Dear friend,
I can call you my friend, right? I’d love to if that’s alright with you. I don’t know where to start other than to say that I’m sorry for going MIA for a while. I feel hesitant and trepidatious writing this newsletter again after an extended summer hiatus. I know I'm not in trouble with you, but I innately feel the need to tiptoe back into the room and poke my head around the door cautiously, making sure you haven’t forgotten that I’m here.
It’s funny how our bodies react to past stories that swirl uninvited in our heads.
The reality is this: my body and brain needed to free up the space to do other things. Life things. Supporting my kids and husband things. Finishing my memoir manuscript and pitching agents things. The “thing” of taking care of parents and new phases of their life. Therapy things. Perimenopause, constant hot flashes, and crawling skin sensations things. Decisions to downramp BEAM for a little bit to have momentum in other areas (and grieving that decision, if I’m honest). All the “things” that we will likely go into in upcoming newsletters.
In hindsight, this humbling summer and early fall have brought me back to one word: Unscripted. I originally began this newsletter in 2020 to make sure I was building a practice and lifestyle of writing. It was about building the muscles again to meet the page day after day. It wasn’t with the goal to gain subscribers or launch a business, but that’s what it became. Instead of serving you all by sharing what was on my heart and mind, it became more about building a strategic plan, and speaking engagements, and success. It was about being sought after for my ideas after ghostwriting for other viral moments.
I see now how backward that is for my creative process. Frankly, it killed any motivation because it severed my connection with you. It stopped any conversation. Don’t misunderstand me - I’m not downplaying ambition. I just noticed the mere mention of “making things successful” slowly sucked the creativity out of the room.
So, with clearer eyes and a cautious pause, I’m back to Unscripted in its original form. All of the OG friends will remember this well.
Here’s what this will look like
Every Friday, I’ll come to you with an essay that feels in the moment and relevant. Whatever is top of mind will come to the page - not a pre-planned missive or interview unless it resonates in my bones. This will help me to not overengineer this.
On Sundays/Mondays, I might come through with “One More Thing.” Often, once I publish, I have more to say about a subject, but not enough to write a full essay. Sometimes, I’ve written something short that I’m pondering on and will share a writing prompt for you to consider. No matter what, it will be off the cuff, and I hope it’s valuable. I’ll also include links in those emails to the things that are bringing me joy so that they can also bring you joy.
How does that sound? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email.
Last but not least, I do not take it for granted that some want to support this newsletter as a paid subscriber. I’m so very grateful that you’ve stuck with me as I took this essential time. I understand if you would prefer to downgrade your subscription to free as the model has changed. Email me at amy@amykugler.com and we can make that happen.
Finding Hope
Amid 7-year-old big feelings, new schedules, and an upcoming election (hello 2016 and 2020 PTSD), I’m striving to find hope where I least expect it. Here is where I’m turning this week:
’s pictures of clouds and sunsets - also known as “beauty emergencies.”I’ll leave one with you here as a “until next time” sign-off. Make sure to order her memoir or pre-order her next book, DEAR WRITER.
Head up, eyes forward, let’s go.
