As RTG stops their posting after 14 years of being in the blog space, my heart weeps a little because it has been a part of my blog viewing for all that time. Some of the authors on RTG have become a friend, others are simply admire what they do. The good news is I know that all these authors can be found elsewhere. On their own websites, on other peoples’ blogs, on substack, and a myriad of other places. I know I will be catching many of them in other places.
For myself, the past five years have been the story of endings and beginnings, definitely in that order. As I’ve aged, I am more aware of endings because more loved ones have died, and many people I don’t know personally but who have impacted my life (musicians, actors, artists, political leaders, and many others) have passed. Though I do grieve those losses and think about days gone by and how my life used to be, I also actively look for new beginnings. If I can’t wake up and expect a new beginning each day, I will find it near impossible to get out of bed.
Beginnings can be small: new buds on my rhododendron bushes, a change in weather, the smell of a new coffee flavor in the morning, an email from someone I’ve lost touch with, a phone call from a grandchild. All of these are beginnings—a chance for me to decide what kind of day I’m willing to work toward. How am I going to pace myself to take in the endings that will undoubtedly happen during the day and celebrate the beginnings?
Beginnings can also be major changes in my life. Two years ago, I came out of retirement from academia to take on a part-time contract with a community college system in order tro support some financial needs of family members with health issues. I never thought I would return to academia. When I retired in 2015, I was committed to my “new beginning” as a full-time writer. I’ve enjoyed it and as I’ve been spending less time as a writer and more time in academia again, I’ve really missed that freedom. At the end of this academic contract, I will return to my writing life full-time in January 2026.
So, another ending and another new beginning. Though I’ve been a full-time writer before, so much has changed in the business, the technology, the competition, the readers and how they consume stories (print, ebook, audiobook, video). What I have learned during this period of less fiction writing is that I need to write regularly for my own mental health. I need to tell my stories. It is how I process the world—both past and present experiences. When I don’t have that time I suffer, my mental health suffers, my ability to stay on task in anything I’m doing suffers. I’m not my best self. I need the quiet time, the dreaming time, the time to create a world where justice is served, love wins the day, and people working together thrive.
The above picture is one of my favorites of all time, as a reminder of beautiful endings and new beginnings. I took this at Middle Beach Lodge in Tofino, BC (the west coast of Vancouver Island) in the early 2000s. My husband and I were on a one-week vacation trip and traveled all over the Island learning about indigenous culture, the arts, and stayed several days at the lodge. It was heaven. The picture is not color corrected at all. That is truly how it looked. I particularly loved the single red/purple line coming up the beach as if it was reaching toward the future.
I hope all of you are also reaching to the future, finding a way to sustain yourself in difficult times. Don’t give up on your dreams as they are the essence of creativity. Always nourish that spark in some way—whether it is only once a week or once a month. Do not let that light go out.
I very much appreciate all of you who have followed me on RTG year after year. If you want to continue to follow me, learn what’s coming next with my books and future writing goals, below is a listing of the places you can find me. I hope to hear from you on one or more of these places.
Website: https://maggielynch.com
Substack: https://maggielynchauthor.substack.com/ Substack is now where my newsletter resides. I try to post once per week with news about messy moments and heroic choices in life, in books, and in both the big and little things we do to survive and thrive.
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/maggielynch.bsky.social This has replaced Twitter X for me.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maggiewrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcvaylynch
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maggielynchauthor/
BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/maggie-lynch-875a4b99-667e-4237-bce1-25962e622286
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4947977.Maggie_Lynch
Dust Jacket Author Interviews: https://www.dustjacketauthors.com/
