Anatomy of a Novel #15

Time to chill out, goddammit!

This is a bi-weekly section of the newsletter The Curious Kat. Follow along as I write novel #4. If you join me here, you’ll be taking a deep dive in the psychology of drafting long form fiction. Who knows, the process may surprise you. What comes easily and what is hard? What kinds of choices am I making and why?

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I was going to write about my disastrous week (more on that next time), and my various ideas and plans now that I’ve finished watching ALL 15 sessions of Robert McKee’s famous “Story” seminar…

And then I thought, man, I need to chill out, goddammit!

So with that, I invite you to watch the video above, which my husband took while biking at dawn to the White Street peer, about five minutes from our house.

Try to find love and joy in the festivities this week, and take a break. You deserve it.

Since New Years Eve is around the corner, I’ve of course been thinking about goals for 2025. But I’m tried of my goals, many of which never change and are never fully realized, so this year I’m giving you, and myself, this simple challenge:

Think of one or two things you want MORE of in 2025. Focus on the changes you can make to get what you want.

What do YOU want more of?

I want to find more joy in the work

Yes, yes… I know “enjoy the journey” is a tired platitude. But it is absolutely true that there’s no point in being a writer if you don’t enjoy the actual act of writing. Because as writers, we have no control over anything except the flow of our own words.

We can’t control how hard agents or editors work on our behalf, we can’t control the marketplace or politics, we can’t control sales numbers or how many people like our posts, we can’t control critics or mean readers or literary judges, we can’t control how fast things happen… we only control the work itself.

So for 2025 I will focus less on being productive and I will seek ways to find more joy in the work itself.

And JOY is the right word, here. You can’t fake joy. Joy is real and intense and life-sustaining.

I want to be more bold

As a teenager, I was rebellious and stubborn. As a writing professional, I’m generally a people-pleaser and rule-follower who takes pride in trying to do her job(s) exceptionally well. I do my best writing when my intensity is not only encouraged and supported, but actively appreciated.

This has worked well for me, up to now: the last part of that equation is broken.

Now I’m tired of the cycle—frankly, the rewards of being a rule-follower are not enough anymore. I need to get my energy and satisfaction elsewhere.

In 2025 I want to be bolder. I want to be less intent on pleasing others, and more intent on pleasing myself.

In my work life, this means I will push myself to take risks without caring about the outcome. Because if there’s genuine joy in the process, who cares about the outcome?

I leave you with this idea:

Be the king who has made his own kingdom

I picked this card during yoga last week. Food for thought.