I made the hard decision to not do Nanorwrimo on my second novel project novel to instead focus writing a TTRPG campaign guide that is going to come out in the spring! However after that a friend and I will be putting our heads together on our own writing challenge to each knock out first drafts of our next books!

I always look forward to your videos and am also thrilled that you enjoy CR! I am also a fan of DnD and the collaborative storytelling aspect. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs of 2024. Excited to see what 2025 has in store! Last year/early this month I was able to finish the first draft (very rough) of a fantasy novel and start some self-edits/revisions.

I loved listening to this so much. I am all for toxic cosy hobbies as well and damn I can't get fixated on critical role enough to finish it. in review of 2024: I did finish a book, I don't talk enough about (Cookie and The Sprite Garden). I also been through job hunting trenches so it was a weird year. I really need to learn to DNF and pick books from you as I have real pain to DNF at the moment. All ears for recommendations as did read a few of your picks! I need more MG and disability representation recs!

Hey! I'm curious about your experience with weightlifting and neck/arthritis and nerve pain. I have Palindromic Rheumatism as well as beginning-ish stages of degenerative disc in my neck and am looking for anything to help strengthen around the vertebrate but had never thought of lifting for this. What are you doing, and how are you doing it?? Were you nervous to begin?

In 2024 I graduated with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. I don’t give myself enough credit for this because I haven’t finished the first draft of my novel but I did good, really good.

Hi Lindsay ❤

Sounds like an amazing year! By the way, I hope you know you are a crocheting prodigy. My coworker is very good at knitting and all sorts of crafts like that, but when I showed her the goat you made, she said it was fake news and she demands an investigation because she had been working for a week on what she called “one stupid granny square” and couldn’t even master that 😅

I've been waiting for this one!! LOVE your stats woohoo! Wishing you a happy 2025!

Congratulations on selling your book! And great job finishing most of your goals! All the best going into the new year!

Love all the cozy hobbies!! 2024 was my first year on AuthorTube! I managed to finish draft 4 of my debut mystery/thriller (that comes out this year *screams*) and I finished the first draft of a second book! :D Hope 2025 is a great year for you!!

I wrote 'The End' on a book for the first time in a couple years after a very long burn out and queried for the first time in seven years in 2024. It's so lovely to hear about all your good health days and all that you accomplished (ahhhhh I'm so excited for Bitter Bones!). Congrats, congrats on all your hard work!

As someone who also deals with chronic pain, I'm so so happy for you!! You're right, when your health is doing well, everything else is so much better. And I'm glad you're doing well!!! LOVE Critical Role and yay for learning to crochet!! I taught myself to crochet a couple years ago and it's just so nice and relaxing and it's fun to have a finished little thing at the end. Excited for Bitter Bones! This year, I wrote my first chapter book AND my first adult manuscript. Both were a big change from only ever writing MG, but lots of fun.

I don't think healthy people (like me) fully appreciate what it is to be healthy until it's taken away, so I'm glad that your year was the most pain-free yet! Recently, I've forced myself to finish bad books - I try to analyse why they don't work for me (but also because they secretly give me hope. After all, if they could get published, why can't I... heh heh).

Health improvements and making actual friends in real life? I'm so happy for you! You can be massively proud of that alone (saying that because I struggle with both and know it ain't easy) My best thing of last year, though? I don't know, I can barely recall anything that happened last year🤭 But lots of good books for sure

I became a Critter in 2021 and to say it changed my life and my art would be an understatement. 2024 was tough in a few aspects, but great in others. I figured out the reason my physical reading had dropped off was because I needed glasses, now I’m reading like mad. I finished an extensive detailed outline for my high fantasy Vikings meets King Arthur story. And I’m outlining a cozy fantasy for folks who love Critical Role, Legends and Lattes, and The Spellbook. 🥰 Also, SO happy about your pain free days. I used to suffer from chronic back pain and I know how difficult that is mentally and physically. So glad you’ve found some relief this year!

As a fellow disabled author, gosh, I am so so glad for you that your health was so good this year! You’re so right, when your health is good, everything else feels euphoric! I can’t wait for Bitter Bones!

i'm so happy you had so few pain days last year!! also congrats on finishing campaign two!! i always ugly cry at yasha and caleb's epilogues. thing i'm proud of doing this year: I finished applying to writing MFA programsss it's something i've been meaning to do for years and finally did it waiting for the rejections lol. anyways have a lovely day c:

I love your videos, they've been really inspiring as I struggle in the query trenches lol. Uncontrollable out of my hands goal for 2025 is to get an agent. More within my control goals include finishing a rewrite and outlining a new project :)

Making friends is real life? Sounds fake but okay 😂 I don't think I've done that in decades but I don't really go out much there are people out there 😅 but glad you had a good year! 💜

loved the video, always excited when I see you posted something new 💛

Congrats on a great year! I finally started Kings of the Wyld based on your description of it. It's so interesting so far! Hearing how many health goals you reached makes me excited to put in that effort after graduation. Edit: Hmm I'm not sure what my best thing of 2024 was besides focusing on making me happy. I did read the whole Well Met series and Gwen & Art Are Not in Love and adored them!

I thought 2024 was going to be my year (as I was finally out of a years-long writing burnout), but then my brother and my grandpa passed within two months of each other in the spring. So 2024 went right in the garbage! 😅But I did still find moments of joy in 2024, my son and I were healthy, and I finally finished a book I'd been working on for 10 years, which felt soooo great! I can't wait to see all the Bitter Bones stuff this year--cover and release day fun! 🦴🎈

love you Lindsay! great video as always 🥰

Making new friends as an adult is soooo hard! Totally related to what you were saying there, and I think that's awesome you were able to find some new people to hang out with IRL. Congrats, Lindsay, on all your accomplishments from this past year!

My birthday is December 22nd! Why do Capricorns get such a bad wrap I think I’m alright… 🫣😅 I had exams over winter but once they were done I had a great reading month. My favourite read of 2025 so far had been quicksilver it’s sooo good. Ps I was also sick over Christmas 👎🏻

I started with save the cat and am definitely trying to consume some more now! It was super interesting to hear your take on it!

I hate to be 'that guy' but 'berserker' is not a d&d term >_> it's a norse mythology term that d&d took on. so maybe the book is not as derivative as it might seem. thank you for all the info, though! I just couldn't help butting in with an 'um, actually'

I love the embroidery on your jumper! Congrats on submitting Bitter Bones! I liked House in the Cerulean Sea, but for some reason sequels/series are just not speaking to me right now (which is a shame because my library seems to have nothing but!)

Definitely check out “Story” by Robert McKee and “The Story Solution” by Eric Edson! Great reads

I remember the time when requirement for MG was 50-60 K. Interesting. Also smells like submitting a novel! Love it!

This is hilarious, but also harsh good advice

Happy belated birthday and congratulations on Bitter Bones! That candle is such a thoughtful gift and it sounds like it smells wonderful 😍 my December was really productive. I hit 34,000 words on my current WIP and also began editing my debut novel.

Thanks for this information

Congratulations on turning in BITTER BONES! That’s huge! 🎉 And you always read so many books! 😍 I love that our birthdays are so close together! You’re lucky B&N is open on your birthday! The sucky thing about my birthday being on Christmas is that most stores/places are closed! 😭 I love your coloring pages! I need to get back into coloring! I hope you’re feeling better now! I did get some fun Hanukkah and birthday presents, but there are a few I haven’t gotten yet, so I’ll have to update you in February. 🥰

Happy belated birthday!! And congrats on getting bitter bones in 👏 also that truby book sounds intriguing (you literally introduced me to his other book as well) and let me just add merry & bright to my tbr real quick 😅 This was our first year having a winter Christmas which was definitely different to what we're used to but it was still fine. I got to go book shopping (yay my fave!) and I managed to complete a proper outline for my WIP (literally on the last day of the year) so I was super stoked about that - onto actual drafting now sooo yeah 🙈😅 Can't wait to hear what you've got in the works for this year! 👀☺

thank you for sharing! I always love hearing your updates. it’s like chatting with a friend :) this last month had been huge for me with my writing! I’ve been getting a lot more serious because I want to finish the first draft of my high fantasy by the end of March. I’m at 55k words currently, and I started the month of December probably around 35k, so I’ve made great progress. December was also the month that I bit the bullet and started my authortube channel 🫣 but it has served to inspire me a lot! as far as books go, I read Divine Rivals, Ruthless Vows, and Yellowface. I also started (but haven’t finished) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. My first finished read of January was Assassin’s Apprentice :)

Middlegrade supernatural or paranormal western. Do it! I am actually drafting a paranormal western (but adult) :-)

How was the transition from middle grade to adult fiction?

I'm travelling to NYC from the UK later in the month and wondered if there are any stockists you know of where I can pick your books up from? Seems a bit tricksy to get in the UK so figured I'd try NYC while I'm there! ❤

Happy New Year Lindsay 😊I'm so happy for you that Bitter Bones is turned in and that you had a lovely December. Also, Happy Belated Birthday girl! I recently read "An Academy for Liars" which was the most cinematically, thought provoking 5 star dark academia book I've ever read. I worked all December long on thumbnail sketches for my queer upper MG graphic novel and am currently polishing line edits from my agent. I'm getting ready to go on sub soon and have been rewatching ALL of your videos, but I just want to thank you for all that you've done in the writing community. You've helped me learn so much about the author journey and I owe you so much 🥰💕

Yeah, they're definitely wanting shorter MG. I've heard 35k and even saw a recent editor ask for 25k.

Love your sweater! I had four cardinals in my backyard the other day, and they are gorgeous against the snow. 😍I have that same bookshop nook! I bought it in the fall and still haven't put it together yet, so this is good motivation. Very cute!

Watching the ball drop in animal crossing is so cute. I finished the semester strong and I'm working hard on my thesis. My boyfriend came back between family visits to spend my birthday with me! We went to a cat cafe, the arcade, and out favorite ice cream place. I worked a lot, and lost my grandmom right before Christmas. I gave my family books and annotated the one I gave to my mom. So yeah, a busy and hard month with some good sprinkled in.

Agreed!! Jenn is so talented, all her books have given be cozy vibes, they're all queer and so fun! 5 stars every time!

December was a fun month for me. We had our first Christmas in our new place. December is a busy month for us as my son turned 12 on December 2 and my birthday is New Year’s Day. I haven’t gotten back to writing yet, but hoping to get back to it soon. Congrats on the book!

Oh I love that bookshelf nook thing. My birthday is near Christmas too in January so I usually get all my things around the same time. Glad you had a good one! Happy new year!

I have that book nook set too! I haven't built it yet though cause I'm waiting to move and in scared the kids are too young and are gonna destroy it 😅

Your sweater is so cute ❤

Congrats on turning in Bitter Bones, and best wishes for 2025! My favourite Christmas present this time was a big cosy blanket :)

Congrats on bitter bones! 🎉🎉 i managed to finish the first draft of my weird little stage play before the new year which felt so good cause it's the first time i've finished sth in 4 years yay! Excited to get revising this year which will be new for me since the book before i was 16 and lost interest immediately haha