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When I first started writing almost 15 years ago, I was part of a group that shared a flash fiction prompt, and we would all write a piece inspired by a word. I used to really enjoy them, and even got a couple published. Since I didn’t want to come up with 31 words for myself for this challenge, I decided to base it off the alphabet. And rather than write flash fiction, which is 1000 words or less, I decided to do micro fiction, which is only a few hundred words.
Sharing my story is cathartic. But less selfishly, I’ve learned talking about my loss has made others feel less alone. As most anyone who’s suffered a loss knows, there’s a camaraderie in shared grief. But not everyone is comfortable blasting intimate details of their life on the internet. Not everyone has people with whom they can confide. Not everyone feels the love and support I did after losing my babies. So I’ll keep yammering about what I went through for as long as it makes others feel less isolated.
As you all know by now, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but this year I kind of sort of have a few. I’m not calling them resolutions because then my weirdo brain will skitter away and any chance I had of succeeding will disappear faster than the eight dozen cutout Christmas cookies I made.
At fifteen, the school motto — Nihil Sine Labore (nothing without labor) — was just one more thing that terrified me about moving away from home and into a dorm. By the time I was eighteen, I understood that the phrase meant you had to work to succeed, but it still struck me as something added to the school crest to make them seem fancy. Thirty years later, I have a better understanding of what the founders of my school were trying to teach us.
Being part of the children’s literature community, I feel like I’m more aware of these sensitivities. I think it’s because the words we choose and how we tell stories impacts young minds that are still forming how they view the world. Many of my writing friends do not write YA, and I’ve learned that a lot of these shifts in language have not trickled up to “adult” books. Which is why I’m writing about this.
When I chose brave as my word of the year, I had no idea what I was getting into. In my new year’s post, I said I was going to let the word guide me, but I did not foresee the path I’m currently stumbling along.
Typically thought of with academic professionals, a sabbatical “can give you a healthy amount of time to enhance your academic qualifications, pursue new interests, do volunteer work, travel, address physical concerns, or re-prioritize your life and career. It’s an opportunity to manage the effects of professional burnout.”
Burnout is what I’ve been struggling with the most. It’s what led to me finding a new job in 2021, and it’s what’s brought me to this point with writing.
Binge the complete Rules Series plus 6 bonus scenes and The Friend Rules short story — and get ready to fall in love! The Rules Series follows three teen girls learning to stand up on their own while skiing, biking, and snowboarding in the Colorado mountains—and falling in love! Perfect for fans of outdoor adventure, swoony kisses, and figuring out who you really are.
There are a million reasons not to write. Better ways to spend our time that don’t involve fighting with the little voice in our heads, the one who insists you aren’t good enough, that no one wants to read what you have to say. But I’m here to tell you — to give you permission — to tell that voice to shut it.
***UPDATE: The contest has ended.*** Over the years I’ve done a variety of sales and giveaways to celebrate my birthday, but this year I’ve come up with my favorite giveaway yet: The Melanie Hooyenga Starter Kit! The idea started out simple enough—give away the first book in each of my series to try to reach …