Julie Fingersh Wants You to Know it's Never Too Late; and Raquel Vasquez Gilliland Wants You to Rest

Plus, writing retreats both virtual and in-person to help you achieve your writing goals!

Happy Tuesday, writing friends!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one is harder on writers than writers themselves (Editor’s note: With the possible exception of men who write things like “two puppies straining on leashes trying to go in opposite directions” when describing women’s body parts. Those guys aren’t nearly hard enough on themselves. But I digress…). 🐶🙄

Maybe it’s because we spend so much time alone with our thoughts, but whatever the reason, writers are prone to self-flagellation. There’s a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda to get caught up in and—surprise!—none of it is the least bit productive. What’s more, it’s often the case that all this inner turmoil is tied directly to some unrealistic piece of writing advice that’s been passed along as gospel (On a related note…Have you seen our conversation over on Instagram about your least favourite writing advice? People have some strong opinions and we👏🏼are👏🏼here👏🏼for👏🏼it!).

But what if you can’t write every single day? Or what if you didn’t manage to become a literary wunderkind and are now approaching literary wunderoldster-dom (wunderoldster-ness? wunderoldster-tude?)? Fear not, because we’ve got two authors today who know exactly how you feel—and how to feel better about it.

First up, Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of Lightning in Her Hands, the sequel to her USA TODAY bestselling Witch of Wild Things, answers our Author Q&A with insights on how to write while living with chronic pain and disability. Raquel also shares the writing advice she ignores that maybe you should ignore, too. She makes a very good case for being gentle with oneself. 🥰

Next, we’ve got a video from Julie Fingersh, author of the memoir Stay (also out today!), that’s both hilarious and hopeful, particularly for anyone who questions if they’ve embarked on their writing journey too late. Julie also shares practical advice for anyone attempting to WWADHD (Write With ADHD. To be honest, it’s pretty good advice, full stop). 📖🗃️

Julie also sings the praises of writing retreats (if they’re feasible for you), and it just so happens that we have an opportunity to share today for a fantastic-sounding one: the Northern California Writers’ Retreat.🧳✈️💻 And, ICYMI in our Friday edition, we’ve got exciting news about our own 2025 Deep Dive virtual retreat—check it out!

It’s a brand new week, friends. Let’s be kind to ourselves.

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team