A Writer, Possessed

Coming to you live from my dining room table with a bottle of Corona in my hand, a load of laundry in the dryer, and sending this newsletter out 14 hours later than my self-imposed deadline.

But it actually dovetails wonderfully into what I've been thinking about this week: time management. I have been on a TEAR with my writing. I am very pleased to say I’ve started writing a new book!! (pause for thunderous applause) and am 95 pages in. Yes, it’s a first draft, but man, I am COOKING. I am so inspired. And this is typical for my writing process: I will let an idea gestate for months (even years, sometimes), and then when I’ve finally outlined it to death and devoted an incredible amount of brainpower & time thinking about the plot, the characters, and tone, I dive in. And then, I CANNOT BE STOPPED.

Here’s the rub: it’s seriously cutting into all other areas of my life. I’m spending a lot of time helping my friend Jon recover, which I am all-too-happy to do. Then, factor in my social media consulting, other acting and writing projects, chores (ugh), a social life (oh yeah), and ya know, sleep, I’m struggling to find the hours in the day to accomplish it all.

But, nevertheless, I’m still writing. It’s like an obsession from which I cannot be deterred.

I’ve found that time-blocking really helps me. And this is insane, I know, but I literally map out every. single. hour. of my waking day, to make sure every 30 minutes is planned and accounted for, or else I’ll go off the rails.

And suggestions on other good time management tricks?? Reply to this email and let me know. I’m all ears.

What’s the project that’s been consuming my life? Well, as if I couldn’t be any more insufferable, it turns out I actually inspired myself. In my latest book, The Lifeguard, I wrote a story about low self-esteem titled, The Prince. In it, the Prince of a fictional country is saved by a nomad in the South of France and they begin a romance where the Prince learns to finally accept his gayness and be comfortable in his own identity.

I could not stop thinking about the two characters, Prince Theodore and Lucien, after the book was published…so I decided to write a sequel. And guys, it might be my favorite thing I’ve written yet. I know all artists say that about their most recent work, but I am really, really excited. And I’m going to shop it around to agents and publishers once it’s ready. It’s a romantic comedy (surprise, surprise) love triangle with a ton of heart, all about embracing who you are and not trying to run from it. It’s hilarious, fast-paced, and the plot has SO MANY TWISTS. I’ll keep you posted as more things develop, but I can’t wait to share this story with everyone as soon as I can.

Below is an image from The Prince, which you can order on Amazon now.

Because I’ve been in such a writing hole, I’ve been listening to people talk about writing, too! How exhausting, you’re probably thinking! But it motivates me to hear the journey of other writers. Especially ones who have been rejected, A LOT, as was the case with the author of the NYT #1 Bestseller, The Correspondent, Virginia Evans. She detailed it wonderfully on The Oprah Podcast, which you can listen to, here:

I was so obsessed with the chocolate date bars from last week’s newsletter, I made another batch. Besides that, I’ve been weirdly obsessed with Trader Joe’s kimchi? Because it’s supposed to be great for digestion. But FYI: “critics note it leans more toward a mild, vinegar-based quick pickle than a deeply authentic, traditional ferment.” WHATEVER.

Now that my face is pretty much back to 100% from my dryness attack, I’ve integrated Ursa Major’s Golden Hour Recovery Cream into my routine. I’ve used it for years, and it’s really good for deep moisturizing. It even has turmeric in it, for anti-inflammatory purposes. Try it.

I've Been Gatekeeping My Fitness Routine

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Aug 4

Trigger warning: I’ve never been fat, let me just start with that. It’s probably a mix of genetics, being active since I was a literal toddler, and playing sports throughout my teen years that conditioned my body to stay in somewhat decent shape over time. And I coasted on those things for YEARS. Then, in the second half of 2020, when I, like so many of…