From the Shadows
January is a month that’s usually filled with motivation. It lurks and follows us like Michael Myers hiding in the bushes. It’s everywhere. On social media, in stores, in the air we breathe. All of it packaged and marketed as something you can buy. A product designed to profit off your eagerness to become a new version of yourself.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the new year. It feels like a fresh start. A time for dreaming and planning, which is something I absolutely love. It reminds me of the beginning of a new school year. You go out and buy all the new supplies. The new water tumbler. The gym membership. The pretty planner. You write down all your New Year’s resolutions, and suddenly everyone is filled with hope.
This is the year, you tell yourself. The year you do all the things. The year you finally become a new version of you.
I hate to burst your bubble, but that motivation we’re all riding high on tends to fade, and it fades fast. A few weeks in, when the motivation is gone, we backslide right into the arms of our inner gremlin and those familiar bad habits. What I’ve learned over the years is that motivation isn’t the key to success. Focus and discipline are.
I tend to have shiny toy syndrome. I’ll work on something for a month or two, then get distracted by a new idea, leaving the last one half finished. Last year I did this a lot. Honestly, too much. While I don’t regret trying all the things, I learned that what I really lack is focus.
So I took some time to reflect on what I wanted 2026 to be about. For the first time, I stepped into the new year not wanting to be a different version of myself, but a more focused one. For me, that meant doing less and removing anything that distracted me from my main goals. I broke my year into quarters, and Q1 is all about finishing the first draft of my novel.
The Monster Grows (Book Progress Update)
🩸 Progress so far: 54,190 words
🎃 Recent win: Finally giving myself permission to write the weird stuff
🕯️ Biggest challenge: Writing a new POV
Over the past month, I didn’t do much writing. I allowed myself to take time off to enjoy baking and the holidays.
It’s only been one full week back to writing, and honestly, it was really tough to get back into it. Not only had I been away from the story for a while, but I also jumped back in having to focus on the second POV of the book. I haven’t spent a lot of time with that character, so getting into her head was difficult. She’s also a character who is the complete opposite of my own personality, so I struggled overall. But once I pushed through the first couple of days, I started to feel better. To be honest, she still feels a bit flat, but for now my job is to keep getting the story out. I can worry about that in the second draft.
A major milestone for me has been letting my freak flag fly. Aka, writing the weird shit that lives in my head. I’ll admit that when it came to writing supernatural horror, I was doing a lot of research to make sure everything followed the “rules,” but it just wasn’t working for my story. It was restricting me. After watching IT Chapter 1 and 2 for the first time over winter break, something clicked. This is FICTION. This is my story. It’s meant to break the rules. Only I can tell this story, and I get to make my own rules.
(Side note: I am completely obsessed with IT right now. I’m currently watching Welcome to Derry and listening to the audiobook, but more on that next month.😜)
A Bloom of Terror
Every month, I’ll plant a little horror here. Sometimes it will be a short fiction story, other times a personal essay from my haunted garden.
The Haunted Shelf 📚🎬📺
This is where I’ll share book, movie, and show recommendations. I’d love to know what you’re reading and watching, so feel free to reply with your own favorites.
No theme this month. Just a few things I unexpectedly fell in love with.
📚 The Book – The Belladonna Series
There are three books and one novella (Holly) in this YA series. Belladonna and Foxglove are my favorites, but honestly the entire series is great. It’s not full-on horror, more gothic fantasy. The story is very atmospheric and set in the 19th century among Victorian estates. There’s murder, mystery, ghosts, and a romantic relationship with death. If you’re into any of those things like I am, I definitely recommend checking this series out.
🎬 The Movie – Queens of the Dead
This is a horror comedy where drag queens battle brain-hungry zombies during an outbreak, and honestly it was way more fun than I expected. I’m not usually a big zombie movie person, but enjoyed this one. If you like zombie movies and need a good laugh, this one’s for you.
📺 The Show – Chucky
This series picks up after the Child’s Play films and follows a group of teenagers whose lives are thrown into chaos thanks to Chucky. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed all three seasons. The teen storylines were solid, Chucky was great, and even when things got pretty crazy in season three (I mean… Chucky in the White House 😂), I loved it.
But honestly, my favorite part of the entire Chucky franchise isn’t Chucky at all. It’s Tiffany Valentine, played by the incredible Jennifer Tilly, who shows up in the series and steals every scene she’s in. She’s beautiful, unhinged, and an absolute badass. Easily one of my favorite horror characters, period.
If you grew up watching Child’s Play or just want something fun, bloody, and chaotic to binge, this one’s worth it.
From My Creative Crypt
This is my little corner for fun extras.
This month’s extras are a few podcasts I’ve been loving lately. Personal development podcasts are my go to usually. I’ve also been listening to a ton of writing podcasts to learn more about the craft and the industry. Today I’m sharing my favorite personal development and my favorite writing podcasts.
🎧 Personal Development
✍️ Writing
The Last Whisper
Thank you for making it all the way to the end of my haunted little newsletter. If you enjoyed it, I’d love if you replied back, shared it with a friend, or just let me know what you’re reading and watching. Your support means the world to me as I start this author journey.
Before I go, here is your reminder:
As we all step into chapter 2026 of our lives with goals and dreams on our hearts, know that it’s okay to do less and focus on one thing at a time. I know our society glamorizes hustle culture, but trying to do it all at once usually leads to burnout, half-finished projects, and self-sabotage.
That’s why I’ll be much quieter on social media this year and focusing mainly on my writing. If I’m going to put my head down and finish the first draft of my novel, I have to protect my peace and my creativity. For me, that means sticking to a writing schedule, holding boundaries to protect it, consuming less, and minimizing distractions. This is my season to focus, and I’m trusting that doing less will help me create something meaningful.
If you’re in a season of focus too, I hope you give yourself permission to choose one thing, slow down and protect what matters most to you.
One Last Thing:
There is nothing wrong with the version of yourself you are today. Don’t let the masses make you believe you need to change. We are all on our own journeys, and we will evolve over time, and that’s okay. And if you do want to work toward new goals but aren’t in the right season to do so, then rest instead. You don’t need to wait for a new year to start again. Any day can be your day one. Every day is an opportunity to begin again.
Until next time,
Christina
