Author: Sara Mazariegos

Nerdfighter. Writer. Obsessed with everything.

Give these moments back to those we love.

Sara Mazariegos


I’ve stretched myself a bit too thin with making blog posts and videos, so I’m only going to make videos sometimes.

My writing is going well. This new plot is fun to write and I keep creating quirky little scenes that make me smile. I hope this is the version of my novel that sticks. It’s definitely the most malleable. Sometimes a simple idea is the best one to grow.

Can I get real for a second?


My novel is based on Nerdfighteria, specifically my local group of Nerdfighters that I joined in January 2012. It’s a romance novel, but it’s also a love letter to them, because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have met my husband or had all of these wonderful, life-altering things happen to me. It’s more than just a fan group, or an Internet friend group. We’ve gone to each other’s weddings and helped each other move and been a family for so many years.

Last week, some of us came together to say goodbye to one of us. It was heartbreaking and confusing, but also touching to see so many familiar beloved faces returning for our friend. It made me nostalgic, and it made me wonder if that magical time from the mid-2000s was just gone. Obviously, it’s not the mid-2000s anymore, but the feeling has changed with time. A lot of us in the local group have moved away and moved on. It’s bittersweet. I hope to see my friends again (in better circumstances) and I am happy to see them doing their things and making their own lives.

That’s why I wrote about them. I wanted to create a literary snapshot of sorts, because it was a time and a group of people in my life that meant everything to me. Still does.


Until next time,

Looking for a spark.

Sara Mazariegos


Whoo boy, have I made some changes.

Remember when I said I was working on my holiday-themed story? I was hit by a creativity spark while reading my beta reader’s feedback on my other novel, so I’m planning to finish the holiday novel’s rewrites in November now (for NaNoWriMo+) and I’m working on rewriting the first story again.

I got a burst of inspiration last Friday as I looked through my notes for a romantasy story I was slowly starting to piece together. It clicked! I could combine elements of that story with my first story. My first story is so personal and matters so much to me. Like they discussed in today’s episode of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, taking the time to really focus and hone the story I want to publish is important.

I don’t want to give up on it and leave it in a closet to die.

Since Friday, I’ve completely retooled the plot outline, making it follow the Save The Cat beat sheet. It has a real flow now, and the themes jump out much more than they used to. The conflict is much clearer. I’m so excited to work on this draft! I only wish I’d discovered STC sooner, so I wouldn’t have been such a strugglesaurus these past few years. But I know, thanks to WriterThreads, that I’m not alone.

I changed the title of the novel for the fourth time, too. Ha. It fits the story better, though it could’ve worked with the older drafts as well. That’s part of how I know it’s a good one. Titles change a bunch of times, though. I’m not getting attached to any of the ones I come up with.

Thanks to Carly Watters, I have another genre I can add to my pitch paperwork, too: autofiction.

Don’t be afraid to work on something else if you’re feeling stuck on something. Even if that something else is the thing you’ve already “finished” twice. 😉

That’s just the way it is.

Sara Mazariegos
Daily writing prompt
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
View all responses

I give myself permission to suck.


Full disclosure: I discovered Maureen Johnson through her short stint as John Green’s stand-in during his first paternity leave from his YouTube channel (Vlogbrothers.) As a writer, the video above is so valuable. I think about it every time I’m in the midst of a writing sprint. It’s so important to allow yourself to power through when things aren’t clicking the way you thought they would in your mind. No one’s first, second, third, eighth* draft is as good as they want it to be. You just gotta keep going, keep writing, and eventually the kinks will be ironed out and it will become the story you were going for.

Why am I posting this today?

I started rewriting my second novel (the one from last November/Christmastime.) It’s been… a challenge. This time of year is busy. But I’ve started it! I’m about 5,000 words in. My goal is to be kind to myself this time. I don’t have to write 2,000 words a day if I really can’t. I’ll still do my best, but some days are just not great and that’s okay!

My goal is to be finished with this second draft by the end of June. That’s plenty of time! I found my groove yesterday, so I’m past the blank-first-page mental hurdle.

How’s your writing going? I assume you’re also a writer. You might actually be a welder. That’s cool, too. What’s that like?

Until next time,


*not necessarily hyperbole. Some novels take a lot of drafts before they’re finished. It really does take time.

Wish I knew what you were looking for.

Sara Mazariegos


My goal this week has been to take it easy. I’ve created a novel outline; I’ve thought of things to include in this new draft. I’m not letting myself start writing it until Monday.

Meanwhile, I’ve been reading The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn. It’s so good. I need to read everything she’s ever written. Her writing style matches mine and my preferences in novels I like to read. I’m still obsessed with Georgie, All Along.

This go-around, I’m not going to worry so much about the publishing side of things. I want to focus on my writing and enjoy it. I figure the more “business” side can come later, once I’m sure I’ve got a manuscript worthy of the effort.

Short post this time. I said everything I wanted to say in the video above. Plus, I said it through burned lips.

That’s not a figure of speech.

Who shot the hole in my sombrero?

Sara Mazariegos

I don’t have to tell YOU folks about scuba diving. So that’ll save some time.

-Emo Philips

To say my vacation didn’t entirely go as planned would be putting it mildly. I didn’t make a video this week because there’s a lot to try to parce down into a short video and I also feel too blah to want to appear on camera.

Disney World was great! The Grand Floridian spoiled us and I want to stay there again someday. (Darn it, Disney.) We rode the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean three times, then dined with princesses in the castle as the fireworks went off right by our window seat. The Magic Kingdom day was certainly magical.

The rest of it was also great. Mid-April is a good time to go, because the crowds aren’t as big and the temperatures aren’t as hot.

Universal was also fun, though it really does pale in comparison with Disney. My favorite part was The Simpsons, and they’re probably going to replace it soon with Nintendo stuff. I like Nintendo, but… I wish they could just have both. Or Disney would literally take the Simpsons stuff over to Hollywood Studios.

Anyway. Enough theme park stuff.

My husband caught something by the time we were in Guatemala for the wedding. Then I caught it from him literally the evening of the wedding reception. I fell asleep at nine and slept TWELVE HOURS. At first, I thought it was just my body trying to catch up on lost sleep over the past few days, but then my stomach started feeling sick.

The wedding was so nice and it was great to see everyone in Luis’s family there, but it was a bit of a blur because we were both so sick. I think now, today, I’m finally starting to be better. *fingers crossed*

I had a Grand Plan to work on rereading and plotting a novel this week, but that’s out the window. I’ve barely gotten any of my day job work done, between taking a sick day on Tuesday and working (slightly) from home today. But next week! I have faith in next week.

Don’t let this make you think I don’t still love Disney, though. If anything, I blame Universal for getting us sick. 😉

I’m already lightly planning our next trip to a Disney park.

Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns.

Sara Mazariegos


I both won and lost my personal book game for my birthday. I got so many new books. Ah, loopholes. If I was really serious about not getting any books for a while, I wouldn’t ask for them for my birthday. 😇

You can see my excitement about one of them in the video above. I will take it to Disney World and Guatemala, not that I foresee having much extra time to read it while on vacation. Perhaps during the flights, while I’m awake. One of my flights will land at 4 something in the morning!

I’m already feeling grateful for taking a recovery day after our trip. I’m mostly going to use it for sleeping.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m going to jump right into reading the draft of my other novel as soon as I’m back and conscious. I have so many ideas, but I’m pacing myself and being organized about them this go-around. Because “Write all the things!” leads to a mess and/or burnout.

See? I’m learning!

This trip may just fill me with further inspiration. Isn’t that always the way, for authors? Inspiration can be found everywhere.

Until next time,

“I’m thirty-seven.” “What?”

Sara Mazariegos


“Well, I can’t just call you ‘Man.'” “You could say ‘Dennis.'” “I didn’t know you were called Dennis!” “You didn’t bother to find out, did you?”


It’s my birthday! 🥳 Today, my husband and I are going to our favorite Italian restaurant and then we’re going to watch Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. (It came out in 1937. That’s my theme this year.)

This weekend, we’re going to celebrate with friends and see the new Ghostbusters movie and do an escape room. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And then next weekend, we’re heading to Disney World!

I’m spoiled.

Currently, I’m listening to Carly Watters talking about how to get started in the publishing industry. That’s right, I know how to party.

Luis finished alpha reading my manuscript, so I have a few more tweaks to make, and then I can send it out to a few more beta readers. Then I can enter the query trenches again.

When we come back from our trip, I’m going to switch gears and work on rewriting my other novel. It’ll be a nice change of pace. I’m excited to play with those characters again and use what I’ve learned to make the story better.

I’m feeling optimistic. ✨

A humiliating kick in the crotch.

Sara Mazariegos

Writing query letters is tough, especially when you’re not sure where to find good people to critique it. Friends and family rave about it, but a random person can shut it down and make me feel like no one would want to read my novel. It would be nice to find somewhere in between those two extremes. I know it needs work, but that doesn’t mean my novel isn’t good or deserving of being published.

I’m not giving up on it.

Meanwhile, I’ve rewritten an outline for my other novel’s rewrite. Luis (husband) recommends that I write a query letter at this early stage, too, to help guide the novel. So I’m going to be having fun with that as well.

In slightly over two weeks, we’re going on our fun Disney/Guatemala trip, so it’ll be another opportunity to take a break. I just feel as though I’ve been taking a break for a while now. I’m ready to write more! But it’s good to pace myself and not stack my days with too much writing, especially when I know I won’t have enough time to write a new draft until after the beginning weeks of April.

Are all writers like this?

Let’s take the whole day off.

Sara Mazariegos


I’m the type of person who schedules things. I have a Google Calendar for my personal plans. It contains everything from what we’re having for dinner tonight to our weekend activities to the novels I want to work on. It helps keep me on track, even if I only put “Write 2K” on a date. I think it might partially be guilt if I don’t do what it says, but I’ll take it. 😅

Aside from Calendar, I also utilize Pacemaker to keep my word count on track. I plan to write a NaNoWriMo+ novel this year since I don’t have plans to travel in November. The + means it will go past November because it will be longer than 50K words (unless I fail.) I’m going to tackle an old story I didn’t truly finish back in 2010, back when NaNoWriMo was the only time of year I really sat down and wrote stories. I got the story to 50K, but then just… stopped writing it.

I’m going to finish it and make it better this year! That’s one of my plans anyway.

So, my slate for the year is finishing/revising two romance novels and finishing/revising a young adult fantasy.

I’m ambitious. But it’s good to have goals.

Inspiration Overload.

Sara Mazariegos


It figures that now that I’m taking a (brief) break from writing, I keep coming up with story ideas and plots. My brain doesn’t want to rest! It at least doesn’t know what’s good for it.

I signed up for The Shit No One Tells You About Writing‘s substack and I am full of so much knowledge and encouragement now. I’m willing myself to take my time and not rush into any more querying until my story is ready. I’m also (as I said in the video above) working on shaping two other novels. I have a lot going on with my writing, for someone who’s not writing at the moment.

I also recently started beta reading for another writer. That’s been a fun, eye-opening experience as well. I’m interested in what other people are working on and how they write, the things they struggle with, etc. It’s cathartic. 🙂

What are your sources of creative inspiration?