That Time Half of Washington Flooded
The Cat & the Comma Issue # 34
December started off…interesting. If you don’t live in Washington state, or don’t have friends who do, you might not have heard that this state got absolutely slammed by several atmospheric rivers in a row. Which mostly means we got unprecedented amounts of rain—even for Washington. Many cities saw devastating floods. Many more were at severe risk of floods. I was 95% confident I would lose my childhood home in all of this. Somehow, I didn’t.
Of course, we aren’t out of the woods yet. This is a fairly warm winter (and I don’t need to really elaborate on why; we all know) and spring will bring more rain and also snow melt. It’s likely we will see more flooding before too long.
Anyway. Let’s talk about December…and perhaps the rest of the year while we’re at it.
Misc. Professional Update + Reflection
Compared to 2024, I’ve done a lot less outwardly in my professional life. I’m still going to writing groups. I did go both to Emerald City Comic Con and also to Worldcon, but it was as an attendant and not as a seller or presenter or anything. Which I rathered for my first true time being at both, to be honest. I also saw a lot of my friends and made even more. I’m happy to have gone!
I was also in my third anthology! Reverent: An Anthology of Divinity! Despite the production issues towards the end, I’m glad to see it out into the world. You can get it here or here to see my short as well as that as several other wonderful authors.
I also did more in-person events! I tabled at my local pride for the second year in a row. I did a day-long event at a local mall. I did more events at my local Barnes & Noble! I’m proud of myself for doing them, even if they can get exhausting at times.
And just in time to round out the year, I did another interview! You can hear me talk to Remilia, U. R. Holm, over here, where I discussed video games as part of my process, what gave me the idea to write ASMLP, and more!
In 2026, I am hoping to get my shit together to release TDBSaS in the summer, sell a short story to a mag, MAYBE vend at ECCC (or at least go again), and pick a project to fully devote to once TDBSaS is out for realsies. Maybe write more shorts, too.
Writing Update + Reflection
Like last year, a few twists and turns happened this year.
I started on January 1st with the intent to give Across This Hollow Distance a final, fair shot…which lasted all of a day before I decided instead to work (mostly) on The Distance Between Stars and Salt. In January, I ended up writing 14,183 words across mostly TDBSaS and also a short story, “Honey, Intravenous”. Neat!
In February, I was sick a lot (and on my birthday month, no less), so I didn’t get as much done, but I kept plucking away at TDBSaS and ended the month with a further 6,994 words under my belt.
March was another slow month, because I went to ECCC and needed time to recover afterwards, and also did in-person events. That said, I got another 1,412 words down on TDBSaS.
In April, the progress picked back up a bit and I also did the cover reveal for TDBSaS, which is utterly fantastic. I could not have asked for anything greater than what Eva produced. Also in April, I wrote the first draft of a new short story, “Gestalt”. All in all, I wrote an additional 11,593 words across both major projects.
In May, I kept plucking along on TDBSaS and even finished the zero draft! I also got a story idea for something still untitled. All in all, I got down 31,954 words. May was my most productive month, according to my records—though, surprisingly, December is pretty damn close.
June was fairly productive as well, with 18,195 words penned across the month. Again, mostly on TDBSaS.
In July, I slowed down a lot. I wrote a lot less across the month, but I did still get down 9,581 words so it wasn’t a total wash. It’s about here that I think the fatigue with TDBSaS was starting to set in.
August was another fairly slow month, still working on just TDBSaS. I got down 8,187 words across the month. I also went to Worldcon this month, so the slow down is understandable, I think.
In September, things picked back up a bit! I took yet another prod at Those Who Emerge from Ashes, got a new and completely feral story idea we now know as Flesh of My Flesh, Dark of My Dark, and continued work still on TDBSaS. Between outlines and drafts, I wrote 12,006 words.
In October, I continued outlining and drafting a bit of FoMFDoMD and working on TDBSaS, bringing another 19,039 words under my belt.
And in November, I slowed down quite a bit. Work got overwhelming, I got incredibly burnt out, and the holidays were looming on the horizon. This one hurts, but I only got down 2,364 words across the month. But that’s still better than 0!
Also this year, I learned how to write a synopsis (yikes), I wrote my first serious query letters, I wrote and improved a couple of short stories I’m incredibly proud of, and I have more shorts on the horizon as well.
Now, finally, December. I went and wrote another draft of “Gestalt”, which I’m quite pleased about. I reworked an old short, “Following a Northern Star”, now re-titled “When the Stars Were Brighter” (as I originally intended it to be called) and have firmly slotted it as an intro short of sorts to a larger project I’m working on under my pen name. And indeed, this project took up most of my writing time and mental real estate. This development was completely unprecedented, of course. I figured it would be another slow month, given the holidays and whatnot, but the holidays brought an extended vacation from work. It was greatly needed.
Here’s a snippet of “Gestalt”:
“We don’t have to do this, you know,” Eve says once he’s halfway down the page. It's the first thing she's said in five minutes. “We can leave right now and try…” A sharp exhale ruffles her bangs. “Fuck, I don’t know.”
His pen stills over the line next to Reason for your visit. “I want to.”
“Do you, or are you just saying you do to make me happy? Doctor Scott told you not to—”
“Doctor Scott didn’t work out, Eve. Remember?”
Her jaw claps shut. Marital disputes, Adam writes on the line, just to prove his point.
He skims through the next several questions, all asking about mental health history and potential health concerns, desires for outcomes and the like. Then comes the pages of legalese, the reminders of liability or lack thereof. Again and again, GesCorp seeks to remind them that this is not a method that works for everyone.
Please, just work for us.
Finally, the place where they sign. Adam writes his name without looking, hands shaking with eagerness and dread in equal measure. When Eve’s turn comes, she gives him a final, long look before signing.
I’m hoping, after writing group in a couple of days, to give this short a final pass and send it off to lit mags. I think it could find a nice home. Wish me luck!
As for my secret project… I don’t want to say a whole bunch about it, but here’s a small snippet:
RO Sieminski bathes her in that wintry gaze for long enough Luciel swears her breath fogs. Then, “That is what I wanted to hear. Now tell me, how badly do you want to be a pilot?”
She doesn’t, in truth. For years, she’s been strangled by her proximity to Adora, to how much like her sister she’s supposed to be. There has been no avenue for her to escape through. In her first years of adulthood, having been discarded by their parents for good, she had started at last to detangle herself. Now, deep into transition, Luciel and Adora are closer than ever. Too close to ever escape from. Since she’s committed the sin of wearing her sister’s face, it’s only fair to find her and save her from whatever has caused her to go missing.
…Right?
Luciel straightens in her chair. Meets RO Sieminski’s metallic stare. Rolls her tongue around the gravest lie she’s ever told.
“More than anything in the world.”
As for FoMFDoMD, I had my confidence in that work jolted, but I’m trying to bring it back. I also have…a lot of things to focus on right now, so it’s taken a backstep. I do want to go back to it.
Finally, let’s bring out the word tracker.
And now, stats:
For the month of December, I wrote a total of 29,316 words and an average of 2,665 words per session. And here’s an updated breakdown of what stage of writing I’ve spent what amount of words on, too:
As we can see, I wrote a grand total of 164,824 words across all of 2025, which is incredible! I had wanted to at least write 100,000 words, and I got a lot more than that down in the end. I’m quite proud of myself. After a year of feeling like I didn’t do much at all, I at least have this word count to look back on. I did a lot!
Finally, to round this section off, let’s see this data broken down a couple of other ways. First, by what each entry in my tracker was in terms of projects.
And lastly, a recap of most of this section in line-graph form
Media Update + Reflection
There’s been a lot of things I’ve watched, played, and read this year. I revived my Sonic Adventure 2 Chao Garden and got the rare Tails Chao. I saw Yellowjackets. I did a ritualistic re-watch of House MD. I need more mouse bites to live. I picked Final Fantasy XIV back up and made an OC I’m absolutely nuts about. I had my brain rewired by The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir.
Point is, I’ve consumed a lot this year. How about some Top 3s to round this part off?
Top Three Books
Harrow the Ninth
Metal from Heaven
The Raven Scholar
Top Three Shows
Yellowjackets (S1, S2)
House MD
365 Days to the Wedding
Top Three Games
Hollow Knight
Final Fantasy XIV (ARR)
Final Fantasy Tactics
(Bonus) Top Three Music Artists
My Chemical Romance (I saw them live!!!!!)
Arctic Monkeys
Kiichi
I don’t know what next year holds for me yet. I picked up Signalis this month, because I love lesbians and robots and also being sad. I picked up Minoria, because I love Metroidvanias and Dark Souls aesthetics and women. I picked Final Fantasy XIV back up after months of not playing and have greatly missed it. And in terms of books, well… I picked up WARHOUND by Kallidora Rho. If you know what that is, great! It rewired my brain chemistry in a way similar to how Harrow did. If you don’t know what it is… maybe don’t look it up. It did influence my secret project, though.
I also watched a bizarre yuri ecchi this month in Valkyrie Drive which was. An experience. I got through it with the power of edibles and giving a close friend a play-by-play as I watched. And a couple other animes that feel just. Okay so far. Waiting for them to get really fascinating. I also watched and quickly DNF’d World Trigger. Really not my thing.
Finally, a photo of Midi Nara, my Warrior of Light for XIV. I’m obsessed with her.
Blog and Video Update
I didn’t livestream this month, either. The holidays. Etc. I didn’t livestream much this year at all, to be honest, which I’m a bit sad about. I miss it. I need to do it more. Hopefully soon.
That said, this is the year I did Sapphics in SFF — What Worldcon is Missing Out On, a podcast I am incredibly proud of. I was also on SaFic and Chill, a sapphic-oriented writing podcast. And I also did that aforementioned chat this month with Remilia, which I enjoyed quite a bit!
Similarly, I didn’t do much for blog posts, but I’m proud of what I did write. There were three essays in total, linked below in case you missed them. I have more planned as well, of course. Just…trying to get back into the groove of things right now.
Long-Form Projects, Publishing too Early, and [Milo] Winter (Milo has changed his name/come out as trans since the penning of this essay)
Currently, I have an essay idea that’s a sister piece to “Cost of Entry”, about the actual costs of publishing itself, as well as an essay encouraging people to be less formulaic and experiment more. I also want to write about writing groups as a whole. I have a ton of ideas, it’s just a matter of finding the time, energy, and proper angle for which to approach them from.
The Cat Recommends
I like to use this space to shout out other indie writers, cause I think we could all use a boost from time to time. This time, I’m using the space to shout out K. D. Edge, author of Shadow’s Prey! I originally mentioned them when the ebook first went live, but I’m talking about them again because they’ve recently released the paperback and it looks GORGEOUS.
Kanna awoke with no memory, but her body knows how to move. How to kill. She buries herself in the violent monotony of the blood-soaked Theatre, until her reputation becomes too great to contain. When the city's Governor arranges a gala with Kanna as the unwitting star of her own execution, she unleashes a force not seen in ages-not since the cataclysm that devastated Lifrasir and caused the death of its gods.
Hunted by an empire and haunted by old scars, Kanna finds herself on the run with a guileless Theatre fighter, a rebellious daughter of a politician, a secretive medic, and a trio of traitorous soldiers who once knew her.
Though Kanna is torn between who she is and what she is supposed to be, the survival of her misfit team, and of Lifrasir itself, hinges on a secret buried in her misplaced memories.
Kanna knows this:
To protect those who saved her, she will have to confront the dark inside of her-the feathered thing with teeth that will not be ignored.
You can read more about and purchase Shadow’s Prey here and learn more about K. D. here!
The Cat Thanks
One of the perks for higher-tier patrons is shout-outs at the end of newsletters. Special thanks to Ceph and Larkspur. If you want to have your name here with theirs, subscribe to my Patreon!
And that’s a wrap. I wish you well on all of your endeavors and hope you stay safe. Happy Holidays, is-sena t-tajba (happy new year), and may 2026 be kinder to you than 2025 was.
Kindest regards,
Alex
