In 2008, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Florida writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. This created a lot of excitement among MKR aficionados. The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society produced some great merch for fangirls like myself – I bought the totebag, the mug, and a framed set of stamps. 

This year I have been more deliberate about my writing habits. I cleared the stacks of clutter from my desk (So many writing books! So many journals and notebooks!) and I reorganized my writing space. I bought a nice blue deskpad, and moved the journals and books to a little rolling cart. I bought a candle scented with neroli, the oil from orange blossoms, the same fragrance that hangs in the early springtime air in Marjorie’s grove. I set a goal of spending some time writing for a minimum of 100 days before the end of the year. I printed a 100-square grid, which hangs on my refrigerator. Every day that I write, I jot the date in a square. As of today, I have filled in 53 squares. That’s one-third of the days so far this year that I have put some time into writing. I am on track to make my goal at this rate. 

A few weeks ago, I noticed while fixing my morning coffee that my beloved Marjorie mug had developed a hairline crack, so I moved it from the kitchen to my writing desk, where she now holds some of my favorite pens. 

I am happy to report that the grid and the refreshed writing space are working. I am submitting essays to literary journals and revisiting notes and ideas from my “bone pile,” while Saint Marjorie looks on. 

Here’s to more writing in 2026 for all of the writers out there!