Katrin's Newsletter #38: Change is in the air

This brief missive is a way for me to make connections with people interested in art and creativity (sign up here). I'm an author and editor, always on the lookout for inspiration. 

Today I'm thinking about transitions and change.

I'm packing up and driving north tomorrow. This is the cork board in my office here Key West with inspiration that I've been enjoying for years now, as ideas solidified around my "Ibiza Book".... and, this-year-of-Covid, as I managed to complete a draft of that novel and sent it to my agent.


Is it time to take this down, I wondered? (And what should I do with these precious scraps and words of wisdom?) When I come back in October, will I be working on edits - for which I might need this inspiration - or is it better to have a clean slate for new writing that needs to be wrestled into shape?

There are a lot of unknowns in the publishing world. Will my agent like my new novel? Will it need a lot of work? Will it sell?! These things are not a given. I like to believe the Ibiza Book will have a life some day and be appreciated by thousands of readers, but who knows...

So, as I depart, a simple message to you from an old index card on the board, as we transition into the post-Pandemic era: trust, experiment, do, create, dream, execute, believe.

Thank you so much to all the subscribers who offered to read an early version of this novel. I received great feedback on my draft, made some cuts and tweaks and fixes - and now we'll see what happens. Writers don't often share this part of the process because it can be humbling, but I think transparency in this business is not only helpful, but much more interesting than presenting only pretty, polished, finished things. 

Next time, you'll hear from me when I'm in NYC (we'll be in Williamsburg for a month) and the newsletter will have a whole new look :)