It's Been A Year.
and I'm thankful for you. plus sip 'n skates, midlife conversations and more.
I sent my first newsletter out one year ago today. In case you missed the beginning of the journey, here’s the first post:
When I started this newsletter, it’s original intention was to keep me writing. As my book neared completion, the structure of my days changed and I no longer needed to tap my keys for long stretches of time. I didn’t need to fill my coffee mug, cozy up into my favorite nook on the couch and document a recent Maine adventure anymore. It wasn’t serving a purpose any longer - but I still felt the desire to.
So I did. I wrote about almost puking on my favorite Maine-based artist:
About my night at The Lost Kitchen:
About wild rams on unabridged islands:
And it’s only now, a year later, that I truly understand the beauty in being able to write whatever I want, whenever I want and have you read it. Thank you to
If you haven’t caught wind by now: up until this year, I had zero experience in this space, zero travel/food writing credentials to point to! Zip, zilch. And making the jump to try something new was - and continues to be - exciting. Exhausting, as there is that unrelenting imposter syndrome to attend to - but exciting, none the less.
It’s mostly exciting because learning has been brought back to the table. When I chose to take a career pivot, it was also choosing to make a commitment to learn. I’d been in a different career for so long, cruising on autopilot, that it had been over a decade that some real learning transpired.
And over this past year plus, I’ve learned. Oh, I’ve learned! Here are just a few educational snapshots along my new journey to be a writer:
How the heck do you get a publisher? I certainly didn’t know!
How do you write a query letter? A book proposal? I spent months (and months) learning this, pushing through the do’s and the definitely-do-nots.
How do you “pitch” an article? A great question that comes with no straight answer!
How do you estimate a word count? Pitch a timely article with proper lead time? Know what they want when they want it?
I learned all of these things out of necessity. I’m still learning them.
And it was and is, honestly, a lot of fun - and I mean that sincerely. But perhaps the most important takeaway lesson from this year has been the following:
If there is a potter in the woods of Maine who makes whimsical pieces that I can’t stop buying, I want you to know about her too. I don’t want to wait until there’s a “hook” or a “timely event” to showcase her art in an issue ten months out - I want you to share in the obsession now:
And if there are burgers that are so juicy, so delicious and they only are prepared once a month, I’d hate for you to miss out:
And so a year later, a year after I decided to launch this newsletter, I’ve learned how invaluable this space is for me. How thankful I am for this community of readers. That on Gadabout Maine, I’m able to write sans rules, sans word counts, sans a greenlight. I’m able to adventure in Maine with purpose - and then write about it! And share it with you all - whenever I want to!
My best writing, my best stories and my most treasured adventures are here. Without filter, without algorithm, without pretense.
So here’s to another year of adventures, another year of Gadabout Maine.
Thank you for being a subscriber to this little thing that I made up. Without you being here, it quite literally would not exist. ♡
5 timely adventures below for paid subscribers! Join the fun this year.
PS: I’ll be in Lisbon Falls at J. Plum Home on Friday, January 19th from 4-6PM doing a book signing during their sip & shop event! If you live nearby, come say hi!