My nudge word for 2025 was balance. It’s difficult for me to remember a year that’s been so divided between moments when, in a cold sweat, I’ve thought, “I have no idea what I’m doing” and those when, in tears and triumph, I’ve thought, “I absolutely know what I’m doing.”
Is that balance? Who can say! Let’s review.
In 2025, I:
- Wrote 11k words and then edited and formatted “Double Take,” a bonus story for Bad Reputation. I shared it with my newsletter subscribers on Valentine’s Day, as promised.
- Revised You, Me, and the Conspiracy in response to my agent’s notes and then my editor’s notes. I wrote approximately 18K new words for it this year.
- Promoted and released Bold Moves, which ended up on the New York Times’s list of the Best Romances of 2025.
- Bit my nails and refreshed my inbox continuously while You, Me, and the Conspiracy was out on submission. Spoiler alert, we sold it, and it’ll be released on November 10, 2026. Pre-order links to come!
- Wrote 5K for two book proposals.
- Wrote 80K drafting one of those books, followed by 12K on the first revision of it. It’s with my agent now, and all I can say is that it’s soft and experimental. I’m excited to see what, if anything, will come of this one.
- Wrote 11K words and then edited and formatted “A Casual Thing,” the Bold Moves bonus story. This one hit your inboxes in August.
- Read 49 new-to-me books, and I’m certain I’ll get through more in the next two weeks.
In terms of my 2024 goals, I did sign a new contract, I was more chill about my release, and I mostly spent less time on social media. I only wrote 1 new book plus some bonus material this year (about 135K total), but I signed with film and TV representation, which wasn’t something I would’ve even thought to hope for myself. As terrible as the world was in 2025, I found sustenance and purpose in my work.
In 2026, I’d like to write another book and to research the one that’s been bouncing around my head for years. I want to stay focused on what matters to me–telling stories I love–and to let go of the things I have no control over. Most of all, I want to celebrate the wins. Losses are inevitable and failure happens daily, but that’s more reason to be present for joy and success. My instinct is to doubt or second guess the good things, but instead, I have to invite them in.
May 2026 bring many such moments to us all. They’re the only thing that’s going to keep us going. xo
(I’ve been producing some version of this post for as long as I’ve been blogging about my writing. You can read about my 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013 respectively.)
Emma Barry 