I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for about two weeks, but I always get caught up with something else and end up forgetting :/

But as the title says: yes, I do still exist, I haven’t been kidnapped, and I didn’t totally abandon this blog😂 I’ve just been SUPER busy the past few months and haven’t gotten a chance to write a blog post, at least not a full, high-quality one I’d feel good about posting.

So what have I been busy with, you ask?

Obviously it’s holiday season, which always brings its chaos, but I’ve also been busy writing stories for my Honors Academy homework, which I’ve really been enjoying! The prompts push me outside my comfort zone sometimes (which is a good thing) and I’m really enjoying getting personal feedback on my work every week.

I’ve also been working on revising and submitting a couple stories to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and I revised the first page of my in-progress novel to submit it to this first page contest! The first page contest had an option to pay for guaranteed feedback from the judges, which I took advantage of, and we’ll see if I place or get an honorable mention!

Launching my business has also kept me busy — it’s been up and running for a little over a month now, and even though I haven’t booked any clients yet, I’m still focusing on advertising around my town and building an audience online. Freelance editing is notorious for taking a while to book clients, so I’m not sweating it.

(I am offering a 50% discount right now to the first few clients who book with me, so if you know someone who’s looking for feedback on their fiction project, feel free to send them my way! My editing services page has all my current rates and guidelines, and my email is shilohnoellecontact@proton.me if they have any other questions.)

If you want to hear from me a little more often than you have the past few months, I did start a monthly newsletter a couple months ago! I send out emails once a month (so your inbox won’t get spammed) and I’ll usually include any important updates about my business, new books and movies I’ve been enjoying, and updates about the anthology I’m a part of. You can sign up here if you’re interested!

But whether you found my blog a few days ago or you’ve been here since I started it over a year ago, thank you so much for being a part of my writing journey and for supporting me throughout the years. It means the world, and I appreciate each and every one of you 🥰 and if you don’t hear from me in the next couple weeks, Merry Christmas!!

— Shiloh 🩷