🌨️lisa writes a lot of stuff🌴 issue #50 I do. I do write a lot of stuff.

This week: Newsletter update (f4ck again), recently published essays, and upcoming projects

Jan 08, 2025

black background with an antique typewriter icon at the top. The words "Lisa Writes A Lot of Stuff" is printed below the tyepwriter.

Hey Internet,

Christ on a cracker. OK, so, I continue to consolidate newsletters. I wasn’t getting traction on Ms Scarlet Writes which was geared to be more technical side of writing process and honestly? Keeping up with all those fucking newsletters was giving me a headache.

For AMUN subscribers (which you are if you’re reading this), here is the new newsletter schedule:

A Most Unreliable Narrator (the bi-weekly journal) remains the same. Next issue is this Sunday, January 12, and then every other week after that. The Blotter comes out on Thursday, January 16 and is also every other week. NGI Presents is on every other Tuesday with that next issue on 21^st. And next issue of Lisa Writes is January 22.

I changed the name from “Lisa Writes Stuff” to “Lisa Writes a Lot of Stuff” because I’ve folded in Ms. Scarlet’s newsletter here as well. 1, it was a lot of work keeping them separate. 2, it’s popular for authors with multiple pen names to have a single newsletter. Plus, now that I’m working at three libraries (details in next AMUN) and have more clients (also in next AMUN), I need to get really sorted on my time.

What I do want to tell you, and this will also be repeated in the next issue of AMUN, is that I am no longer posting on my @heroineinabook IG account. On that account, I followed a lot of bariatric nutritionists, wellness coaches, and fat activists. There is nothing wrong with following these accounts but the algo now thinks I want to see weight loss supplements and quack influencers. I couldn’t tweak the algo to something aligned with my interests. Thus, if you want to follow me, I’m over at:

https://www.instagram.com/msscarletwrites/

I have my updated photo and a pinned post indicating it is me. Anyways, give me a follow if you haven’t already.

Recently published

I’ve been pretty busy writing around the web! I’ve got a regular monthly column over at International Bipolar Foundation and I’m starting to write over at EveryLibrary. (Once I get into a cadence with EL, I’ll get paid. IBPF is volunteer.) Lastly, I’ve submitted an article to a writer’s group magazine. They want to do a regular issue column on “Ask a Librarian.” Which I’m down with; I have a lot to say about writing and librarianship. The problem is they actually had the gall to tell me writing for them would give me “exposure.” I have zero problems getting “exposure” for my work. I write on a variety of topics across a variety of publications. I pitch, I either get accepted or denied, and life moves on.

Here's what I’ve published in the last few weeks:

“Living Happily Without Strict Resolutions“ / International Bipolar Foundation / January 2025
“Interlibrary Loan: What Is It and Why Does It Rock?” / EveryLibrary / January 2025
“Witchcraft: A Graphic History” / No Flying, No Tights / November 2024

Going back to the publication that wants to give me “exposure,’ my original piece was 750 words (they wanted 500) and I emailed them my concerns because it was a big topic they wanted to be informative but condensed. They came back with their “edits,” and asked me to work on it some more. Their edits were highlighting huge swathes of text and saying, “make shorter.” That is not fucking helpful! I re-wrote the piece to their specs and sent it back. I was told, two weeks ago, they would review and get back to me. I have heard squat. I emailed them last night and bluntly asked, “Do you want this or not?” and “Do you want me to write another piece?” The publication comes out once a quarter so it’s not a strain on my writing schedule, but I really need them to fucking commit so I can plan my schedule!

Anyway, another IBPF article comes out on January 31 and my next submission to EL is due by the 15^th.

Current and Future Projects

I’m keeping a tight rein on my projects this year. The only one I care about is finishing my novel by my birthday (June 12) which gives me about five months. I’m 20K words in but I’ll have to re-write a good chunk to match the editing that took place mid-summer last year as I used it for submissions for contest. I believe in that project.

In one of my writer groups, we met a few times to solely work on our planning for 2025. What I did was write out the primary goals I had and then organized by priority. There are five anthologies due in the next six months (two due at the end of January). That’s a lot of work so I prioritized and put the two I wanted to complete (both due in March), two more “would like to complete,” and the final one as, “if I have time.” There is also the “52 Stories in 52 Words in 52 Weeks” which is so beyond it’s nuts. (Started out as “51 Stories in 51 Words in 51 Weeks.” It might now become “53 Stories in 53 Words in 53 Weeks.” That’s a “I’d like to finish,” but if I don’t, I won’t be upset. Hopefully. (No guarantees, though!)

For shorter projects, I’m tracking them, but they are not a high priority. I’d like to get some stuff published this but who knows.

A Most Unreliable Narrator

🌨️lisa writes a lot of stuff🌴 issue #50 I do. I do write a lot of stuff.

This week: Newsletter update (f4ck again), recently published essays, and upcoming projects

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