On writing a book, scarcity mindset and being "sellable"
My mid-year writing progress update!
In January 2025 I wrote a crazy manifesto on goal setting, vision boarding, and every possible viral resolution-setting methodology I could get my hands on. (It’s nowhere near New Year’s, but check it out if you’re adrift or want to save something for your next go-round.) My fervor makes sense in hindsight: I was starting the year unemployed and with a clean slate. That version of me had no idea that she’d be starting a new job in less than a month! It felt like anything could happen, a feeling I adore.
2026 me felt pretty much the opposite— for once, I knew how a good portion of my year would play out. I was getting married, not making any job moves, not making any apartment moves, and had a hard time envisioning what could be “possible” for me, in the growth sense. I set sort of a nothing-burger of goals. I alluded to “wanting to write more” but didn’t come out and say what I meant for fear of setting goals that I couldn’t realistically accomplish: deep down, I already knew that I wanted to finish a novel.
Today’s letter is a bit of reflection on:
The journey to admitting out loud I wanted to write a novel
How it’s actually going: the ugly, honest, unfilter-y bits
What it’s been like trying to juggle writing a book with writing First Rodeo and my full-time job
The book I got halfway through and then abandoned
How my grandpa (unbeknownst to him!) got my ass into gear
Psst!— this toothsome, juicy and more personal post is for First Rodeo’s paid subscribers. If you’ve been thinking about subscribing or upgrading, click here for 40% off for one year (the biggest discount I’ve ever offered!) and get access to today’s letter, monthly book reviews, and my entire archive.