Ivy's Inkwell: The Author and The Negative Word Count
Vol. 1 Issue 3
Hello dear readers! The calendar wheel continues to spin, and it’s now Gemini season. I hope you will indulge me if this newsletter is longer than usual, as Gemini tends to be chatty and I enjoy writing these missives. I’ve learned over the years that the act of sitting down to write, whether at a keyboard or in my paper journal, helps me understand my own thoughts better. And once I’m in the zone and the words are flowing beyond thought, I gain insights into my heart as well.
I read a fantastic article here on Substack that goes into this phenomena deeper. I highly recommend checking out Charlie Finch’s article Why AI Writing Feels Dead for a through exploration of this topic.
Updates on Rowena 2
Well—I wish I’d made more progress on Rowena 2 this past month. As an American, I’ve been raised to think in terms of hustle culture—and now everyone is using AI to raise their productivity above and beyond what was possible even a year ago. How unfortunate for both my creative heart and soul! Overcoming this mindset has been a challenge, though Finch’s article is helping me recall why I owe it to myself to remain true to my old fashioned process.
Last month, I proudly announced that my goal for the month was to read 60k words I’d written in the past to see what could be saved, and then insert said passages into my draft. There were a lot of great pages, even a few full scenes that made the cut, but. . .
A whole lot of great writing ended up on the cutting room floor. In fact, with all of the changes I need to make, I’m now at a negative word count. Instead of adding 30K words, which is what I hoped, I have a pile of editorial notes to myself.
Part of me wants to cry.
Luckily there is an older, wiser part of me that realizes hustle culture and instant output is not the way to write a book with a theme that speaks to the soul. I care more about quality than quantity or speed of production. I deleted a lot of well written prose from that old draft because writing and storytelling are two separate skills.
Past Ivy that wrote those pages had used an outline to ensure the external plot did not veer too far off course. But I was not as skilled at making sure my FMC Rowena’s internal arc was growing and expanding along with the issues she encountered along the way. I didn’t fully comprehend that there is a difference between reacting to conflict and driving the plot. Instead, I was still too invested in the historical documents (or psuedo-historical as it were) to ensure Rowena was being challenged internally by these events in a way that will help her grow by the end of the book.
Funny how life imitates art. I am writing Rowena 2 as part of my internal arc of growth as well.
Indie Author in the Wild: Mexico edition!
Another reason I didn’t get as much done as I hoped is because, for the first time in several years, I took an honest-to-goodness vacation. This rest was more necessary than I realized. For the first day and a half, I couldn’t even remember how to relax. Finger muscles that weren’t typing itched. Leg muscles that weren’t running around the library grabbing books off of shelves were restless. I tried reading a smutty book and found myself critiquing the worldbuilding instead of getting swept away by yearning.
Eventually, I did recall how to chill with the help of a few spicy margaritas. And I ate my first ever ceviche, which is absolutely scrumptious. How did I live this many years without knowing something that has all of the freshness of sushi and all of the bright and spicy flavors of Mexico exists? Culinary masterpiece (and there’s a vegan option too made with hearts of palm). All the stars!!! New favorite food achievement unlocked. Add in chilaquiles and fried plantains for breakfast—oh. my. god. Viva la Mexico!
My favorite non-food portion of Mexico included checking off a bucket item that’s been on my list since I was 17-years-old. Finally finally finally, I visited the ancient site of Chichen Itza, which is dominated by the majestic pyramid temple dedicated to the god Kukulcan, the Mayan version of the Feathered Serpent.
My heart SANG.
There are simply moments in our life were we feel awe. As I walked down an ancient avenue tread by my very ancient ancestors (I have a small amount of Mexican heritage), I felt not only a connection to them through the earth, but also their love of the planets in the sky. One of the first engravings I saw was on a smaller temple, a beautiful depiction of the planet we call Venus. Her 584 day cycle sees her transform from a morning to evening star, a reliable guidepost to help the Maya construct their calendar and organize their lives. The calendar wheel I know, love, and abide by was at the heart of all they did.
Standing before the Temple of Kukulcan brought me to tears. Truly, this is an engineering marvel that is stunning in both beauty, geometric precision, and alignment to the sun and moon. I could not help but think about the men and women that were intelligent enough to pull off a feat on par—if not surpassing—the ancient structures I’ve visited in Rome. I was floored to discover the acoustics still work!!! My husband and I stood at the base of the temple and clapped our hands. The sound we heard in return was reminiscent of frogs croaking—a sound indicating that there will soon be rain. Priests (or priestesses—because why assume it was only men) up at top could speak, and their voices would carry over the assembled crowds.
I had several moments of anger and helplessness as well. Facing stones on the two of the sides of the temple were removed by conquistadores in the 16th century and used to build Spanish colonial buildings. Instead of seeing a marvel, they saw a quarry, an abandoned site. But their lack of regard for indigenous culture infuriates me. I also had questions for the guide that he could not answer, because those same conquistadores destroyed any written records they came across. There is nothing to be done for the books that were burned. Hating this is so irrational, and yet there you have it—a peak inside who I really am. May we learn to overcome and atone for this colonial worldview that has wrought so much harm to our fellow humans.
But I also try to see on the positive side, and my husband and I had a lovely insight when we visited a small house reconstructed by an archaeological team. It was the type of home that people like us would have lived in. Wattle and daub walls, dirt floor, thatched roof. It reminded me so much of the reconstructed smaller homes I’d seen in Denmark while researching Rowena’s Song.
When I said this to my husband, he said, “Of course. Birds know how to construct their nests, and bears know to find caves in which to hibernate. Why would humans be any different? Of course the homes we build with natural materials seem to speak to each other.”
Yea, he’s a keeper. This probably gives you some insight into why my MMC Brennan is as thoughtful as he is 💖
Media Matters
Is there any better way to read than on a Kindle with the waves of the Caribbean Sea lapping up to meet the shore? No, there is not. I suggest doing this at least once in your life. I also made progress in several of the series I started, and its fun to bring your book friends along on vacay. If you’d like to keep a closer eye on what I’m currently reading, join me over on The Story Graph (I am trying to break up with Goodreads). I also managed to watch two movies this month with my daughter, my two awesome cousins, and all of our cats.
Summoned to the Wilds by A.G. Caggianio. The second book in the Villains and Virtues series begins where book one left off. Damien and Amma have escaped Faebarrow, but not their growing feelings for each other. This romantasy rom-com is both silly and whimsical, and I am loving the character growth more and more. While I purchased it originally for my kindle, I am going to have to pick up the newly released paperback because it is just so pretty.
Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Strauss. OH MY. Damn, this book is unhinged—but in a fun way. Temperance “Tem” is one of 13 contenders for the prince’s hand in marriage. In order to woo him, she must train in the arts of seduction with the Serpent King Caspen. Despite being her teacher, feelings arise. While some might tag this as romantasy, I would classify it under erotica since the FMCs stated main goal is to get good at sex. Get it girl! Great for a beach read, but on an airplane sitting next to a complete stranger? Not so much.
A Torch Against the Night and A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir. I listened to the second and third books of the Ember in Ashes quartet with a white-knuckled grip on my steering wheel. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite POV was Helene instead of FMC Laia. Fast pace and life-or-death stakes kept me enthralled, though the theme of genocide that runs through the story pained my heart. The terrible things that inspired the author to write continue to happen in this world, and I cannot help but wonder when it will all end. Romantasy books provide hope, and I do hope the final book in the series brings me some peace and closure for the plight of the Scholar people.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I did NOT expect a sci-fi book to make me cry. Weir must have scienced the hell out his psychology knowledge to once again make me believe in humanity’s goodness. Junior high science teacher Ryland Grace finds himself involved with a worldwide project to save the sun from destruction. While I thought The Martian was great, PHM is among my favorite reads of 2026. Apparently I like buddy comedy stories—good to know. Bonus points because I was able to picture Ryan Gosling in my head as I read. Cannot wait to finally see the movie!
The Martian starring Matt Damon. After finishing PHM, I was nostalgic to relive Weir’s first book about astronaut Mark Watney who is presumed dead and left behind by his crew on Mars. Usually if I watch a movie based on a book, I’ve recently read the original source material. I didn’t do that and was sad the movie didn’t land with me as much as it had the first two times I watched it. Apparently my brain takes the memory of the feels inspired by the book, and then I relive that as I watch the movie. This viewing wasn’t nearly as inspiring, which was a huge surprise. I guess you still can learn things about yourself even when you’re approaching the half-century mark. (I enjoyed learning about ceviche more).
The Lost City starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe. This cute 2022 rom-com pokes fun at romance readers and tropes, but it was utterly forgettable. I can’t even recall any of the character’s names. However, my favorite part was watching Daniel Radcliffe play an unhinged billionaire villain. The man can act! Thank all the theater gods that he wasn’t typecast after Harry Potter. I need to see him in more unhinged roles ASAP.
Oracle Card
Inspired by my trip to Chichen Itza, I purchased The Ancient Stones Oracle by Rebecca Campbell. Having had a reading by one of the women trained in Rebecca’s techniques (shout out to Margaret McNellis) , I was excited to try my own hand at using this deck. I’m drawn to cards with lots of imagery that allows me to piece together the insights from beyond the known, and this deck is fantastic for that very purpose.
As I shuffled the cards I asked, “What message do I and my fellow romantasy writers need to hear this month?” I pulled The Egg Stone card, which represents Feminine power, embodiment, and fertility.
The imagery of this card underscores the creative energy of the feminine. A woman sits upon a stone, feet planted in the earth even as she’s surrounded by an egg shaped energy field. A bright light shines brilliantly over her third eye, the same egg shape as her aura and the artistic rendition of the yoni. (Yoni is a Sanskrit word for vagina, womb, and source). It is this energy that transforms our ideas and dreams and makes them manifest, actual objects to behold in the physical world. This goes beyond children, for our artistic visions must also be birthed. Within her field are pink roses, hollyhocks, and bees. Considering my pink hollyhock bloomed the same day I purchased this deck and pulled this reading is a sign to me that message is potent indeed.
This message really resonated with me I struggle to bring forth my second book into the world. So far I’ve been in my mind with book two. It is time to plant my feet on the earth and do the hard labor of bringing it forth. This card is a reminder that I have everything I need inside of me to succeed at my artistic dreams—as do you!
Being unfamiliar with the lore of the Egg Stone, I had to look in the guidebook for further clarification. Located at the sacred site of Glastonbury Abbey, medieval women sat upon this stone during mensuration to give and receive divine feminine energy. Campbell writes this card, “urges us to honor the feminine in ourselves and in others, no matter how we identify. It urges us to not waste time being distracted by the noise of patriarchy and instead, confidently lead the way in protecting the feminine within us, within others, and within the earth.”
Does this message resonate with you? If so, let me know in the comments!