Let's Keep Writing, OK?

Here is a place to share the good

Helloooo writers,

Today marks the official one year anniversary of this little slice of internet and it feels… so strange to think that its been a whole year and only a year since I was like WOW everything feels shitty—maybe I should make something positive to hopefully counteract a tiny bit of all this bleh?

Funny timing, you could say. The industry feels pretty bad this week, too. Yet another round of disheartening media layoffs has left a lot of people without a job and likely moving into the freelance space where there are now fewer publications to pitch than there were last week.

But…

You’re still a writer. We’re all still writers and there are still so many great publications out there—and new ones are popping up regularly. There are still so many stories that need to be told. And if you’re a subscriber of this newsletter, then I bet you’re pretty committed to this whole writing thing, hard as it may be. (Which is exactly why I started OMQ—because I know you’re out there, not giving up.)

We’re all still clinging to this spinning planet and scribbling stuff down as we go. We just can’t help ourselves.

Let’s Keep Writing, OK?

I wrote this Instagram post to launch One More Question last March. We were just weeks into quarantining, still thinking this thing would be over and done with in a month or two, at most.

britseeingstars

A post shared by @britseeingstars

From the caption: I started this because I’ve heard a lot of writers question their work lately. I’ve heard a lot of us doubt the value of the work we love and wonder where it fits into a world that is so on edge and a future that is so unknowable. But your work, our work, all of it... it’s more important than ever. We need the creative ideas that were born before this thing. We need the honesty and the analysis that come out of it right now. We need. it. all. We need stories. And maybe yours will wiggle and warp in the light of this new reality. Maybe not. Regardless. We need memoir and essays and how-tos and hard hitting journalism. We need you.

It’s one year later, and we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

And for the past year, despite the challenges of coming up with story ideas, finding new work, and getting anything done amidst a global crisis, so many writers kept at it. Because they simply don’t want to do anything else. 🙋 And I bet that if you’ve been working at it this year, you’ve become a better writer, a more resilient writer, a more honest and effective writer. Because you just. kept. doing it.

You inspire me. Thank you for that.

Let’s Share The Good Stuff

I want to read what you wrote this year!

We don’t get enough opportunities to celebrate the wins and writing. In celebration of one year of sending out this newsletter, I’d love to do just that.

So drop your work from this no-good (but also occasionally wonderful?) past year in the comments below. A link. A bunch of links. Any of it. All of it. Tells us about it. Tell us why this one piece was hard to write or how it flowed out of you like rosé on a summer day. Tell us how many times you pitched the damn thing or why you cried when you finally saw it live. Share something you’re proud of because it’s the best thing you’ve ever written or because you got it done when you could barely get out of bed. Share whatever work you want to share, for whatever reason.

In the comments. Get in there.

And also! You’re going to have more opportunities to share your work, ask questions, and connect with other subscribers on One More Question. Next week, I’m finally going to start using the Thread feature, which is basically a comments-focused post in which we can all chat about one topic, share advice, and connect. I hope these will become a productive source of interaction for all of us. I’m really excited for that.

(Threads will be a paid-only feature, so if you’re still on the free list, now is a great time to subscribe for just $5/month!)

Today’s post is for everyone. So please, share anything you worked on this past year in the comments section below. And come back to read what everyone else is sharing!

I’m so, so glad you’re still writing. 💛