It’s hard to believe how quickly the first month of 2023 has flown by. While many of us are still trying to comprehend that we’re officially one month in to the new year, these Women Who Submit members have already been out there publishing their work in amazing places.
The WWS members included in this post published their work in amazing places during the month of January. I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb (if available) if the publication is a book, along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in January!
The WWS members included in this post published their work in amazing places during the month of December. I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb (if available) if the publication is a book, along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in December!
The WWS members included in this post published their work in amazing places during the month of November. I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb (if available) if the publication is a book, along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in November!
The WWS members included in this post published their work in amazing places during the month of October. I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb (if available) if the publication is a book, along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in October!
I spent September doing a residency at Ragdale in Illinois, where I was lucky to have a great cohort that included two wonderful WWS members, Lauren Eggert-Crowe and Siel Ju. Never have I been more grateful to enjoy such good company and to have such a big chunk of time to contemplate and to write.
Submitting, though, has escaped me, which makes me even more in awe of those of you who participated in WWS’s Submit 1 submission event on September 10th. Congratulations to all who participated and to those who have already heard from their publication venues of choice, whatever the response. Sending out our work into the world is an act of bravery deserving of recognition.
Meanwhile, the WWS members included in this post published their work in amazing places during the month of September. I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb (if available) if the publication is a book, along with a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in September!
The last two months of summer have been filled with emergencies for me. So I’ve combined the July and August publication roundups. This way, I was able to fully focus on the wonderful accomplishments of the WWS members, who continue to persevere and publish in wonderful places.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb if the publication is a book, and a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in July and August!
While I have never birthed a human baby, I often benefit from the practices taught in birthing classes, the ones name-checked in this column—breathe, push. I spend much of my time pushing to be seen, heard, known, read, welcomed, held. I breathe between pushes, sometimes because I’m about to pass out.
Among the things that have carried me through my pushes to write, publish, read, support other writers, and teach—has been the support of having an action buddy (aka action partner). We’re both goal-oriented people, full of visions and the chops to carry them out. It happens with greater ease by having a consistent partner who serves as a reminder of our progress.
Even though I have a spouse and other friends who know a lot about what I do, a daily check-in with my action buddy means having a thoughtful witness to the details of my day-to-day actions and intentions. Meanwhile, I get to see her process, victories, challenges, and moments when she needs to catch her breathe. We listen deeply, ask if the other needs particular support.
The pandemic meant that most of us weren’t out in the world as much. It was easy to feel invisible. Yet each day, I’ve had someone watching out for me while I’m watching out for her. Our partnership helps me make mindful choices about activities concerning my writing goals, along with seemingly unrelated (yet related) tasks like hanging blackout curtains, which help me sleep better. Self-care is a recurring theme.
We correspond via email, often starting with a short check-in like “Spouse overfed the cat again. I’m furious.” or “Had a shitty night’s sleep, but hopeful anyway.”
Then, two lists. The first is the day’s action plan. I do mine in bullet points, which are so tidy and filled with hope the items will magically get completed.
eat to support well-being
breathe, rest, take breaks
savor my teaching success
welcome health joy, yes, peace
meditation/prayer
type up notes to students and email them
brainstorm new story pitch
read
yoga
avoid multitasking
date with stepdaughter and her fiancé on Zoom
lights out at 10:15
Even the items that aren’t completed are considered achievements. They mean we weren’t only pushing. We were breathing too.
The second list celebrates what went well the day before:
Gratitudes:
ate to support well-being
health
Mom got her hair done
amazing first class, teaching!
lady at Starbucks
Tom, Zari
handled issue at Mom’s place with grace
took breaks
morning walk
the last episode of Insecure
progress on writing projects
Beyond corresponding with one another, we talk by phone at least once a week to enjoy a more directly interactive exchange.
I’ve had many action buddies over the years as schedules and priorities have changed, and I’ve found them through writing groups and other social circles. We’ve had commonalities and differences, which has worked well in having someone who introduces me to new ideas and approaches.
Finally, my action buddy isn’t the only person who supports my writing and other visions. I rely on a team approach, reaching out to people when taking harder actions with texts like “hitting send on my latest story.” I also attend the WWS Saturday check-ins and stay current on our Rejection Brag.
However, having that one consistent person has been among the ways I’ve found stability, especially during the shaky nature of the past couple of years. We serve as birthing coaches, reminding one another when to breathe, when to push.
Laura Sturza’s writing is in The Washington Post, The LA Times,AARP’s The Girlfriend, Hippocampus, and Lunch Ticket, among others. She is completing her memoir, How I Got Married After 50 for the First Time. Laura wrote, produced, and starred in the one-woman show, Finding the Perfect Place to Live in 111 Gyrations. She recently started teaching writing to older adults. Laura lived in L.A. for 20 years and is now in Rockville, Maryland. laurasturza.com
June 2022 released even more chaos into the world. Roe v. Wade was officially overturned by SCOTUS, in a decision that eliminated a constitutional right for the first time in United States History, and the January 6th House Committee Hearings revealed information about the 2021 insurrection that even the most jaded found startling. Despite the ongoing mess that is 2022, our WWS members continue to persevere, sending out and publishing their amazing creative work in fantastic markets.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb if the publication is a book, and a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in June!
May 2022 has been a month of devastating news, from the near-certain overturn of Roe v. Wade to the continued war in the Ukraine to the horrifying murder of children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Yet our WWS members continue to persevere, sending out and publishing their amazing creative work in fantastic markets; reminding us that creativity matters, that it uplifts us even during the most uncertain of times.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb if the publication is a book, and a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in May!
Although April 2022 has been a quiet publishing month for our WWS members, they still are consistently sending out their work and publishing in fantastic markets.
I’ve included an excerpt from published pieces (if available) or a blurb if the publication is a book, and a link (if available) to where the pieces can be purchased and/or read in their entirety.
Please join me in celebrating our members who published in April!
