Hi everyone! This last year has been pretty wild. But even though I've struggled a lot, it's nice to see some positive statistics. So here is my 2024 writer wrapped 🤓
OVERALL STATS:
1 really nice rejection letter that made me smile
3 brainstorms in the shower that I forgot while drying off
4 cries in a Trader Joe's parking lot over writing deadlines
7 headaches from staring at my computer monitors all day
13 lunches eaten while writing at my desk
24 voice memos of ideas recorded in my car while driving through the city
38 useless pages written on pain medicine after half my thyroid was removed
42 trips to physical therapy to treat my right arm for pain from typing to much
100 random ideas entered into my notes app right before I fell asleep
First, let's hear the bad news: REJECTIONS! 😩
I had over 100 rejections this last year. That's like, 9 a month. But hey, at least it means I'm submitting (and yes, I do keep all my rejections undeleted in an email folder like a serial killer hoarding trophies).
Now, let's talk about the good news! 😎
AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS 🏆
I was accepted into The Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriting Intensive at Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, Maine. I had a great week of running around the center, writing songs with different collaborators, and even took a dip in the ancient glacial lake!
I was accepted into the LA based Mentorship Program for the Society of Composers and Lyricists! I've applied for this program several times so it felt really good to get in. So far, we've had meetings with DreamWorks Animation, Encompass Music Group, SESAC, and ASCAP.
PROSE 📖
I finished editing and polishing my Young Adult novel Hospice for Gods that I'm pitching as The Sun and the Star x Howl's Moving Castle. 60,000 words later and I have started querying and received a full manuscript request!
Since I temporarily have the weight of that book off my back, I've been drafting a new book called Of Brine and Bone. I'm 14,000 words in and having a lot of fun with this New Adult fairy tale that I'm pitching as The Little Mermaid x Zodiac Academy (iykyk)
Sinclair Adams and I have ALSO been drafting a new book! It's an urban fantasy romance about a selkie and a surfer and we're a good 23 chapters in now. Title is TBD but I'm liking "Sealed with a Kiss," since it's a selkie pun.
My sci-fi and fantasy short stories Bloom and The Parrot and the Pirate were published with MockingOwl Roost.
My body horror flash fiction piece The Itch was published with Broken Antler Magazine, Issue 4 and then reprinted with Dark Moon Rising, “Nature’s Triumphs” Issue.
I'm also writing two new short stories and am hoping to submit them early next year!
POETRY 🫀
I am about to begin edits on my first full length poetry book Through My Marrow. This book of poems explores disability, chronic illness and pain, and medical trauma. Some of the poems in this book have already been published with various magazines, which is very exciting for me, since I hope my work touches people who are both abled and disabled!
Infusion Center was published with The Bitchin’ Kitsch – Vol 15, Issue 1 and Trigger Point with The Bitchin’ Kitsch, Vol. 15, Issue 4.
The Orchard Tender was published with The Windward Review, “Myths and Hauntings” Vol. 21.
The Desert was reprinted with Wordgathering, Winter Issue
What You Will Pay for His Life was published with Hellmouth, Issue 1.
Tingles and The Desert were reprinted with Spillway, Vol 2, Issue 30.
Chronically Ill Housekeeping was reprinted with Ouch! Collective, Vol 3.
Stairs was published with HNDL Magazine, Issue: Dream
Chaos, Organized and 412 Cherry Lane were published with HNDL Magazine, Issue 2: Horror
Save the Humans and I'm Not Strong, I'm Resilient were published with Dark Moon Rising, “Nature’s Triumphs” Issue
RX and When Did I Become the Girl were published with HNDL Magazine, Issue 2: Bold and Reflective
MUSICAL THEATRE & SONGWRITING 🎼
This year, I worked on several new musicals in various phases of development! My college show Food for Thought is on its 3rd rewrite and Zev Burrows and I are really nailing what the show is about - working with your anxiety and intrusive thoughts instead of blocking them out. The whole show will be written and hopefully ready to submit by 2025! Otherwise, my adult show about a long-term relationship gone wrong, Fault Lines, is on draft one, and Devin Weitz and I are trucking along with the songs and script nicely. Sadly, my family holiday show Home for the Holidays is post-poning edits and a crowd-funded EP at the moment, since my collaborator Kat Zimmerman has been dealing with a family medical emergency this past year. Hoping to get back to it in 2025!
My musical Chronic had a great developmental workshop at New Musicals Inc. and me and Angela Parrish are back to revision for draft 2. Excited to get into the weeds with this one soon.
I was ecstatic to announce there was a performance of my songs in a concert benefitting the Johnny Mercer Foundation at the The Greenroom 42 in New York City. It was great to hear all the songs everyone wrote at the Johnny Mercer Songwriting Intensive Residency again, but live on stage!
I've also been writing more tracks for sync music placement with my collaborator Joely Zuker, and started a sync geared concept album based on the zodiac with Philip Milman, a new co-writer I met through the SCL.
But I am really so excited to announce I'll be dropping my first EP this summer! Songs for My Therapist is a musical theatre comedy EP and the first track will be released in late July! Woohoo! A big thanks to Mesmi for producing these tracks!
DRAMA 🎭
Even though I haven't written any new plays this year, my work managed to get on stage anyways! I'm feeling a new full length play for 2025, so we'll see if I can crank one out.
My 10-minute play The Escape had a staged reading in the"Benson Theatre and Queens Theatre Disability Plays Readings" in Omaha, Nebraska.
My full length play Blurrred: A Modern Fairy Tale had a festival production with Giant Wolf Theatre Company in Dublin, Ireland.
My 10-minute play Work/Life Balance had a festival production in a short play festival at Appalachian State University Theatre and Dance Department, in their IG Green Studio Theatre.
My monologue Hide and Seek had a performance in The Braid Theatre Company's Candlelight Storytelling, as well as in the Winter's Theatre Company's LitFest 4.
TELEVISION & FILM 📽️
I worked with a potential screenwriting agent on revisions for my preschool animated show Zeb's Guide to Magical Creatures, as well as my live action family comedy Host Family! I also drafted another pilot called Showstopper and have been working on rewrites for my feature co-written musical Alba and the Underworld.
Co-written with Stephanie Elmir, our comedy feature The Yearbook Committee placed in Quarter Finals for the Emerging Screenwriters Comedy Competition.
My Animated short Weather or Not won 4th Place at Creators Society collaboration jam.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? 🥸
Well, a lot of things are in limbo right now. I'm in consideration by two different agents, am waiting to hear if I got a new full time job at a studio, and am waiting on seeing if I get into a PhD program (which would be a completely different path for my future). Being in waiting mode sucks! But it also means time to recharge for the next year.
In a month or two, I have an interview coming out soon from the "Inspiring Stories Series" at Bold Journey/Voyage Feature! So check out my IG for that soon.
I'm getting leg surgery in March! Even though it'll suck, that'll be a nice break from the constant typing...
I have decided that 2025 will be the year of SPITE writing. Since barriers to entry in any creative industry are currently so high, I will be creating, submitting, and producing work in spite of those roadblocks! Let spite be the motivator to make art regardless of the outcome!
Wrapping It Up
Hmm well, when you put everything on paper like that, I can see why people are astounded when I tell them how much stuff I'm working on. But we have to disassociate from the election results somehow, right? 🫠
It was fun to make a 2024 writer wrapped! But I couldn't have done this last year without the love and support from my family and friends, especially with all the recent medical news.
So thank you all for being a part of my writing journey, and see you at my laptop in 2025! 🥳
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