Hello, writers!

First, thank you to everybody who voted in my poll. I've been hard at work researching and experimenting to bring you something really special. More on the direction I'll be taking later.

Let's be frank, there's a lot of things to worry about in the world at large right now. Last week I did battle with taxes, had my political heart broken, and stocked up a supply of foods in case we have to go into virus quarantine. (South Africa had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on Thursday. I beat it by two days!)

With all that going on, it may seem silly to focus on the relatively lesser worries that come with being a writer. But which is more compelling, a plot about the end of the world (large, abstract, impersonal, been done to death), or a plot about a dreamer who's exposing her very soul--her magnum opus--to someone she trusts? Because that's what we do every time we share our work. We're making ourselves vulnerable in a deeply personal way.

Today on the blog, I reflect on nervousness and how I cope with it.

What part of writing makes you most anxious? How do you handle feeling nervous about sharing? Click here to reply, and let's have a conversation.

In the next newsletter I plan to have a special treat: a cover reveal!