On Creative Pivots
Changes afoot in the newsletter and beyond.
Good tidings, dear ones. I’m dropping by your inbox today to share about three decisions I’ve recently made:
logging off social media forever
ending the Book Club for Writers
pausing writing workshops
But first, here’s a very important picture of me, my dog, and the gigantic leg lamp down the street from our house:
Now that that’s taken care of, let’s talk about these changes afoot.
LOGGING OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA 🤳
I can’t use Instagram or Twitter healthily. Let me tell you what that looks like for me.
I don’t keep the apps on my phone. When I need to let the good people of the internet know about something (a new class offering, a zine release, an interview I did with a fellow writer), I set a timer before re-downloading the app. The intention being: get in, get out.
But then I log in, I post, and I don’t even hear the timer go off.
Five minutes turn to 10, then 20, then 30.
“Oh, just one more reel” turns into an hour of scrolling. Then two.
I really don’t want to do that anymore. Aside from deleting the app from my phone, I’ve tried every other boundary. Only using it one day a week, even one day a month. Looking at posts, not stories or reels. Using the desktop version rather than the app. It sounds an awful lot like the way I hear people talk about drinking. Only on the weekends. Wine and beer, never liquor. Only two drinks max.
I don’t want to keep testing boundaries. I want there to be one boundary: logging off and staying there, probably forever. Here’s what that will look like:
Keeping my Instagram and Twitter accounts as landing pages, pointing people toward this newsletter.
If anyone asks me to share something on social media, the answer is: “I don’t do that.”
Putting my passwords somewhere that requires a great deal of effort to reach, like the safe deposit box at the bank.
Will I have to delete my Instagram and Twitter accounts forever so that one trip to the bank doesn’t open the floodgates? *gulp* STAY TUNED! This is a grand experiment.
In all seriousness: I really have to push past an awful lot of shame in order to share this change with you. Interesting how “shame” and “share” are just a letter apart.
Others have shared their vulnerabilities around social media with me, and that honesty has helped me so much. I want to do the same: carry this message to others who still suffer. If that’s you, you’re not alone.
Something that helped: Amelia Hruby’s podcast conversation with Glennon Doyle & co about leaving Instagram, via We Can Do Hard Things.
Another thing that helped: this writing prompt from
.Make a list of the ten blessings social media gave you and then make a list of ten places where you can replace that.
I remind myself that these apps are designed to squirrel away our attention and demonstrate to us the lack in our lives. I am opting out of that.
CLOSING THE BOOK ON THE BOOK CLUB 📚
I have decided to end my time hosting the Book Club for Writers, which has been active for two wonderful years here on Substack.
I’ve loved facilitating these book discussions, but retiring this offering will clear space for offerings that feel even more exciting to me.
Paid subscribers: stay tuned for seasonal offerings starting in January. Oh boy, do I have some great ideas.
NO MORE WORKSHOPS (FOR NOW)
I usually facilitate 3-4 workshops a year, capped at 4-6 people per group. I love leading workshops more than almost anything in the world, but I’ve noticed that it can be hard for writers to maintain their momentum after our time together in workshop ends. Many writers find it impossible to write without deadlines in place.
That’s why I started Deadline Darlings, a monthly one-on-one offering that includes:
personalized feedback on up to 15 pages of writing
a 45-minute Zoom call addressing your questions and challenges
This offering costs $160. It’s billed monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
Sign up for a single month.
Sign up for a whole year.
Sign up for as little or as long as you’d like.
Deadlines are on the 1st of the month, starting in January. Think a January 1 deadline could help you get some writing done before the new year arrives? Sign up here, darling.
Spots are first come, first served, and very limited.
RECOMMENDED READING
1. INTERVIEW WITH WRITER ROBBY WEBER
I interviewed writer Robby Weber for The Creative Independent. Robby is the author of three books, all gay romances for young adults: most recently, a novel called What is This Feeling? (If you’re a Wicked fan, you haaaave to read this book.)
This part of our interview about writing gay romances for teens while living here in Florida really moved me:
“It really motivates me, because it’s so horrific to think of these teens hearing about books being banned just because a character is similar to them and their experience of the world. I think that’s just really psychologically damaging. That’s really why I write what I write and continue to stay and fight.” —Robby Weber
Read the full interview here.
2. THE RACHEL INCIDENT BY CAROLINE O’DONOGHUE
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you might be thinking: “Hurley, haven’t you recommended this novel multiple times in the past year?” And the answer is yes. Yes, I have.
I’ve been re-reading a lot of my favorite books this month, and I’m here to say again that if you haven’t read this book, you should, and if you did read this book already, you should go back and read it again. It’s absolutely bloody brilliant—I laughed, I cried, I gasped a lot—and I loved it even more the second time.
Other books I’ve re-read this month include:
Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson. I hadn’t listened to the audio version of this perfect novel yet, and it’s narrated by GINNIFER GOODWIN, who does such a beautiful job with Frankie’s character. If you have Spotify Premium, it’s included. We are fugitives! And the law is skinny with hunger for us!!! (IYKYK)
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran. This novel turned 10 this year: I loved it in 2014, and I love it today. It’s about a teenage girl who becomes a music journalist and loses herself in her cynical persona. Anyone who’s ever been a music-obsessed teen will relate.
And by the way, I highly recommend spending an entire month reading books you already adore.
3. OPENING CHAPTER OF PLANT MOM
I’m proud to report that you can read the first chapter of my novel, Plant Mom, in the brand spanking new Terrazzo Magazine.
Terrazzo Magazine is edited & published by the wonderful writer
. I’m thrilled to have this new magazine in the literary landscape. Fellow fiction writers, they’re open for fiction submissions through 12/21: submit here.I also did an interview with Terrazzo, in which I came out as an Antiques Roadshow stan:
“There’s a segment at the end of every episode of the Roadshow called the ‘feedback booth,’ where a few people who brought their treasures to be appraised share about how they struck out. A common line is: ‘Grandma told me this family heirloom would be worth a fortune someday. Turns out, it’s only worth thirty bucks. But we had a great time today!’ For some reason, watching it makes me teary: it’s something about the mix of sentimentality and hope.”
My novel has yet to find its home in the world, and it feels great to have the opening out in the world. Thank you, Gina & Terrazzo, for having me. 💖
LET’S WORK TOGETHER IN 2025
🌼 GET PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK & SUPPORT Sign up for my monthly feedback program, Deadline Darlings.
You’ll get feedback on up to 15 pages of writing and a 45-minute Zoom call to discuss your work. Spots are first come, first served, and very limited. $160.
🌼 ESTABLISH YOUR WRITING ROUTINESign up for New Year Writing Nights, a co-writing group that begins January 1 at 7:30pm EST.
12 weeks of creative accountability in a warm & friendly Zoom room. $30.
🌼 BE PART OF A JOYFUL WRITING COMMUNITYBecome a paid subscriber of Lonely Victories for single-day classes, discussions, and more, and support the newsletter in the process.
$50/year. On sale through December 31 for $40/year!
Know a writer or book-lover who’d benefit from the camaraderie of Lonely Victories? Gift subscriptions are also on sale.
BELOW TODAY’S PAYWALL
🤑 Code for $5 off New Year Writing Nights. Write alongside me and 40+ writers for the first 12 Wednesdays of the new year!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS 🎄 the boys of the NYPD choir still singing Galway Bay —