Issue 100: Looking back and looking forward

HAPPY 100TH NICOLEDONUT! What began as a pandemic project is now in its sixth year—thank you for reading, clicking, subscribing, replying, and sharing.

Since I started this newsletter, I’ve finished two first drafts of novels, had two surgeries, gotten married, and changed jobs. There were times I wrote a lot, and there were times I wrote very little. I published some stories, participated in my first writing workshops, and finished a decade of reading 52 books in 52 weeks.

Through it all, this newsletter has been a place to explore the epic highs and lows of writing, to share what I’m learning, to reflect on how my writing and ways of writing have evolved, and to connect with folks who are equally interested in storytelling and creativity. I’m also grateful to authors who have shared their time with me over the years to discuss their work and writing processes, including Elaine Hsieh Chou, Elise Hu, Victoria Ying, Meera Lee Patel, Eshani Surya, and Carter Sherman.

Inspired by one of my favorite newsletters, Word Suitcase, I thought I'd share a sampling of some past issues, one from every year:

• 2026. We have writing retreats at home, Issue 99, on introducing moments of whimsy and shaking up your everyday routine
• 2025. Safeguard your creativity, Issue 91, on listening to your creative intuition and what makes for good conditions for art
• 2024. Small steps, Issue 86, on hiking, building habits, and asking for help  
• 2023. On literary labels, Issue 68, on genre, style, reading experience, and resisting binaries and boundaries
• 2022. Towards writing as ourselves, Issue 51, on writing workshop critiques and empowering authors to return to our work
• 2021. Holy shit! Two cakes!, Issue 17, on fanfiction and writing from a place of abundance 
• 2020. Figuring out your creative metabolism, Issue 3, on cycles of intake, output, and rest

My favorite donuts in New York, because I was inspired by Jenny Zhang’s username, jennybagel, and have committed to the bit of name+circular food ever since:

• Doughnut Plant, Vanilla bean or strawberry vegan donut
• Fan Fan Doughnuts, Mango lassi donut or any of their rotating flavors
• I’m donut ?, Original or chocolate nama donut
• Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop’s, Honey dip or frosted sprinkle donut
• Moe’s Doughs, Glazed old fashioned cake donut
• Daily Provisions, Maple or seasonal cruller

A dozen things I’m interested in writing about in the future:

1. Screenwriting advice for fiction writers, ft. my husband Mr. Donut
2. A tour of my journals, including my writing journal and Hobonichi
3. Food writing
4. Roundup of my favorite writing/craft books
5. Writing and publishing advice I learned during my Center for Fiction fellowship (as soon as I can decipher my awful handwriting)
6. Headlights writing, or the balance between plotters and pantsers
7. Literary citizenship and literary events (readings, book launches, classes, etc.)
8. The Artist’s Way, because I’ve had the book on my bookshelf for [redacted] years and I’ve always liked the sound of morning pages and artist dates
9. Depicting contemporary technology in fiction, based on a class I taught for Accent Sisters a few years ago
10. How I learned to love revision
11. Creative hangouts, including how to run your own Taskmaster night to get people thinking outside the box
12. Waking up to write before work for one week, and other ways to mix up my daily routine while balancing a day job

I would love to hear if any of these topics resonate with you, and what other things you’d like to read about regarding your writing and creative practice. Hit reply, or let me know here!

Creative resources

• Related to my last newsletter on at-home writing retreats, Matt Bell shares his own tips for successful writing retreat (and how to make one at home)
• Appreciated Sophie Haigney’s latest advice column at The Drift: “The question I would ask, if I were you, is not how to live romantically, but: do you like what you’re doing day to day enough that it outweighs the sense of financial precarity you feel? And relatedly: is there something you could do, on the side or in general, to lessen that burden? Finally and most importantly, I would ask: are you making the art you want to make?”
• In addition to a new redesign, The Rumpus announced some exciting new initiatives: Harnisch Microgrants, Writing Fellowships, and Editorial Fellowships. Applications for all of these are due April 30 via Submittable.
• An expansive package from The Baffler about the physical, emotional, and creative costs of writers’ side hustles, and how “writing itself can serve as a form of spiritual recovery from the labor that funded it.
• Some upcoming residency deadlines: applications for MarthaMOCA’s one-month residency are due April 30 and applications for Ragdale’s 2027 residency program are due May 14

Recent reads & other media

I loved the short story collection Green Frog by Gina Chung, which explores identity and romantic and familial relationships through Korean folklore, sci-fi conceits, and nature/animals. As a big fan of the podcast Song Exploder, I enjoyed the pop music analyses in the Switched on Pop book (also a great podcast). For example, did you know that “Since U Been Gone” was directly influenced by “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs??

I saw Project Hail Mary in IMAX and like everyone else, was very moved by a rock (“amaze amaze amaze!”). The Drama was an interesting thought experiment but I agree that it didn’t care to fully explore or “commit to its provocative premise.” The Christophers, starring Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen, was a quiet, funny, committed consideration of artistic ownership and cross-generational friendship.

I really liked Forbidden Fruits—think witchy Mean Girls if they all worked at Free People. It was only in theaters for like 2 weeks (RIP the theatrical release window), but I hope it finds a wider audience when it inevitably hits streaming. Speaking of movies on streaming, E and I laughed so hard watching Pizza Movie (Hulu) after a neighborhood date night featuring negroni flights. Finally, a college stoner comedy starring actors who could really be in college!

Recently read short stories: “The Cook” by C.L. Clark, “The Arrow” by Gina Chung

Note: Book links are connected to my Bookshop affiliate page. If you purchase a book from there, you'll be supporting my work and local independent bookstores!

~ meme myself and i ~

What the various hamster memes sound like. The enduring question of friendship. Mad Men in 2026. How it feels to go outside without a coat. Working out near someone doing calisthenics. Adding new books to my already packed bookshelf.