10 Great Things That Happened In My (Recent) Writing Life

In which: Maggie shares some recent victories from the writing road and gets all warm n’ fuzzy n’ sh*t.

Today, I want to focus on the Good Stuff! I can’t believe that we’re already more than halfway through August, and DEFINITELY more than halfway through 2023. This year feels like it’s flown by so quickly, and when I was walking my dog just now I saw actual dead leaves on the ground. Leaves. That fell. Like—fall. Whoaaaa.

I’m hoping this means autumn is properly on its way, because I’m definitely ready for it.

In the meantime, here are 10 great things that happened in my writing life in 2023!

Great Thing #1: I’ve written more than 100,000 words!

Since January 1st, I’ve put 105,396 words into my manuscript, 4,100 words into one short story, who knows how many words into this blog, and probably a bunch of other things I’m forgetting about right now. Simply the fact that I’m writing again — and honestly, more than I ever have — makes me feel like I’m living up to the person and author I want to be.

Great Thing #2: My YLWP program has been amazing.

I’m serious. For anyone considering the Loft’s Year-Long Writing Program, just do it. It’s completely worth the money, even though it is a hefty up-front investment (and, TBH, a large part of why I’m so broke right now). I’ve had two workshops so far, and the response to my work has been extremely encouraging and eager. But more than that, I feel like I’m learning so much from everyone else’s workshops too. Our instructor is so easy to talk to, so full of excellent knowledge and advice, and so good at leading productive conversations. I’m so glad I decided to take this plunge.

Great Thing #3: I wrote a short story all in one sitting that I’m completely obsessed with.

I haven’t done much with short stories since college, but I forgot how fun they can be to write. Because they’re, well, short, it’s totally possible to sit down with an idea and stand up with a completed draft. In particular, I wrote a short story for an anthology open call themed around “cozy horror.” It was something I’d never explored before, but I had the BEST time writing it, and just sat there giggling pretty much the entire time. It was a breath of fresh air (and hellsmoke).

Which brings me to…

Great Thing #4: I’ve received some EXTREMELY encouraging rejection letters.

I didn’t get into that anthology, but I felt so good about this story that I went ahead and submitted it to nine other outlets. So far, I’ve received 3 rejections (including a form letter from the anthology folks). The reason I consider this a “great thing” is because anything more than a form rejection means that I made it through at least one round of consideration. For one, they enjoyed the story but felt that it went on too long. For another (which was a specialty outlet where they read stories on a podcast), they said they loved it but it just had too much dialogue to be possible for their show. In that one in particular, they said, “I wish you well submitting this elsewhere and hope to see more from you in the future.“ And if that’s not encouraging as hell, I don’t know what is.

Great Thing #5: The fact that I’m submitting again in general.

I had this lofty vision for 2023 where I would write a new short story every month and be constantly, constantly submitting. Obviously that hasn’t happened (YET!!), but the fact that I’m not just writing but putting things out in the world makes me feel, yet again, like the Real Deal. (I’ll probably do a separate post on this at some point, but back in 2018 one of my professors/mentors/professional crushes wrote me an amazing email that contained a lot of negative feedback about a manuscript draft I sent her, but also put in bold text, You’re the real deal, Maggie. And that sentence lives rent-free in my head whenever I’m feeling like I can’t do this.) My point is that I genuinely feel like I’m back in the game these days, and anything I can do to feel like “a real writer” is so utterly worth the time and energy.

Great Thing #6: I found two amazing online writing communities that have done wonders for motivation and accountability.

I don’t want to share the names because I want to keep them just for myself protect my anonymity in the servers, but I found two incredible writing Discords. One is more low-key and focused on cheering each other along and talking about video games sometimes, while the other is a gung-ho balls-to-the-wall writing competition with teams and empty Internet points and Bingo and daily small writing prompts/goals/challenges. It’s a blast in there, and I’ve had so many moments where I was feeling gross about my writing or my schedule or something, and someone has piped up to say exactly the right thing to get me in gear again.

Great Thing #7: More specifically, I made a very good friend and accountabilibuddy.

I’ve mentioned her a couple times now, but my friend Cy (a shorthand to protect HER anonymity) has been an incredible friend, sounding board, and accountability partner. We’ve done a lot of writing sprints together (timed exercises where you just drop everything and churn out as many words as you can in X minutes), as well as beta-read each other’s short stories and offer suggestions for those plot bunnies that need to be yeeted into the center of the sun gently ushered into a new home. Cy, if you ever read this, you’re a kickass friend. Thank you.

Great Thing #8: I went on my first-ever writer’s retreat. (And kicked butt!)

Back in July, I went on a four-day retreat to a little cabin on a farm about an hour north of where I live. I had a rough day getting there (just lots of little travel snafus and errands) and also ended up getting pretty sick by my last day there (not the retreat’s fault, I definitely brought a friend’s stomach bug with me) — and speaking of bugs, I got BIT on the BUTT by a SPIDER (not a super venomous one but it definitely turned purple and crusty and took like an entire month to heal).

But would I do it again? You bet your spider-bit butt I would. I wrote about 14,000 words in just two days (a few hours the first night I got there, then the entire next day — I skipped my final day because I was ill and just read 3 entire books back to back). I got ACTUAL SILENCE, which is what all writers need at least once in their lives. And most importantly, I left feeling refreshed and accomplished.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that the first thing I did when I got home was book my next retreat. In mid-September, I’m spending five days at a writers’ community in the Virginia mountains, about a four-hour drive away. (I was actually pretty bummed that the first one was so close to home — I love long drives, and consider them a great way to get into the -writing zone-, especially on windy back roads through the woods.) I’ll talk more on my plans for that in a secondary post, but for now, just know that I’m excited.

Great Thing #9: I finally made one of those “positivity” “psycho with red string” “weird inspiring art” boards.

My treat to myself for breaking my June writing goal (21,000 words) was one of those giant half white board/half cork board things you see on crime procedurals. In my case, I use the white board side for small notes about my manuscript, and the cork board side partially for art I find relevant to what I’m working on. But more importantly, that corkboard side has printed out snippets of compliments people have given me about my writing, quotes from authors I love, and lines from those authors’ acknowledgements and dedications, especially the ones that make me cry.

When I was at Gen Con, I went on a specific quest to find an art piece that looked like one of my favorite characters from my current WIP. She’s up there too. It’s just really nice to glance to my right every couple of hours and have all of these concrete examples of why I do what I do. I’ve read everything up there so many times by now that I have most of them memorized. It’s the little things.

Great Thing #10: I decided I’m going to apply for my MFA again.

And finally, this is a bit of a cheat since it’s something I’m going to do, but making the decision was a huge deal in my 2023. Waaay back in 2020, I applied to grad school at the same time that everyone on earth did. I got into VCFA (a low-residency program that would have cost me $60,000), but I didn’t get into any of the fully-funded programs. I was CRUSHED. Destroyed. De-storyed (which is how I typed that at first by accident).

One of the schools, which was actually the final rejection I received, put into words that it was just a bad year to apply. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but they said something like, “In a normal year we get 120 applications for 10 spots in our program. This year we got four hundred applications, with only six spots to give.” It took me a long time to realize that it really was just a numbers game, and at the end of the day my application just wasn’t quite strong enough. (That was also in the days when my entire life was marketing and I was miserable, so, yeah.)

All that being said, after a LONG time thinking about it, talking it through with my parents, my friends, my YLWP instructor (basically anyone who would listen), I’ve decided to go for it again. Applications are due mostly between December and January, so I’m planning on deep-diving into that process starting in late September/early October. The nice thing is that even though I didn’t get in last time, I at least know what I’m doing this time around. And with all the experience and the accolades I’ve racked up in the years since, I feel like my writing is so much stronger, and my application will be so much stronger when I’m ready to send in my materials.

Ultimately what I’m trying to say here is a reminder to myself as much as it is an encouragement for others. Writing is hard, y’all. That’s just how it is. But there are always good things mixed in with the bad. So long as you’re working hard, and taking steps toward your goal (even if they’re the tiniest steps known to dogkind), you’re Doing The Thing. You’re the Real Deal.

Keep that in mind for shitty days. <3

Til next time,
Mags