My 2025 writing adventure so far

My schedule has always been bonkers. Most of the time, I like it that way. But I turn moody when I don't get to write for a couple hours each day. Within the last year, that moodiness escalated like a can of bug spray left in the sun for too long. By fall 2024, the bottle exploded.

So, in efforts to avoid sacrificing time with friends, family, and my health, I cut down my working hours to a part-time job. I worked the front desk at the local community centre so I could write throughout the rest of the day.

Then we entered 2025. Here's how the first half of the year went:

January - Wrote like a feral animal. Seriously, it was an out-of-body experience and I'm still convinced I was possessed the whole time. Finished my second draft of N-F-ELLE. I grew desperate to query, but my manuscript was even more desperate for adjustments.

February - Edited lots, and edited some more.

March - Heard about RevPit, a contest where you submit your entire manuscript for a chance to win a free developmental edit from a professional editor. Before submissions were due, I wrote a new draft. Submitted the story. Was nauseous for days. My mind cycled endlessly through the scenes, characters, settings, plot twists I should have written better before submitting. Results from the contest wouldn't be announced until a month later, on April 14. During my struggle to stay level headed, I ate up every piece of advice the editors from the contest posted online, and made new online writing friends I met through the RevPit community.

A few days after submitting, as I walked along a trail beside the river, I thought about potentially returning to my professional roots in the sports media world, admittedly to distract myself from the stress of RevPit. I loved my part-time job at the community centre, more than any job I'd had before actually, but working part-time allowed too much time for my mind to spiral. Lo and behold, on that walk, possibly minutes after the thought of sports media crossed my mind, I received a LinkedIn notification from an executive producer. He asked if I wanted to join a production team full-time as a subject matter expert in women's sports for a documentary.

April - After careful thought, I decided to take the job with the documentary, the contract running until August 31. My first day landed on April 14 -- the same day RevPit winners were announced.

April 14 came around. I kept my phone off all day so I could focus on my first day at my new job. When I turned my phone on at five o'clock, I saw I got runner-up! The editor who chose my manuscript generously provided lots of feedback that inspired me as I embarked on the daunting quest of completing what I hoped was my final draft.

That month, I also began a local writing group that, to this day, meets at a cafe every Friday afternoon. We call ourselves the Whimsy Seekers and they have saved me from spiralling into a self-deprecating pit of despair. Anyone who tells you writing community is important is SO RIGHT.

May - Wrote the new draft of N-F-ELLE.

June - At the start of June, I gave my shiny, new manuscript to multiple critique partners and beta readers.

Then my schedule accidentally turned bonkers again. I started working extra shifts at the community centre, and would have to continue doing that through the summer. If I didn't, they had to hire an additional employee and I wouldn't be guaranteed the number of hours I wanted when my full-time contract with the documentary ended in August. Between the film and the community centre, I logged over seventy-five hours a week. My competitive soccer season was also underway, with an unexpectedly busy season of up to three matches every seven days, with weekly practices on top of that. I resented myself for having an even fuller schedule than what I had been so desperate to escape in the fall.

For most of the month I didn't write because, unless I sacrificed sleep, I didn't have the time, or frankly, the energy. And trust me, I can make time out of nothing. I wrote a novel on my phone while sitting on the toilet during bathroom breaks one summer while working at overnight camp.

Through June, not being able to write daily drove me wild. My mental health hit a low. Part of my soul shut down, I had severe brain fog, and I failed to provide the support I wanted to give others in my life.

At the end of June, my readers and CPs provided me with a ton of amazing feedback, giving me a boost of energy heading into July.

July - I'm currently doing everything I can to master my mindset without relying on writing. Mostly romanticizing little moments throughout the day. I'll probably look back at this month and cackle at how much I'm lying to myself -- because let's be honest, I sometimes cry out of nowhere -- but for now, let me believe I'm in a way better place than I was in June. The big news is that I've sent a couple queries out (and started this website because people say querying writers should have an author site?) In a way, it's good to have a busy life outside of writing, because it serves as a distraction from the emotional toll of querying. Maybe a busy life is good... sometimes.