Happy New Words

In the new year, let's just play

Hi! Hello! It’s me, your not-able-to-be-on-Substack-as-much-as-I’d-like writing mentor. On the eve of a brand new trip around the sun, I wanted to check in.

My 2025 ended up far more bogged down with work than I had expected. That’s going to continue into 2026 too. A good problem to have!

But I want you to know that I’m still here for YOU.

I’m here to answer questions.

I’m here to listen if you need to vent.

I’m here to guide you if you need advice.

I’m here to help you keep going if you need a little push.

I’m going to try to be more actively here next year, and have been trying to think of ways that I can continue to inspire you while still hitting my work deadlines. I’m working on it. And, if there’s something you’d like from me, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can message me here on Substack or contact me through my website.

In the meantime, as the clock ticks closer to 2026, I want to tell you this:

Wherever your writing found you this year, you’re good.

If you wrote 1 word or thousands, you’re good.

If your story is a mess and you don’t know if you’ll ever get it under control, you’re good.

If your story is flowing like a river and it’s all you want to do, you’re good.

If you’re scared of writing, you’re good.

If you’re scared you’ll never write again, you’re good.

If you’re scared that writing will never love you, you’re good.

In fact, you’re in good company.

Writing is blissful, difficult, joyous, heart-breaking, uplifting, head-banging. Writing can be your friend or your demon at different times. But writing is…

always there for you.

Writing is hard in the best of times, but when you take the pressure off yourself, when you’re ready to play with words and just have some fun and see where a story takes you, writing will say, “Let’s do this!”

So in 2026, no matter where you are on your writing journey, no matter what’s going on in your head or in your life, or in the world, I challenge you to this:

Play.

May your 2026 be filled with words.

I believe in YOU!

Samantha M Clark