don't let a waiting season become a wasted season
plus, a Q&A with Becca Freeman, author of THE CHRISTMAS ORPHANS CLUB
for all who celebrate, merry Christmas Eve! I’ve always cherished the build-up to Christmas more than the actual day itself, so I’ll most certainly be relishing in this evening’s festivities with family. while I wish we were snowed in like last Christmas Eve, I’ll happily take a cozy night in with Nana sipping on these cranberry jelly dirty shirleys. in the spirit of keeping today’s newsletter short and sweet for the holiday, I’m going to contain my intro to just a few errant thoughts, beginning with the winter solstice tarot reading I got on thursday.
we did a four-card spread with a focus on what I needed to reflect on from this past year, what I’m projecting onto the New Year, what’s ripe for the picking now, and what’s going to help me get through the winter. interestingly enough, I pulled “the hermit card” for what I needed to reflect on. we delved into how pulling this card in reverse requires reflection on why I’ve felt the need to isolate myself from others. this felt freakishly accurate and sparked a reminder of a piece of content I’d seen earlier in the week about being in a season of waiting…
“don’t let a waiting season become a wasted season. whatever you’re waiting on —the proposal, promotion, pregnancy, the new house, etc.—don’t let it find you waiting. may it find you living because your life doesn’t start when all your dreams come true. so when that thing you’re waiting on does finally come, let it find you caught up in the middle of a full, lovely and abundant life.”
the above reel posted by The Everygirl was such a poignant reminder that just because I don’t have “the thing” I’m waiting on doesn’t mean that all of life’s other joys need to be put on hold. if you’re deeply invested in getting that next thing—whether that be the next apartment, relationship, gig, or forward movement on a creative project—perhaps this resonates for you. personally, I tend to retreat inward when I’m “in lack,” but I love this reframe that waiting is one thing while wasting time not appreciating all that you have now is an altogether different situation.
as promised, keeping this bit succinct! fittingly, New Year’s Eve falls on a sunday this year, so my final 2023 installment of the sunday series—featuring an interview with Hilary Sheinbaum where we’ll discuss Dry January—will include a full recap of my top books of the year, and a few other musings about end of year reflections, plus, 2024 intention setting tips. enjoy this “lost week” as we wade in the abyss between Christmas and New Years!! I hope it involves long spent in days in PJs reading something you can’t put down 🤍 xKD
meet Becca Freeman
when I was brainstorming my December lineup of sunday series guests, it was a no-brainer to reach out to Becca! I’ve been an avid listener of her podcast, Bad on Paper, for over five years and was delighted to listen along on the pod as she shared her journey to becoming a published author. the West Village Book Club read her debut, THE CHRISTMAS ORPHANS CLUB, as our December pick, and I’ve loved recommending it to other reader friends as a fun holiday read! for more on her creative process, her second book, and what books she’s been loving lately, check out my Q&A with Becca below.
Kayla Douglas: Becca, can you tell us about your journey towards recognizing yourself as a creative?
Becca Freeman: I was a very creative child—I loved drawing and dance classes and singing, but I wasn’t talented enough at any of those things to get gold stars or be “the best.” However, I was very good at math. And, somehow, I internalized that you could either be right-brained OR left-brained and that I must not be a creative person. I spent all of my college years and early adulthood thinking this about myself, even as I dabbled in one creative hobby after another for fun (photography, sewing, watercolors). Somehow, if you weren’t doing it professionally, it didn’t count?
Cut to being 30-ish, and I read BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert for the first time. It was a complete unlock. It legitimized the creative hobbies that I was already doing and made me think of myself in a whole new light. Now, I re-read the book every January to start off the new year in a creative and self-reflective way.
KD: In 2020, you embarked upon your journey to becoming a published author. What's the premise of your debut, THE CHRISTMAS ORPHANS CLUB?
BF: THE CHRISTMAS ORPHANS CLUB is about a group of four friends who are each alone on Christmas for a different reason. It’s told in alternating now and then timelines, so in the past chapters, we get to see the greatest hits of their past Christmases and how this friend group came to be. And in the present, now 30, one of the friends is getting ready to make a big move from New York to LA for a job. So, the group is planning what might be their last Christmas together while grappling with growing up without growing apart.
KD: The writing and editing parts of the process are distinct–some writers enjoy the creativity that comes with ideation more, while others thrive in the polishing phase. Did you gravitate towards one more than the other?
BF: I much prefer the editing process. For me, the first draft feels like vomiting words onto the page. I don’t quite know where the story is going, and I don’t know who the characters are yet. In case you’re not getting the picture, it feels bad. But I love the revising process where I get to shape and deepen the story. With every writing session, I feel like I am making the story better and closer to what it is meant to be. My goal is to learn to love the drafting part as much as the editing process, but we’ll see!
KD: What was the most difficult part of bringing TCOC into the world? The most rewarding?
BF: The most difficult part was sticking with it! It took me a year to write the first draft. That’s a year of sitting in the bad part. I wrote three drafts before I let anyone—even my closest friends—read it. I sold the book on the fifth draft. The draft you’re reading is probably the seventh or eighth. Believing this could be something and working on it, even when it felt not good enough, was definitely the hardest part.
The most rewarding part has been having other people read it. As a lifelong reader, it is such a rush to have other readers engage with a story I created in my own brain and enjoy it, relate to it, laugh at it, or, honestly, have any reaction!
KD: As a co-host of the Bad on Paper podcast, you're part of a thriving community of highly engaged readers. For someone who hasn't yet listened, what can they expect from BOP?
BF: A lot of listeners say that listening to BOP feels like having a glass of wine (or insert your fun bev) with your best girlfriends. We cover a wide array of topics from Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce to the best pens to impostor syndrome to the weirdest erotic novels on the internet. We also host a monthly book club, where we discuss a new release book the last Wednesday of every month. Even though the podcast has been publishing for almost six years (!!!) you can truly start anywhere. I recommend this “getting to know us” ep, or pick any of our monthly three things eps, or a book club episode if you’ve recently read one of our picks!
KD: You're a full-time author and podcaster—many would envy this perceived flexibility, but there's also a great deal of self-discipline needed to go freelance. What advice do you have for someone who wants to work for themselves?
BF: Honestly, I started working for myself kind of by accident. Initially, I left my full-time job in marketing thinking I was going to take on some freelance projects for six months to get a little flexibility while I was recovering from some major burnout. I guess I’ve kind of felt my way into my current situation (starting a podcast, then writing fiction podcasts, then writing a whole damn book!), but I truly don’t know if I would have had the courage to make the jump had I known it was more permanent. So, I guess my advice would be to try it before you buy it for a specific period of time—no commitment!—and see if it works for you and your work style, financial needs, and mental health. And make sure you have a financial plan in place in case everything doesn’t work out 100% to plan.
KD: Tell us about the most recent work of fiction that left you with a book hangover.
BF: I loved MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE by Allison Rose Greenberg. I was caught between wanting to throw it out the window because it was so smart and funny and different than any romance I’d read—and I’ve read a lot of romances—and it was making me feel inadequate (FYI: this is the highest compliment as a writer) and not wanting to sleep until I’d finished it! Another book I kept thinking about long after I finished it is Rebecca Serle’s forthcoming novel EXPIRATION DATES (out March 5, 2024). It’s definitely worth a pre-order, IMO.
KD: What book is on your TBR that you're most excited to pick up?
BF: BYE, BABY by Carola Lovering which also comes out March 5, 2024. I absolutely loved her debut, TELL ME LIES, and two of my friends have told me that I will love this one!
KD: The Sunday Series was conceptualized as a love letter to my favorite day of the week. If we were with you in Williamsburg on Sunday, where would you take us to spend the afternoon?
BF: First, we’d get bagels—because this is NYC. I’d probably take you to Black Seed, which is a little nicer than my usual hole-in-the-wall deli (yes, I’m trying to impress you). We’d head over to Domino Park to eat them with a great view of the city. From there, we’d shop our way up Bedford, popping into whatever cute stores catch our eye! Off the main strip, we’d definitely make a stop in McNally Jackson, one of my favorite local indie bookstores, and BonBon, the cutest Swedish candy store. Maybe we’d get a mini facial at Glowbar or a mani/pedi at Primp & Polish. For an early dinner, we’d go to Bernie’s, which is basically the cooler cousin to the checkered tablecloth Italian restaurant you grew up eating at with mozzarella sticks, huge portions of chicken parm, and incredible martinis! Pure Sunday comfort food!
KD: We hear you're working on book two! What can you tell us about your sophomore novel?
BF: I am IN IT with book two right now. All I can tell you is that it is loosely based off the Taylor Swift song ‘Tis The Damn Season (think: second chance romance, famous/normal person tropes!).
Your newsletter, is about all things writing reading. Aside from staying in touch with you there, where else can readers follow along with your journey?
BF: You can follow me on Instagram @beccamfreeman, and check out my podcast, Bad on Paper, wherever you get your pods. Also, I would be so, so honored if you picked up a copy of my debut novel, THE CHRISTMAS ORPHANS CLUB.
"don’t let it find you waiting." I loved and resonated with this quote so much - thank you. Waiting to read the last edition of sunday scaries for 2023!