HeyJaredDear Kate
Dear Kate is for the woman who hasn't started the book yet, but can't stop thinking about it. You've got notes, journals, maybe a few voice memos. The question isn't whether the story matters. It's what the book actually is - and whether now is the time.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 22, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 21, 2026
Latest issues
The Chapter I Cut (opens the original)
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I cut a chapter from my memoir, one of the hardest ones to write, and honestly, it hurt a little.Writing the whole memoir was therapeutic, but this chapter was harder than the rest because it involved a relationship that was very close and deeply important to me. It challenged my core beliefs and exposed parts of me that felt particularly raw and vulnerable. I wrote it anyway and placed it in chronological order in the manuscript I sent to my developmental editor.When her feedback asked whether
The Role Had a Job Description. I Was Too Close to Read It. (opens the original)
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When your oldest son proposes to his long-time girlfriend, you think you know what “mother of the groom” means. Find a phenomenal dress that coordinates with the mother of the bride, host the rehearsal dinner, and provide encouragement and support (dollars or otherwise) as the couple plans their future.Then the wedding happens, and the role turns out to have layers you didn’t anticipate. I wrote about that shift in my Reflections from a Recovering Perfectionist post. What I didn’
All the Pieces Were There. She Just Couldn't See the Frame. (opens the original)
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Claire came to me with a fully written manuscript for her nonfiction parenting book. We’d been friends for years, talking about the book on our walks. When I told her I was pursuing my book coach certification, she said, “I need you. Can I hire you now?”She didn’t need convincing that her story mattered. She’d already spent months getting it down on the page. What she said she needed was structure and strategy for her words. She had a vague sense of what that meant, but couldn’t pin down anythin
I Had a Plan Before I Had a Single Box (opens the original)
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This week, my spare bedroom is filled with boxes, and each one is labeled—appetizer table, buffet, dining table, and dessert display—for my son’s wedding rehearsal dinner. It’s organized, with a detailed event plan with pictures and corresponding numbers so the dinner setup is seamless. But the event didn’t start with the boxes. It started with a mood board of images that evoked the feeling I wanted for this celebration. Once I knew that, I curated the pieces that matched the vision. Then I made
You Don't Think of Yourself as a Writer. You Just Keep Writing Things Down. (opens the original)
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My son is about to get married, and in the middle of the countdown, I felt something I knew I’d want to remember later. So I opened a new file on my computer, titled it 260817_wedding feelings, and gave myself 15 minutes to write, which generally amounts to about 500 words. I didn’t obsess or edit. I just wrote a messy draft and let it sit so I can process it and use it later.I posted about it on Instagram, and one commenter asked for more: the full process, with examples. So here it is.Step one
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