To me, "In the Weeds" resonates in two ways. One, it’s that feeling I’ve had more times than I can count as a waitress—when I can’t seem to keep up during the dinner rush. Three tables sit at once, the kitchen is calling me to pick up food, and the bartender hasn’t even glanced at my drink order yet.
The other side of the phrase perfectly parallels managing the writing life: balancing the process of writing a novel with practical and emotional demands like navigating rejection, finding time to write, and working a job.
I created In the Weeds to talk about the realities of pursuing creative work while managing other roles. This newsletter sheds light on the often stigmatized yet incredibly flexible jobs in the service industry, like bartending and waitressing—a world I’ve been a part of for over ten years. Often labeled as "dead-end" or "not real," these roles are lifelines for many creatives like me, offering financial stability and flexibility. Service industry jobs that not only made my artistic pursuits possible but also inspired my novel.
When you sign up for this newsletter, you’ll get a mix of my worlds as a writer, a novelist represented by an agent, a country club waitress, and the editor-in-chief of Write or Die Magazine. You’ll find personal essays and updates about writing my novel (set in 1999 at a country club, inspired by my own experiences), the ups and downs of the creative process, the intricacies of managing a magazine, and reflections on finding balance in a writing life.
It’s about how to juggle these roles when all we want to do is write.
Whether you're here for a glimpse of what it's like to work as a waitress in a country club, insights into the publishing journey, or simply to find camaraderie in the struggles and joys of a creative life, I welcome you to In the Weeds.
