Welcome to Work in Progress
There’s something about late August that still flips a switch in me. Even though I’m not buying new notebooks and picking out first-day outfits anymore, I can feel the back-to-school energy rising in the air. This year, instead of a fresh pack of Bic mechanical pencils and Lisa Frank folders, I armed myself with Submittable and a Google sheet — and went on a little submission binge.
After a few months of not sending out anything new, it felt both terrifying and satisfying to hit submit again. If you’ve ever stared at a blank form wondering why you bother, you know the feeling. But I’ve learned something: those moments of recommitment matter. They remind us that writing is not just about the draft, or even the revision. It’s about sending the work into the world. I know that’s not why everyone write, but it’s why I write — to share what I’ve learned, stumbled through, and noticed along the way, so we can recognize ourselves in each other’s stories and feel a little more human, a little more connected, and a little less alone.
That’s part of why I’m starting Work in Progress. I’m in the messy middle of my MFA, balancing coursework, manuscript revisions, and the long game of publishing. And along the way, I’ve realized: while the MFA sharpens has definitely sharpened my writing, I wouldn’t exactly say it has prepared me for a career as a writer or publishing professional — I’m talking how to pitch agents, handle rejection, or build a life or a business around my work.
This newsletter is my way of pulling back the curtain on all that. I’ll share reflections, lessons, and insider glimpses as I move from MFA student to published author and publishing professional. Think of it as equal parts field notes and pep talks for writers, memoirists, and creatives who want to not just write — but actually get their work out there in a way that matters. As much as I love seeing pub date announcements and book launches, I wish there was more content out there that was less curated and more process oriented. That’s the goal here.
What I’ve Been Up To This Week
- Sent out 5 of submissions after a long summer pause.
- Wrote a new flash piece that’s ready for September submissions. (Also made a list of places I want to submit to that will open up again in September.)
- Finished updating my book proposal and reconnected with my wonderful agent.
- Read Get Signed by Lucinda Halpern
- Bought Here in New England, Mel Allen’s new book.
- Picked out the books I’ll be reading to accompany my thesis class in the fall.
- Updated my literary bio.
I’ll be back soon with more dispatches from the messy middle. In the meantime, maybe it’s your turn: is there something sitting in a folder that deserves to be submitted this week?
Until next time,
Jesse