Hello dear readers,

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a writing update, and for good reason, though not one I’m thrilled with: I’ve hardly been writing at all. And while I can make all the excuses I want—like filming videos again and marking endless presentations—the fact is that I’ve just not been keeping up.

But everything that I’ve been blaming for my lack of writing is coming to an end within the next week or two, and so I’ll be facing myself head on after that. Having said this, I haven’t been doing nothing. In fact, I’ve kept up with writing in small ways, including:

• Working on my novel, albeit not as much as I’d like.
• Editing my next poetry book, which will be coming out next spring.
• Writing and recording audio over on patreon.

So while it may feel like I’m doing nothing, I’ve actually been doing quite a bit! Having said this, I do have a couple rules for myself, which will start next week, once I’m done with the heavier bit of marking for the semester. These rules are:

• Spending at least three hours each morning on writing-related activities, be it working on my novel, editing my poetry collection, or sending my completed manuscript to agents.
  • This may sound like a lot of time, but I’ll soon have very little else filling my days
• Not replying to texts or emails until I’ve done said writing.
  • A very personal choice, as this ends up with me getting distracted and prioritizing other things before my writing.
• Sending my completed manuscript to at least five agents per week.
  • I’m hesitant to say more, but truly, I would like that number to be at least ten. I think I’ll work up to that.

Really, what this entry is is a call for accountability as much as anything else. While I’m usually a relatively self-motivated person, this doesn’t seem to apply to writing—not unless I’m overly excited about what I’m working on at the moment, which doesn’t seem to be the case right now, sadly.

If you’d like, you can use this as your own call for accountability. Writing is such a solitary practice, and sometimes it’s nice to know that someone out there is supporting you through the tough bits. As such, I’d love to hear what you’re working on and where you’re at in your project, be in a novel, single poems, or even a journaling practice.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you!

—Catherine

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