Oohs and Aahs for 4.11.25

How to find your stopping point before summer 😎

When I was in school, I was never the girl flipping through flashcards, trying to cram one last smidge of knowledge into my brain before the test started. I knew when I understood the material, and I stopped studying when I reached that point. Pacing myself, having a feel for when a project is done, and knowing how to bring my work to a stopping point are still strengths that serve me well.

There are ten weeks until my son is out of school and then I’ll mostly be in mom mode. I’ll still be booking manuscript critiques and coaching sessions. I might do a little writing in the cracks of my days. But I’ll be sharing less online, so you won’t see me on Instagram or Substack as much, and I’ll need to be choosier about how I spend my time. Instead of working until the last second or rushing to fit every single idea into the next ten weeks, I’m…

Making a Plan

I’m looking at my list of ideas and seeing what still feels fresh. I’ve been writing rough drafts and reading through them to refresh my memory on what’s close to being finished and what’s not anywhere close to being done. I’m figuring out which essays I still want to pitch. As I get closer to the summer, I’ll figure out which projects I can finish up or send off to my agent.

Adding a Little Buffer

At this point, I know a lot of writers would not just plan what they want to focus on. They would Make a Very Official Plan detailing how they will finish each project. That might mean committing to 500 words a day or getting up at 5:00 to write before everyone wakes up. If that works for you, enjoy. But if your life looks like my life, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure if you start getting too ambitious and strict with your schedule. Instead, this is the time to add a little buffer into your plan. Assume that you won’t write every day. Plan to take breaks for illness or maybe even for good weather! Allow for the possibility that you might not finish everything before summer, but you can still make progress. I’m making a long list of things I want to work on, and then I’m going to choose one or two to really focus on in a way that feels fun, not overwhelming.

Getting Feedback
I’ve been sending some of my rough drafts to trusted writer friends. Even a quick “this is really promising” can be enough to help me keep going, and I can get confirmation on whether a manuscript feels done enough to send to my agent. When I get stuck, I love being able to talk it through with someone. I make so much more progress that way and that builds momentum and motivation.

If you want to be intentional and thoughtful about your work this summer, or maybe you’re feeling a little lost, I hope you’ll take a moment to make some notes, prioritize, give yourself a little buffer time, get some feedback, and make a plan. 💛

Not sure if your manuscript is ready to send to your agent? I’m here to help!

“Wow! You have surprised and delighted me. I am truly thankful for your time, effort, thoughts, and suggestions. In addition, your subtle emotional support is real and has me fired up to move forward. Overall an excellent experience.”
—Critique client

🎁 Your Favorites?

I’m working on the Nebula Notebook Mother’s Day Gift Guide, and I would love your help.

• What do you have your eye on lately? (A bag…jewelry…art supplies?)

• Do you have any elevated basics that are bringing you joy? (A new favorite tea…a fancy scrunchie…a stylish bookmark?)

• Are there any creative hobbies you’ve been wanting to try and would appreciate a kit or supplies for?

Hit reply to share your favorites or drop them in the comments! I’m sending out the guide on Sunday, so keep your eye on your inbox if you need some inspo or a treat.

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🥳Celebrating A Substack Milestone

I wish I could tell you I’m too cool to care about obscure honors like being #37 rising in parenting (whatever that means!), but I gasped when I saw my name on the Substack leaderboards. It felt like an encouraging sign from the universe. I’m in good company with several writers in the Nebula Notebook community like

Jeannie Ewing

,

Elizabeth

,

Emma Del Rey

, and

Child + Line

, and there are many other writers I admire on the list too.

The conversation on Substack is really juicy and inspiring. (I even wrote a post called Why Are All the Writer Moms on Substack?) Maybe one day they’ll give us a motherhood/parenthood category, because so many of us on this list aren’t offering parenting advice, we’re sharing our experiences as parents. But until then, thank you, thank you, thank you! We might not know each other in real life or get to talk to each other in real time, but these are real friendships and we’re building a real community. I’m so glad you’re here. 💛

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This Week I’m…

• Looking back at the post I wrote in 2023 about the hot mess that is trying to be creative in the summer when you’re a mom and this post I wrote in September 2024 about what helped me survive last summer 😎

• Loving

  Melissa Kutsche
  ’s new interview series with women in their 40s—we need way more conversations like this! You can read my thoughts on being 45 here. 💛

• Feeling incredibly honored to be a part of

  Emily Mohn-Slate
  ’s Beginner’s Mind interview series too! You can read how I bring a light touch to the writing process and try to make progress even when life is bananas here. 🍌

• Getting ready to teach Finding Your Star: How to Write a Picture Book for Children at The Porch—come write with me! 📚

• Celebrating National Library Week with

  Christine Koh
  🙌

• Admiring this candy-esque glass 🌈

• Peeping on

  Youngna Park
  ’s kids’ obsessions (There’s excellent picture-book inspo here, friends!) 🤩

• Sharing this if you just need to see some amazing women singing their asses off 👏

• Enjoying these low-key art prompts 🖍

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Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

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✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏