2021 Writing Review

I didn’t post much this year, so I’m cramming to fill you in before it’s over! I’ve already written about volleyball, so now it’s time for my…

2021 Year in Review (Writing Edition)

Moving to Idaho might have been hard for volleyball, but it was great for writing. Ketch started school this year, leaving me time alone in the day to write—like a real writer!

But more time does not necessarily = more productivity. Just like gym workouts or sand conditioning, writing takes discipline. But unlike volleyball I have no partner or strength coach holding me accountable. No one cares if I sit my butt in the chair and write or not. Until I’m actually making money, the motivation is up to me.

I had my ruts, times when I questioned if all the time spent working on a book was worth it. But for the most part, I kept my head down and worked, pounding the stone every day. A novel feels daunting, especially knowing once I reach the end I’ll just have to start again on a second draft, then a third, and then a fourth. But each time I sit down and work, the book gets a little further along and a little better. And that is the practice.

At the very end of last year, I released Dark Blood. The second book in the Descendants of Terene series. Dark Blood was even more challenging to write than Good Blood. One of the storylines came easy, the other I had to rework again and again. But I’m happy with how it came out, and I hope fans of the series are too. There is one more book scheduled in the series, and I still have a lot of work ahead of me.

This year I also published a short story in my college’s literary magazine, The Northridge Review. Short stories have always been a passion of mine—it’s the form I studied in college—and I’d love to write more. Perhaps as a palate cleanser between books.

If you’re interested, you can read the short story here: Compound Interest (with pictures added).

Most of 2021’s writing was devoted to a new book. It was a project John Mayer pushed me to do, a cross between Good Blood and Coach Your Brains Out. That pitch doesn’t make sense, you say? You may be right.

The idea was to write a fictional story that wove in coaching lessons we’re excited about: effective practice, how to compete, mindset, etc. Think of it as a parable for athletes. The book proved to be a tough genre-mashup, and I struggled to find a balance between story and coaching lessons. But in the end, I wrote the book I’d want to read.

And as an athlete/fiction reader, this book is definitely for me.

Thanks for reading my year end reviews. Let’s chat more in 2022!