It’s week three of 2026. How is the writing going so far this year? Are you shaking off the post-holiday stickiness or are you still resting, dreaming, recalibrating for the year ahead? Honor where you are right now, acknowledge that our chaotic, noisy world is making it hard to think, and make a gentle plan for the weeks ahead.
Why do I start each newsletter by naming the week we are in? The habit started back in 2019, when I set myself a challenge to read and review one writing craft book a week for a year and to send my reviews as a newsletter—a project that eventually became my little book All the Words. I saw the weeks as achievements to be checked off: a book, a review, a newsletter, all tidy and complete.
But then I kept writing, and since 2020 handed me a fresh fifty-two weeks, it felt natural to keep counting them. Of course, we all know what happened that year. I kept writing through the pandemic as we all started doing different kinds of counting. Somewhere during those blurry years, I started to travel a little deeper inside myself—probably because I was starting to experience the early symptoms of perimenopause (or werewolf mode, as I like to call it) and also because I couldn’t travel outside of myself as much as I was used to.
When I started paying attention to how I felt each week—how much energy I had, how happy I felt, how snappy or sluggish my brain was—I started to notice definite patterns. I am a different person, a different thinker and writer, in week one than I am in week twenty-five or forty. Knowing these patterns helps me plan out my year, so I can give myself more blank space during those weeks I know I’ll likely feel slower.
I also like to notice the weeks because it helps me be intentional about how I’m spending my time. Having crossed over the threshold of fifty in these last few years, I'm more conscious than ever that I likely will not have time to do every single thing I've ever dreamed of doing during my lifetime. And many of the things I most want to do take years, not weeks.
For example, I’m now about halfway through the two-year project of writing and publishing my second Novel Study book. I put up this whiteboard on my wall last January so I could see it slowly come to life. My job this year is to replace all of those blue dots with finished essays, and then, in that far right column, with more polished versions for the final book.
Last weekend, I ‘cleared’ my first blue dot since mid-November—a new essay on the structure of What We Can Know, which I’ll link to below. I’d wanted to finish my sequence of essays on the novel sooner (really, in October!), but I also know that in December and early January I am tired. I knew that essay wasn’t a week fifty or a week one project.
So I hope, as we count up the weeks of 2026 together in this newsletter, you’ll use the weekly rhythm as an invitation to notice where you are, remember what you want, and make a plan that weaves the two together, recognizing the inevitable passing of time while also honoring the realities of your own energy. Notice, record, make it visible—then watch what happens as the weeks roll on.
As promised, here’s a link to my new post of the structure of Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know—and yes, there’s a new graph! This is a fascinating novel, and I enjoyed it even more on a second read, in part due to the clever structure. Part two of the book rewrites much of what we thought we knew of the story told in part one, and rereading allows you to appreciate how intricately McEwan has woven the two parts together.
I’ve also put the full story spreadsheet and my 14 pages of craft notes into the Novel Study Vault collection, along with my spreadsheets and notes from five other recent bestselling novels (with two more to come). Next up, I’ll be doing my reread of V.E. Schwab’s Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and hope to have a new scene study essay ready before the next newsletter, in two weeks.
For folks who want guidance through the bewildering process of publishing, I have two opportunities for you:
Carla King’s Publishing 101 is a 6-week course starting January 20, 2026, that teaches authors how to finish, market, publish, and promote their books while avoiding scams and navigating today's publishing landscape. I think this program would also be a great fit for editors who’d like to add publishing assistance to their services, and Carla is offering a $100 discount for EFA members: EFAPUB2026
Linda Secondari’s Strategic Author program is a 3-month small-group coaching experience that teaches writers to think like publishers, with the next cohort starting in February 2026
I connected with Carla and Linda at Author Nation in November—both of them are longtime publishing professionals who know their stuff.
Book birthdays!
One of my favorite sections of the newsletter is back—I love celebrating publication milestones of authors I’ve worked with and I’m so honored to have been part of the journey.
Fat Dogs and French Estates: Beyond the Forest Fringe, by Beth Haslam
Beth, Jack, and their dogs navigate the laughter and chaos of rural French life from their woodland home at Le Palizac. But challenges emerge. As they explore the forest’s untamed beauty, nature’s harsh realities test their goal to create a wildlife sanctuary. Just as hope fades, an extraordinary creature appears – his courage and resilience become an inspiring testament to surviving the forest’s toughest conditions. Part of the Fat Dogs and French Estates series, this warm, poignant memoir draws readers to the heart of the forest, where the bonds between humans and animals are tested, and transformed, in the wild.
Congrats, Beth! Learn more and buy the book here. Check out my Instagram post to find out my favorite things about the book.
Upcoming appearances
I love speaking to writers and editors—check out my Speaking page or reply to this email if you are interested in having me speak to your group.
San Francisco Writers Conference, February 13-15: Attendees can book a free short consult session or a longer paid consult session with me
IPA BookCamp, April 24, Newark, NJ: I’ll be giving a talk about revision strategies and how to read your manuscript like an editor
Our Thing of Joy this week is the podcast (and future documentary) Menopunks, which is a riot of joyful, angry, profane GenX energy and music. If you are navigating werewolf mode, this podcast will make you feel seen.
Stay well, y’all, and keep fighting the good fights.
Kristen