I am finally starting to do what I’ve been talking about doing for years – sharing my writing. Yes, hello (!!!!!!!) to those of you who, at some point or another, I’ve told of my dream of being a writer, and then dismissed it with talk of how I am scared, how I’m not in the right place, how I don’t know if I can do it. Well, I am still scared. I am still not in the right place! I still don’t know if I can do it. But that’s why you try, why you start, isn’t it? To find out. Here I am.
And hello (!!!) to those of you who I have not mentioned this to – you were spared or we haven’t met, and I am so appreciative that you’re here too.
Over the course of what I call my “talking years” (worry not, I stay talking), I’ve become a master at protecting my dreams – most adamantly the main one, the one I referenced above, the one where I am a writer and a proud one. This dream sits in my brain like the most perfectly wrapped present, adorned with ribbons and a big red bow. It’s the present that promises the best, that I want to open the most. But it’s scary to rip open something so beautiful. What if the gift inside isn’t what I hoped it was?
Well, of course that “what if” scares me – it’s what has inspired me to sit, stare, and write only for myself for so long, just imagining what might be inside. How much joy and purpose it could bring me, how disappointing it could be. But Jesus Christ Almighty the present is looking more deflated by the day. It’s covered in dust and it laughs at me when I talk about it. Yes, it’s been neglected for so long that it’s learned to emote. It’s double-dog-daring me to tear open one of those perfectly folded corners.
So, here I am, accepting a long standing dare from a metaphor about a dream inside of my brain, in front of you. Welcome to In the Freshwater – a newsletter wherein I’ll be sharing personal essays and stories, cultural critiques, opinion pieces, and more, ranging from the formal to the informal. You can also expect a “10 Things I’ve Consumed”, ala Haley Nahman’s Maybe Baby, every two weeks, wherein I’ll share 10 things, including but not limited to: restaurants I’ve tried, new snack combinations, books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, recent purchases, things I’ve witnessed or learned, music I’m enjoying, tweets that have made me laugh. The possibilities are endless! Just how I like them. Always accompanied by my thoughts, of course.
I’m not going to pigeon hole myself quite yet as picking a lane has never been my forte (and this is merely the beginning), but perhaps helpful to know is that I tend to write about personal experiences that feel illuminating and cultural phenomena that trouble or fascinate me. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for confluence, for ways to weave together seemingly unrelated ideas and observations. I think that’s where the magic happens. And I do tend to write about the things I simply love, too.
The name of this newsletter is inspired by the fact that freshwater can be hard to get to. It is often covered in muck and mud. In the same way, most good writing lives beneath layers of drafts and doubts. The only way to get to it is to get through it. So trust me, I’m working through a lot of both to share what I hope tastes like freshwater to you, thirst-quenching and nourishing (on some level, at least).
Subscribe if you want to take a dip with me. Your time is precious and I promise to try my best to make the minutes reading worth your while.
Swimmingly,
Grace
tadpole going to become the most beautiful leaping frog🫶🏼
Im so freakin happy rn