issue 6. recension
December 2024: Year in Review
RECENSION. From 1630s, meaning "review, examination, enumeration"; from Latin recensionem, "an enumeration"; noun of action from past-participle stem of recensere "to count, enumerate, survey," from re-, here perhaps intensive + censere "to tax, rate, assess, estimate". From c. 1820 as "a critical or methodical revision" (of a text), also "a text established by critical or systematic revision."
For much of November (and December), snow dusted the quad like sugar, piling up in fairy-tale drifts. At first it was only powdery; then it turned dense, sticking to the sidewalks with tenacity. I imagined walking into Narnia, using a lamp-post as my guide, as I drew the sharp crystalline air into my lungs.
But the spell was invariably broken by a nagging sense of urgency: I have to go to class. I have to study for an exam. And inevitably my footprints turned away from Narnia…but soon, I hope, they will veer back.
In other news: my first semester of college is officially done! My final exams went well and I am home now, enjoying the holiday season with my family and reflecting upon what I experienced and learned in 2024.
In many respects this semester, I deepened my interests. In my Creative Writing class, I studied both new and old writers: I particularly enjoyed Karen Russell, Jessica Greenbaum, Joy Priest, and Terrance Hayes, to name a few. I learned about new literary forms (such as pantoums) and dove deep into others (such as odes and ghazals).
Perhaps the most valuable thing I learned in my Creative Writing class is the practice of meta-writing. Meta-writing is reflecting upon the feedback you received, the changes you made to your work/process, and how those decisions will affect your future work. I’ve started using it for my novels and it has really helped me.
In the recent semester, I was also exposed to some different fields of study, such as Anthropology. As a fantasy writer—and as a fiction writer in general—I found Anthropology fascinating for its insights on the construction and maintenance of (cultural) identities, as well as the codes and institutions that guide our everyday lives. I studied everything from religious rituals to foodways to the construction and perception of art. I learned about the many subfields of Anthropology: my favorite subfield is Linguistic Anthropology (big surprise, I know). I usually think of myself as humanities-focused, but it was insightful to step into social science for a semester!
craft conversations
It’s hard to estimate how many total new words I wrote in 2024. I wrote roughly 82,000 words for my fourth novel, an Adult speculative horror novel titled As Elysium Ordained. When will I get back to it? It’s hard to know; as I continue to write, I have realized that Young Adult literature is the most rewarding genre for me. The reason I love it so much is because I feel as though I have more creative freedom and less pressure to write a certain way. I can be as serious or unserious as I’d like.
I have only written two books that are not YA: As Elysium Ordained, and a dark academia novel titled The Voice at Eve, which I wrote in 2023 (categorized as New Adult). Yet the problem with my non-YA novels is that I didn’t have as much fun writing them. It’s true that the subject matter of those two novels was not cheerful to begin with, but while writing them, I felt…well, far too serious. I thought so much about sounding witty or insightful that I forgot to have fun.
It’s possible that this is a premise issue and not an age-group issue. (And it goes without saying that not all New Adult or Adult books are serious or dark.) But the fact remains that I have reaped the most reward from writing when I focused on YA. Pawn is verging on its fifth draft (!!!), whereas I did not complete a second draft for either The Voice at Eve or As Elysium Ordained.
Do I regret writing those non-YA books? No. Any time spent writing is worthwhile to me. I regret having to shelve them for now, though they still helped me grow immensely. In the near future, I plan to focus solely on YA, as it is my first and best love.
Before I forget, I want to shout out the second round of beta readers for Pawn: Maya, Samantha, Sophie, Daisy, Alya, and Kay! You guys are so funny and insightful, and I could not have chosen better people to read my Alice retelling.
Moving on from novels…in 2024, I wrote a number of poems, two of which were published in my campus literary magazine, and one of which was runner-up in a poetry contest at my college. I also became involved with my campus literary magazine, and look forward to continuing that involvement throughout the rest of the academic year.
books, media & recs
READING:
In 2024, I rated 44 out of 55 books at either 4 or 5 stars. In other words, I loved 80% of the books I read this year. I rate books on how much I enjoyed them, rather than on their so-called “literary merit”, although the books I enjoy the most are often the most well-written. With that in mind, this is a sample of the best books I read in 2024!
Overall Favorite Book - A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Best Indie Book - The Deadliest Wish by Pavla Leitgebova
Best Standalone - All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
Prettiest Cover - The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
Best Series - The Folk of the Air trilogy by Holly Black (the only series in which I’ve given 5 stars to every book)
Best Classic - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Best Plot Twists - The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Best Fantasy - The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Best Memoir - Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (I highly recommend listening to her music as well)
And here are some more selections that I thoroughly enjoyed:
A Silent Curse by Katherine Gray
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
MUSIC:
My top artists of 2024 were Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, and Lizzy McAlpine. A lot of good music was released this year, but here are some of my favorite songs, in no particular order:
“Older” by Lizzy McAlpine
“CHIHIRO” by Billie Eilish
“Taste” by Sabrina Carpenter
“Risk” by Gracie Abrams
“Tough Love” by Gracie Abrams
“That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams
“The Albatross” by Taylor Swift
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” by Taylor Swift
“Peter” by Taylor Swift
MOVIES/TV:
By far the best TV series I watched this year was Supernatural. I was drawn in by the folkloric and urban legend elements, as well as the action/adventure and the sibling dynamics between Dean and Sam. Overall, the show strikes a great balance between lighter and darker moments.
I watched quite a few movies in 2024—my favorite Marvel movie is a toss-up between Thor: Ragnarok and Captain America: The First Avenger. I also liked Wicked’s combination of show-stopping performances and heartwarming hilarity. Finally, I enjoyed the movie Enola Holmes, which is no surprise, given that the Sherlock Holmes stories are some of my favorites.
until next year…
As some of you know, I got my first job recently, which I am excited to begin working at! I also plan to get a summer job and to increase my financial independence overall.
Throughout 2025, I will make large strides toward the publication of Pawn. True to the type-A person I am, I’ve already started planning my deadlines. I am currently researching editing services: if you have any to recommend, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message!
In the spring or summer, I hope to write my fifth novel, nicknamed Project Spatter, which combines an art fraud conspiracy with the serial killer that threatens to undo it all, complete with an unlikely found family and complicated sibling dynamics. Though this project recently gained an official title, I will be keeping it under wraps for now.
In general, I hope to increase my creative output in poetry and in creative nonfiction. I tend to focus on my novels but I want to round out my craft by honing my skills in multiple genres. I will also officially track how many poems I write (or publish) in 2025.
As a rule, I don’t make quantifiable reading goals: I do not like forcing myself to read a certain number of books. However, I do have two reading goals. The first is to read more independently-published books (so if you have any recs, feel free to comment below!). The second is to reread more books I already own. If I return to my own bookshelves, I feel that I will gain a greater appreciation for the books I currently have—and it will be interesting to see if my ratings and opinions on those books have changed.
2024 has been a busy, fruitful year; I feel that I have grown a lot as a person, as a writer, and as a student. I am beyond excited to find what 2025 has in store—not just for me, but for all of you. I wish you luck with reaching your goals, whatever they may be, and I hope the New Year is kind to you. ❤️
farewell
Thank you so much for reading to the end of this newsletter. I can’t describe how grateful I am for your readership. If you enjoyed this issue of Musings, you can do the following to support me and my writing:
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Comment a word to be etymologized in a future newsletter
GOODBYE. A salutation in parting, from godbwye (1570s), a contraction of God be with ye (late 14th century), influenced by good-day, good evening, etc; a noun since the 1570s.
Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, whenever this finds you—
Calliope