I started the year feeling broken after a really bad situation at work. I was questioning if I was really good at anything – being a wife, mother, teacher, writer – I was a mess.
But my 2022 summer was perfect. I went on adventures with my family and enjoyed every minute of sunshine. It was healing and energizing! I found my confidence again and the new school year started with me feeling free to do exactly what I wanted within the classroom with the new motto of DON’T STRESS THE SMALL STUFF.
In writing, I revised, and revised, and REVISED and eventually, felt confident enough to query AWAKE again! I got a full request (mind blowing) and even though it ultimately ended in a rejection, I knew I was doing something right. I ended the year going to ABLA’s Big Sur Writing Workshop (for my 2nd year) and it was a great experience!
I’m ready to be more present with my family and my art and enjoy the journey rather than wallow in the frustration, because if I’m being honest, it’s super easy to feel frustrated.
Thank you for teaching me endurance, confidence and self worth. You were actually a pretty fantastic year. Here’s to 2023!
Allie Marin
I normally have a long list of goals for the New Year, but I’m taking a different approach to 2023. I still have goals and I plan on taking them head-on, but in a way that doesn’t give me tunnel vision.
In 2020 I finished my first manuscript – AWAKE. We’re going on 3 years now and I’m on ANOTHER revision, which drives my mom insane because “it was good in the first draft”… it really wasn’t though. AWAKE has taught me so much about what it takes to really write and do it well and I feel pretty happy with this new revision and where it’s heading. I don’t know if this FINAL revision will land me an agent, but I do know that after it’s finished, I will query it again and then PUT IT AWAY. It’s time to tell another story… and I have so many more to tell.
This year, I plan on writing draft zero of a new manuscript and I can’t wait to see what happens with it.
I’m also letting go of the idea of perfection. I started doing dumb reels on Instagram in the middle of last year despite being scared out of my mind over it. But when I let go of the idea of perfection, I found that I actually enjoy making them! Most are super cringe-worthy, but hey. I’m cringe-y sometimes! I’m starting to get my feet wet with TicTok, too.
Confession: this website is intimidating. But does it really need to be intimidating? NO! So be prepared to get more of me here in my pure, unedited form on my blog. I realized that I wasn’t posting on here BECAUSE I was afraid again… but to hell with it. I’m writing on here for me – I just hope someone else enjoys my ramblings too.
Allie Marin 