Oohs and Aahs for 5.17.24

I have a new essay in Hello Gloria! 🙉

I’ve got a really big Ooh for you this week…I have a new essay in Hello Gloria!

I’m really proud of this piece. I wanted to write about the ordeal we went through to get my son’s medication last year in a way that went beyond simply reporting a series of events. My editor at Hello Gloria said it was “urgent and heartfelt,” and that’s very much what I was going for.

We all have to deal with the miserable state of our health care system, and I know I’m not alone in this unnecessary struggle. I hope this essay will make other families feel seen. Many of them are way too overwhelmed by emergencies and bureaucracies to share their experiences, but they’re happening every day to families who deserve extra love and support, not more impossible challenges.

“One day, I go to pick up the medication, and the pharmacy tech tells me it now costs $500 a month. No explanation. No guidance. Is there a shortage? I talk to the pharmacist. I call the nurse. I try to call the insurance, but it’s shut down due to a cyberattack. I leave desperate voicemails everywhere I can think to call. I go over my notes and look at my reminders to see if I missed something. No.”

I’m grateful to friends who read early drafts. (Thank you, Rebekah, Saskia, and Allison! Your clear, wise feedback helped me revise, but more importantly it helped me believe in this piece and keep going.) I also really appreciate the help and inspiration I received from writers like Katie Reilly,

Anna Rollins

,

Shasta Kearns Moore

, Amanda Griffith-Atkins, and Megan Margulies. When I had questions, they generously said, “Here’s everything I know” and welcomed me into a totally new genre of writing. Thank you for making this feel like it’s possible!

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Start Small Is Officially Open!

I’ll share more next week, but if you already know you want to join, sign up today, so you can start right away! The workbook includes mini assignments that will help you turn your idea into a book in ten minutes a day. I’ll be offering personal support all summer long. Some really fun writers have already joined, and I’m excited for everyone to get to know each other!

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This Week I’m…

• Pre-ordering Neha’s powerful book (I’ve been a fan of the Mother Untitled movement since day one!) 💪

• Sharing one of the reasons why making time for writing is so worth it 💛

• Nodding along to this one (Too true!) 😵‍💫

• Very glad someone articulated why the new iPad ad is so upsetting 😳

• Into this simple idea ✨

• Using this when I get a migraine (I lost my first one in our move, and I missed it!)😎

• Still thinking about this GENIUS moment 👑

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If you enjoyed this post, please 💛 it so others can find it or share it with your favorite creative mothers.

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 find ease and joy in the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard.