Vol. 1 - The Fool

New Year’s Day for most folks is a starting over period. A time to recommit to goals, and resolutions and plans for the following months. It may still be winter, and even though the earth is still sleeping (in the northern hemisphere at least), I actually like the blank slate Jan 1 offers. 

For a while now, I’ve wanted to start my very sporadic newsletter over and make it sort of a blog hybrid thing and what better time than the start of a new year. I still plan to share my querying journey for those following along, and drafting goals + updates for The Dawnfire Saint and future projects.

A new thing that I’m excited about is Tarot for Writing. Each month I’ll be looking at all the cards in the major arcana and what craft lessons they can teach us. Since it’s the first day of the first month of a new year, it seems really appropriate to start with The Fool.

But first—a little 2025 year in review.

For most of us in the states, it was one of the worst years in recent history. Being a queer person, and raising a trans kiddo amidst of it all has been a dystopian nightmare. But through it I found moments of joy and connection and magic. I sent my first queries—a huge milestone in my years’ long publishing journey. As stressful as it’s been, I’m so proud of myself for finally getting to this point, and I can’t wait to see where I end up at the end of 2026.

In all honesty, the best part of 2025 was this guy.

He has my whole heart, y’all.

Some 2025 stats:

Words written: 43, 865 total. 36, 732 in The Dawnfire Saint

Queries sent: 13

Rejections: 6

Requests: 1 (full)

Books read: 11

Fave book: Verity Vox and the Curse of Fox Fire by Don Martin

Fave show: Andor, Dimension 20 Cloudward, Ho, Critical Role Season 4

Fave album: KPOP Demon Hunters Soundtrack, Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine

The Fool

In traditional Rider-Waite Smith decks The Fool begins the journey through the tarot. It is noted with the number zero (representing its place outside the system), and features a youth standing on the edge of a cliff, pack and furry pal in tow. An expression of delight, innocence, and irreverence is visible on their face as they step out into the unknown.

The Fool is where the story begins—but not because everything is planned or understood. It begins here because The Fool is willing to take that first step.

The Fool as a lesson: In a creative journey, this card represents the moment we choose to tell a story. And we make this choice again, and again. The Fool reminds us that writing happens not when the timing is right, but rather when we ask the question “what if?” and trusting that what awaits us is something magical.

The Fool in reverse (or the shadow side): When a card appears as a reversal or upside down, we often look at it’s shadow, or opposite, meaning. The Fool’s shadow represents fear of the unknown, and for creatives, that can look like a number of things, but ultimately it is a fear to take a risk. For some that is endlessly planning and researching an idea to make sure it’s “perfect,” for others it’s saying things like “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m not an author because I haven’t published anything.”

The Fool’s shadow is not inherently negative, but a reminder that sometimes big things are scary. Hesitation often comes from a place of care. But that hesitation keeps us from moving forward, from taking that first leap. Our creative hearts are tender things and it can be hard to put them out for the whole world to see.

The Fool as Craft: The Fool governs first drafts. Those typo-filled scraps of dialogue, brackets with “make this better.” Filler words, floating heads, and so many sighs. And that’s okay. First drafts are meant to be messy. Making it shine comes later. The Fool challenges you to keep moving forward despite the mess.

The Fool as a cycle: There’s a deeper reason The Fool card is marked with a zero. Zero has no beginning and no ending. Besides it marking the card as outside the system, it also marks the card as part of the cycle. For creatives, we are never done. There is always a new project, a new draft, a new piece of art we must make. And so, we begin the cycle anew. We return to that place of “what if?”