Newsletter, February 2026
A FEW Words,
Hello there, thank you for joining me! What a whirlwind 2026 has been. January flew by—I’m not sure I remember most of it—and all of a sudden it’s February, I’ve turned 32, it’s practically Valentine’s Day, and it’s time to launch my website. All that to say nothing of my looming deadline (self-imposed, of course).
I genuinely thought I’d have my first draft complete by now, but as I said, January threw me some curveballs. I’m currently stuck in the middle (the place I tend to get stuck), and while the whole novel is plotted, I’m struggling to get it on the page. For one thing, what I do write right now tends to be overly intricate and mundane—no one wants to know how Skipper is tying a knot, Frances—and how would your character know that from first-person POV??? It’s frustrating me quite a bit. So I’m struggling to take my editor-cap off and just let the first draft be… bad. I try to remind myself that there are worse things in the world to struggle with, but that leads me to do something I shouldn’t: productively procrastinate.
It’s one of my special talents (if you’ll allow me to toot my own horn). The dishes need to get done? I SHALL VACCUM. I need to go to the grocery store because I’m out of milk? I SHALL BATHE THE ANIMALS. I should buy produce at the grocery store so I can get back to cooking like I was before the holidays—I SHALL BUY THE CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES. The book needs to get drafted so my dear Editor can take a look at it? I SHALL LAUNCH MY WEBSITE AND SCHEDULE BLOG POASTS AND DESIGN A PENCIL CASE TO PREPARE FOR MERCHANDI—
You catch my drift… I have a to-do list a mile long and oh boy am I chasing every rabbit right now with no end in sight. Productive procrastination is one of the things I wrestle with regularly, and I’ve yet to nip it in the bud. Even when I notice I’m doing it, I just can’t help but avoid the thing I really want for the thing that’s less scary. And it does come down to fear. Fear of how people will react, how I’ll find my target audience, fear that my novel won’t be an enjoyable read—but Valentine’s Day is the perfect reminder to keep chasing what you love (and I do love the little treats).
Believe it or not, I do a pretty good job of meeting my (self-imposed) deadlines. So I will get back on track and locked in. Even if I end up finishing a week or two later than I originally planned—it’ll all work out. It always does. My secret is that I always set my self-imposed deadlines (at least two weeks) earlier than when I need to have a project complete. Then, since I’m so frustrated I didn’t meet my deadline, I’m not scared at all about putting my work out there because it’s DONE and I just want it off my plate.
So it will all work out in the end… The real question at this stage is: WHEN will I find time to sleep? Just kidding. We all know that if I skip out on anything it will be taking that pile of (August) donations to Good Will…
I’ll leave you with this: I’m optimistic. The silver lining of all these projects happening in tandem is that all writing is good writing. The blog posts and newsletters spark my creativity and help me get words on the page, and at the end of the day that’s all writing is. So I’m back to it, even if it’s not in the way I expected.
I wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day, and once again, thank you so much for coming along this journey with me. You keep me accountable (to myself) and make me excited to share my progress and work with you.
Yours truly,
Frances-Elane
