2024 Writing Wrapped

and where i have been

my feet are cold as i’m typing this.

i’m not usually the type who does yearly reflection because i have developed the ability to forget about everything i did after 1-2 months to retain the mental RAM for obscure facts and shameful memories that will forever haunt me. with that being said, 2024 is a big year for me in terms of writing and i want to remember and celebrate it.

some key milestones

• let go of my first book

• drafted a new book, queried, got four (4) offers and a handful of editors’ interests!

• signed with my lovely agent

• published a bunch of stuff

• drafted a new book and got to 60k

and if you are thinking…

too short, give me more

here is a monthly recap of everything:

GRAPHIC: Accomplishments (because you like looking at them, don’t ya)

January

i came into the new year actually feeling AWFUL. during christmas’ eve of 2023, i exchanged 2-3 very exciting emails with an agent that i was so certain she would offer. that didn’t happen and it gutted me. during this month, i decided to dive into a new project to take my mind off how big that L was. i soft-pitched a new WIP on twitter and got an DM from an agent! this turned my mood around slightly and i locked in to draft this WIP.

February

i went home for the lunar new year celebration, learnt a lot of tales about my family, thought of my grandfather more myth than man, and returned to germany with a new book for research. i honestly can’t remember what i did during this month except for drafting.

March

march went by in a flash. this new WIP i told you? it got 11 likes from agents in a pitch event. i was actually shocked and (of course) happy. for the first time i saw how my effort was paid off. writing had been, at that point, much harder than i’d like to admit. i was constantly on the verge of chewing through my floorboard. i sent out my last query for the other book, knowing nothing will come back to me. i focused on the new WIP, but the silence was just excruciating.

April

the traction this new WIP was pulling added to my itch to query. the 11 likes had turned into 16 and at that point, i started being delusional. i always say a healthy amount of delusion is always good, but this? i was impatient and it was killing me. in this month, i also received a DM from an agent whom i had to google for an hour before replying because i wasn’t sure if she was real and if she really meant to DM me or not (a sound coming from the corner of the screen: this action will have a consequence).

May

fuck it, let’s query.

this month, i also took a bus to stuttgart to meet R.F. Kuang. i told her, with shaky voice (idk why) that i was querying and THE POPPY WAR was my first comp (though not for this book) despite how she stated that she hated it on the line level. she told me good luck and i took that personally.

June

fuck, i shouldn’t have queried.

that was my thought right before the most important email i received as an author (so far). i’d like to think of my life in B.E. and A.E. Before and After (the) Email. i will dive into that day in more detail once i publish my HIGMA post, but it was a memorable day for me.

July

this was, by far, the most exciting month of my life. i went on 4 offer calls, all with clammy hands and a list of questions i mostly forgot to ask. i mobilised a group of lawyers (my university friends) to look at my contracts. i reached out to half of the writing community for help. i made pros and cons table until it hated seeing me coming. and finally. FINALLY. i signed the contract. remember the agent that was in my DM? it was her!

August

not gonna lie to you, i did nothing. i put in some words for my third book (STEM dark academia fantasy). i travelled. i went to hanoi (again). i flew to cambodia and the south of vietnam. i visited some distant family members. i listened to more gossips. i did some charity work with my parents. and then

September

i watched my city get wrecked by the biggest typhoon in perhaps 50-60 years. but no worries, we grieved and we rebuilt. upon returning to germany, i got the news that my essay was selected for the Reverent Anthology!

October

just when i thought this month would be boring, another unexpected thing happened. i applied to (and got accepted) as a Round Table mentor! (together with my friend Elle (hi)).

November

i don’t mean to shorten the recap as the months go by, but most of the time (and this is also a common thing in the publishing sphere), nothing happens. november, though, i started really revising. i edited every day because i set a mental deadline for myself. do not recommend it though, my stress level had never been higher.

December:

recovering from revision.

what to expect from me in 2025

• my essay LANGUAGE OF THE GODS: THE USE OF MUSIC IN VIETNAMESE SHAMANIC RITUALS will be featured in Reverent: An Anthology of Divinity in Q1,

• my short story A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL will be published in Into the Dark, an anthology by All Worlds Wayfarer in Q3-Q4,

• more meaningful relationships in the writing community,

• more posts and podcasts about literature and films,

• onto the next, and MUCH more ambitious, milestone with my book!

thank you for reading this far. shout out to elle (@ellezidong), yining (yijun_o), and rachel (@rachelkitch) for being with me through the highs and lows of high school football. see you in 2025.