Things I Liked Writing in 2023
five bits of writing I wrote this year and am proud to have written
Let’s try a bit of deeply uncomfortable self-promo, shall we…
Of course I will be starting this list, this link roundup, this summary, with the three poems that were published in A Thin Slice of Anxiety! I’ve been submitting my poetry to literary magazines for a little over a year now and I’m getting comfortable with rejection. This acceptance was particularly exciting because A Thin Slice of Anxiety was on my list of lit mag goals! Did I talk my husband into getting a printer just so I could print these poems out and stick them on the wall over my desk? Maybe.
The second bit of writing I’m most proud of might never see the blue light of a computer screen, let alone be printed into a book. There is a story I’ve been wanting to tell for a few years, the idea firmly nestled into the back of my brain, but I could never find the right thread to pull to get it started. This year I found that thread! I won’t be so bold and say “I’m writing a book”, because I have imposter syndrome and also don’t actually write that often, but I will say that I finally feel like I have the right story scaffolding on which to build a book.
Number three has to be a recent hot mushrooms post in which I almost explain what the name of this newsletter means. I don’t feel confident, shocker, being funny on purpose, in real conversation and especially in writing, so I’m pleased my strange sense of humour seemed to land nicely with my handful of readers. Next year I would like to write more hot mushrooms like that one.
The fourth is a little true story hot mushrooms post I wrote about finding a little slug in my olive plant’s soil. Romanticising a mundane daily occurrence like that is something I want to practice more. Especially since my life is so easy to romanticise! I’ve lived in several European countries, I’ve had a few different careers, and I’ve got so many fun stories that, similar to the almost book I wrote about above, I can’t seem to find the right thread to pull them into autofiction.
And finally, Bit of Writing Number Five: a truly silly daily diary in which I typed out the words “Central European Timezone” at least thirteen times. I wrote in way back in March, and I still stand by my entry at 8:05 am Central European Timezone where I get a little unhinged about when my neighbours sleep. The answer still eludes me, but I have grown to care a lot less. At 8:20 am Central European Timezone I wrote about getting a not-good email and I supposed I could date search my inbox, but I prefer to let the Rachel that lived and wrote on 27 March, 2023 just be. As imperfect and messy as she was.
Ok, so, these have been the five things that I really enjoyed writing this year. I hope you enjoyed reading this post, that I also wrote. If you already read these five things I wrote, I hope you enjoyed them. And if you haven’t read these five things I have written, I hope you will read them and enjoy them.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you later this week with what I hope will be a fun post for you to see!