction coming in Nov, Someone Always Nearby: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe and Maria Chabot. Found you through Jane Friedman. Looking forward to your posts!
Hi Nancy! I've been following your newsletter since I read your piece "The Mom in ‘Home Alone’ Is a Messy and Magnificent Model of Motherhood" in Catapult last fall. So cool to hear how your small-yet-engaged platform helped you connect with agents. Congratulations again on the book deal — and sold at auction, too!
I'm writing a memoir set in the big ol' dilapidated Victorian house where I grew up. It's about how far my family stretched themselves to achieve their version of the American Dream. For stories that don't fit neatly into my book, I publish 1x a month at https://betsymikel.substack.com/
I'm Tara from Maine. I work as a substitute librarian in the tiny satellite branch of our local public library. I'm mom to two "big kids" (18 and 21) and am providing lots of support to my elderly mom who has dementia and now lives in a memory care facility. Lately I'm writing mostly poetry, but used to do a lot more creative non-fiction/ essays. Thinking about tackling more of that soon. I'm trying to be more diligent about writing. My youngest leaves for college in a few weeks (yikes!) which will give me both more flexibility and a need to stay busy. I've never published any poetry before but I finally screwed up my courage to submit to several publications just a couple of weeks ago and am hoping to write enough that I'll have new submissions to make soon. I've also signed up for a panel discussion on publishing poetry presented by a local writing org next month. I'm at a sort of jumping-off point, a transition so whatever comes next. I don't know exactly what that looks like but I want it to include a more regular writing practice, maybe a writing group for feedback and encouragement. But I'm not sure how to find that.
I’m Jeanie from Wisconsin. I’m a retired RN living my dreamed of dream of writing and visual art. I love prose poems and am working on a sequence that is sort of a story. I don’t know if it is for children or adults! But in the best world, maybe for both. The adventure is the writing and how one word leads to to the next.
Hi Nancy, I indeed found you through the Jane Friedman article. It was encouraging! I am a current writing student pursuing a bachelors and about to start a fiction manuscript for school that is part of a series that has been ruminating in my brain for awhile. I have several published articles and write for a Christian missions organization after completing a journalism internship with them earlier this year. I also have a Substack page: https://tiffanylink.substack.com.
I’m Ashley, from Tennessee. Full time criminal defense attorney and mom of 2, currently just working on trying to write 100 words a day of fiction — any 100 words, using prompts, etc. I’m VERY rusty on any writing that isn’t a legal brief, so I appreciate being back in these spaces for encouragement and support.
Kristianne in Seattle, working on a collection of essays about myth and memory and how we’re trained to be women.
Hi! Leslie from Cincinnati. Mom of two young boys, former middle/high English teacher. Currently teaching at their preschool and loving it. Writer, more specifically poet, I suppose. I love writing poems about motherhood. It helps me process, find peace, etc... with all the range of emotions of keeping two crazies alive. I’d love to be published someday. I’ve done some self-publishing, but that’s it. Ultimate goal: fiction novel(s) with poetry interspersed {think Louise Penny}. Lofty, I know. 🫣 Glad to be here. Thanks, Nancy!
Hi everyone! I’m Deb, in Haddonfield, NJ, and one of Nancy’s colleagues at Stockton U where I teach in the Literature and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality programs. I’m working on a non-fiction book called “What Choice Did She Have?” with my friend & writing partner Natasha Weston (a psychotherapist ) based on interviews & surveys with women who came of age in the first post-Roe and Title IX generation about the choices we had and didn’t and the choices we made and
what we can learn (about our own lives and about what kinds of choices all women need to have) from reflecting on that. We’re about 1/3 of the way through - it’s taken a while to find a compelling non-academic voice and structure. And time to write. 😊
Hi! I live in Madison, WI and did my MFA in poetry at UW-Madison, so I heard about Nancy from people around here, and I love the book she edited, The Long Devotion, as well as these newsletters.
I have 4 kids, the youngest was a surprise that was born during the middle of my MFA program, which was wild! She is 4 now. I am currently sending out my first poetry manuscript and working on starting a new collection. Nice to "meet" everyone!
Hi all, and thanks for creating this community around writing! I’m Emily from Akron, Ohio. I am currently working on an essay collection on voice (literal and figurative) and a campus novel. It started as a pandemic analgesic romance but has morphed into a two storyline beast satirizing the identity crisis surrounding higher ed, while also delivering a very sincere romance. That’s the goal, anyway. I hold an MFA in creative nonfiction and a love for poetry. I coach students writing their college essays, edit all types of writing with my writing partner and group, and for anyone who hires me. Hoping to get hired on the other side of the application process as an application reader this season.
I'm Lizzie and I found you via your piece on Jane Friedman's website. I'm writing a romantic suspense novel and the first draft is over half-way done. I live in the United Kingdom and I work part-time as a library assistant in a small local library.
I'm Sharon from Pittsburgh, PA. I had the wonderful fortune of teaching poetry to Nancy at the University of Pittsburgh many years ago. I am a poet whose most recent collection was "Life Without Furniture." I teach literature and creative writing at a private high school in the city. My first book of essays, "Millions of Suns," which explores the life of being a creative writer, is forthcoming from the University of MIchigan Press this November 2023.
Hi! I'm Amira, originally from Cambridge, MA but a long time NYC resident (but NOT a New Yorker-- as a die hard Red Sox fan/masshole, the distinction is crucial).
Thank you so much, Nancy, not only for your prompt and thoughtful replies here and on Instagram, but for your wonderful newsletter and books.
I am a high school English teacher/tutor and a mother of a 3 year old and a 10 month old. I am currently working on revising a couple of short stories (realistic fiction) that have been following me around for years and starting a few new ones, hoping to possibly turn one or more of them into the first draft of a novel.
Hello! I’m Kara, mom of three girls and part-time attorney in Iowa. I’m in the query trenches for my self-help memoir. It’s about finding belonging outside religious/social rules through communication with animal, ancestor, and star beings in the otherworld. I also create oracle decks and offer workshops/retreats. I’m a recovering pantser and looking forward to your structure insights!
I'm Sara - a film studies professor in Toronto. I'm working on revising my first scholarly monograph, and right now it's going great because I had a stellar day of working intensively, which always makes me feel good.
Hi Nancy, I'm Nina Briscoe from NY. I am a nurse disabled with chronic illness and pain. I'm writing a self-help book on how my nursing experience helped me become a better patient. My main struggle has been building my online platform. I wasn't sure about starting a newsletter while writing a book, then I saw your piece via Jane Friedman and decided to go for it. I also write flash fiction and had a poem published in an anthology.
Hi, I'm Wendy from Minnesota! I'm working on my Substack (mostly non-fiction essays), a book of poetry, and trying to finish my first novel. I also have a day job in higher education and am training for a triathlon next month so I never quite enough time to do all the things I want to do!
Hello, I’m Katie. I am a writer, singer-songwriter and show writer. I write essays and columns, mostly, and my first book was published in 2021 (The New Lawyer Companion - Essays on law, life and humanity). A long period of ill-health took me out of the creative world entirely but I am coming back, gently but surely. 😌 I am currently putting finishing touches on a website to host my work publicly, and will be starting a substack called Symphonia in August. The purpose of that substack is to have a lot of FUN (fun is the output I am prioritising for myself) within complex and otherwise difficult topics. I will also be publishing my essay/song project The Waiting Room, about the experience of medical limbo, later this year. Glad to be back in the world! 😀
Hello, all. I'm Mary Austin, working on blogging more, writing mostly about grief, and how grace shows up in so many unexpected ways. I just moved to Kalamazoo, MI, from the DC area.
I'm Heather, currently living in Phoenix, Arizona. I stepped away from writing for awhile, but I'm back and having fun exploring different ways to tap into storytelling. It's fascinating how the brain organizes and reorganizes memories to make sense of them!
Alright let’s go. I’m Jessica, from Ireland, and I live in Belgium. I keep bees and make zines and am trying to live a slower, wilder life. I write fiction and poetry, and studied how to do that in college. I try to treat every day as a new day, a fresh start. I believe in the power of gardening and letting the earth run wild. I believe that the future is fertile.
Hi Nancy--Thanks for sharing your experiences and asking us to share a bit about ourselves and what we’re up to! I’m a writer/illustrator in Madison, WI, and I’m researching an HF novel based on my family’s experiences in the former Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during WWII and the subsequent Dutch-Indo War. Also, I’ve been trying to put the finishing touches on a children’s book manuscript, but I’m a bit stuck at the moment. So I’m switching gears to work on the thumbnail sketches to get a different perspective. Finally, I’m excited to be developing my website after several starts and stops. I’ll be attending the class “Author Platform Accelerator” today with Jane Friedman and Catherine Baab-Muguira, so perfect timing! It helps me to have 2-3 different projects going on at the same time. That way, if I get bogged down with one, I can leave it alone for a while and work on something different. Kudos to all for living the dream!
Hi! I'm Sarah Graves. I recently found you through your interview with Heidi Fiedler on Mother's Who Make. I'm also a "mother who makes." :) An English professor by day, I write both non-fiction and fiction by night. Currently, I'm working on shopping kids' picture books around to agents. (I also write middle grade, YA, and adult novels, so far unpublished). Additionally, I'm working on a non-fiction book aimed at helping the current generation navigate college.
I'm Janet, from Montana. I'm a fiction writer and educator and work full-time, ten months out of the year. I've sewn in a small but sturdy pocket of everyday time, between 5:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. to work on a Middle Grade novel (ten plus years in the making). I've made this ritual such a regular one that I'd as soon not brush my teeth as skip it! I'm currently working on a final run through my manuscript. And ready to tackle the next! I appreciate the support and camaraderie this space offers. Onward!
I'm Ruth, living in rural Vermont. I raised six children, homeschooling them through Classical Conversations--teaching others how to write well but not having time to dig in myself. Now that I am retired from that and five years of teaching Music in a Christian school I am writing a 650 word episode of a children's story I read for Children's Message regularly at church. Each episode of this allegorical fiction illustrates or references a biblical theme and we sing a memory verse song at the end. Most of these are my composition. The Tales of Walker tell the story of a boy who used to be Blind Bill now walking the King's Highway, bit by bit learning what is in the King's haversack he was given and growing in wisdom. There's a bad guy and a mission. I plant a lot of 'Easter eggs' for the adult audience, too.
Hi! I'm Emory, a writer in coastal North Carolina. I have been a journalist for ten years but finally reigniting my passion for fiction and personal essays; which is why I forced myself to make a Substack, ha! I am very new here but have enjoyed publishing my first two pieces. I'm also sharing my work on TikTok at @mymorningjournal I'm excited to connect with other writers and help each other stay passionate and content in what can sometimes be a very lonely and disheartening creative pursuit :)
I’m Leandra in Athens, GA. I do higher ed fundraising for a living. I’m mom to 2 kids but my older is in college and my younger is about to go to college so I’m trying to figure out what that’s going to be like, this empty nest. I’m working on a book -- slowly slowly slowly. It’s technically my third but I haven’t finished either of the others, so . . . I get bogged down in the “soggy middle” every time. I found you through The Long Devotion, which a friend gave to me (and that I love!)
Hi! I'm Lucy from Australia, lawyer and mum of a 1 year old. I found you through "Coffee and Crumbs" a few weeks back, and only discovered the Jane Friedman article through this post, but just read it and very much connected with the idea of a newsletter with a niche topic and a long runway - I have just begun mine, "Walking Mothers", where I intended to publish monthly (thinking that would be the most likely to be sustainable for me), but my mind is already brimming with ideas of books and other ideas content I could write about, so I may just have to increase the frequency! My other big project is a walking memoir, about my year on maternity leave.
I’m working on a Q&A for Nancy on caregiving and creativity! I write a Friday newsletter called Unpacking where I unpack the human experience. Friday’s post will be how I approach slow(er) living.
I am also working on my podcast, which launched in May. It’s called Real Mother Fuckers, and my co-host and I explore the many realities of motherhood. You can find us on every podcast platform (except on substack).
Hello all- My name's Christa. I'm a nonfiction writer and a poet. I currently have lots of poems and a chapbook on submission. I'm working on finishing my first poetry collection. I live in Florida and my favorite food is guacamole 🥑
I’m Valerie and I’m a mental health counselor who works with children and teens. Right now I’m working on writing more consistently. I struggle with knowing what to write.
Hi, I'm Dana. I'm working on revising a Contemporary Romance Novel. Unfortunately, that's all I seem to be doing. I have no idea if it's ready to be submitted to an editor for publication. I intend to keep working on it until I know.
I'm Caroline, a New Yorker living in San Francisco, where I codirect Sustainable Arts Foundation (through which I first got to know Nancy's work!). After years of editing other people's writing and writing mostly short essays, I'm working on my first book-length collection of essays and somewhat daunted by grappling with a longer project. I'm grateful for the prompts, interviews, & inspiration here!
Hi everyone! I'm Wendy, a mother, wife, writer, and former teacher in Los Angeles. I write a weekly blog at www.wendykennar.com where I focus on books, boys, and bodies (living with an invisible disability). You can also find me on Instagram @wendykennar. I am currently at work on a memoir-in-essays.
Hello! Dorothy Fleming here dragging myself over the finish line of my memoir THIRST. Need the motivation to stop trying to make it perfect. I have set a deadline of September for letting go. I am happily married and living in Boston.
Wow! Big thx, Patricia! Looking forward to being here on Substack--lots of good stuff happening here. What I really like: being behind a paywall, beyond the (easy) reach of trolls. Haven't gotten into it yet, but it looks like writers/readers can have a serious conversation here.
I'm a senior writer who finally decided to finish that novel from 30 years ago. Currently with an editor who may or may not publish. But at least, the damn thing is done! Until the next round of rewrites/edits. Now working on a novel started during NaNoWriMo. It's in very rough shape and needs a lot of work.
Thank you for the invitation to share and connect. My name is Lonny Cain from Ottawa, Ill. I am a retired managing editor of the Ottawa paper (30 years) but I still write a weekly column and contribute commentaries to a nearby local NPR radio station. I am working on a narrative nonfiction book on Molly Zelko, a newspaper editor who vanished in 1957 in Joliet, Ill. I have evidence to suggest she was buried in an open ditch where a sewer line was being installed at the time. So besides researching and writing I am also trying to convince public officials that a body might be buried under a city street. I'm struggling with a very complicated and challenging story arc that not only involves Molly's mystery but also myself and a fellow reporter and how we found an eye witness to the burial in 1978.
Hi. I'm Mark, from Texas. I am trying to get some kind of writing routine going during my dwindling summer break from teaching, trying to get back to writing a few drafts of poems a month and then revising some past poems.
I'm Toniann. I love outside of New York City. I am currently working on a collection of poetry (which is posted on my Substack) and a collection of short stories. I have found it very difficult to write lately. Everyone is home for the summer and it has disrupted my routine. But I am slowly get back in the groove.
Hi Nancy! Thanks so much for this. I've been loving your newsletters. Process! Prompts! The former is one of my very favorite topics, and I'm grateful that you're so generous about yours. Re the latter: prompts often don't feel super helpful to me, but the ones you share are inspiring. I'm a poet and work very much poem-by-poem, though I feel regular longing to be more "project-y"--however, that doesn't seem to be who I am as a writer, at least not at the moment. So I'm working on... poems. I'm not sure they'll ever be a manuscript or a book (when do we ever know for certain about this, though? I guess when the book is out in the world...). I spent at least a year after my 2nd book came out writing pieces that not even the kindest person in the world would call poems... so, now, it is a relief to be (at least sometimes) making work that pleases me again. Oh, and I live in upstate NY, in the mountains.
I am Lenny Cavallaro, classical pianist and composer, and also a novelist. Having recently completed a series with some rather "extreme" scenes (THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI -- with hardcore sadomasochism and other kinks), I am now attempting a relatively expurgated version, in which I attempt to gloss over those portions. The S/M and kink are still there, but they will be nowhere nearly as explicit. // I am also sketching another novel altogether, while dealing with revisions of a musical manuscript (variations for violin and piano).
Hi, I’m Marlena Maduro Baraf. I found you, Nancy, several years back when you were devoting your newsletter to writing poetry. I’m a poet, essayist, and author of the memoir “At the Narrow Waist of the World,” a coming of age, lyrical story set in Panama (and the US) I’ve been writing the newsletter Breathing in Spanish now on Substack featuring intimate conversations with Latinos and immigrants of different backgrounds. I’m devoted to the idea that diversity matters. I am also working on a poetry manuscript.
Hello! I'm Erin from Dayton OH! I'm a big fan of Nancy's and so impressed with this community she's grown! I have a novel coming out next month and am feeling my way into a new idea. There have been a lot of starts and stops, but I'm hopeful I'll get there soon!
Hi everyone. Great intro, Nancy. I'm Roselyn Teukolsky, writer of mysteries and thrillers, former high school teacher of math and computer science. I've written 7 novels in 13 years, and may finally have found a publisher for my last two: A Reluctant Spy and The Fourth Woman. Keeping my fingers crossed and doing what all of we writers do: Waiting [for Godot?]