Threads – Sara Mazariegos

Christmastime. We had a really great Christmas this year. We were so organized, it never felt like we were rushed. In fact, everyone showed up a little late on Christmas Eve, which was fine. We forgot eggs for our sweet potato casserole, so Luis’s mom brought us eggs and we put it in the oven once his parents arrived. I also drank probably too much egg nog over the last week, but ’tis the season!

We played a fun card game Luis invented and then it was midnight and we opened presents. I got a snuggly “Biscuit Bandit” hoodie with Meeko the raccoon on it. I’m wearing it even as I type. Luis’s sister gave me a martini glass and a bottle of fancy espresso so I can make my own espresso martinis at home, since I like them so much. My dad gave me not one but TWO Beatles calendars this year. That’s his silly tradition. My sister got me an ice skating Barbie and Ken doll from the early 90s. I haven’t seen them since I was little. So Luis and I might have to make them skate around our dining room table once the table cloth has been removed. All of the presents were very nice and fun. One thing that’s good about being older is there’s less of a disappointed, “Aww, I wanted x” feeling after the presents have all been opened… Mostly because I’m already spoiled.

Luis’s big surprises. We were already planning to go to Disney World for our anniversary in 2026, and I was eagerly waiting for December 27th to book things with Luis. He told me we would wait until then. Nevertheless, his big present for me, which he put in a McDonald’s Happy Meal box (along with a toy Mirabel from Encanto and Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles), was a print-out confirming our one night in the Contemporary Resort, plus four nights in the Art of Animation Resort, plus four days of park tickets!! He booked all of it himself, using our loose plans document and calendar!

He said he booked it all so I wouldn’t worry about it. 💖 I told you I was spoiled.

Now we just have to worry about getting good dining reservations, but why worry?

Luis also got me a big update for my Sims 4 so I have all the game packs I didn’t already have. He’s been busy this Christmas. I got him some Guardians of the Galaxy figures he asked me for, and when I asked him what he wants for his anniversary gift, he told me we could just use the money toward booking another nice dinner at Disney. 🥹 He’s the best and I love him.

John Green told me not to. Anyway, enough gushing about my husband. Time to gush about John Green. This weekend I had a dream that we were hanging out with John and his brother Hank, and I told them I wanted to adopt a raccoon. Dream John and Dream Hank were very supportive of the idea, which is amusing because in real life they wouldn’t be. So I shared it on Threads, and who to my wondering brain should write back?

As much as I love raccoons, I know it would be crazy for me to adopt one. They are not pets. The fact that he wrote back to me at all – during the holiday break, no less! – makes me happy. I laughed out loud when I saw his comment. And I’ve been getting tons of comments and likes ever since. I didn’t think my silly little post would get so much attention. I even got a comment from Mychal Threets!

Like I said: I’m spoiled. 😊

New Years Plans. At my job, we work a half-day on New Years Eve, so Luis is going to meet me at my office and we’ll go out for a nice lunch. I found a fun-sounding English bar and made a reservation so we wouldn’t lose out like we often do. It’s hard to make New Years Eve plans in DC if you don’t like staying out late and you’re not looking for a big crowd. We usually go to the zoo, but this year is a change of pace. We’ll probably be home by five p.m. and watch a New Years-themed movie. And of course check in later on Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen to see how drunk they already are.

I can’t believe the year is at an end. 2025 has been a rough one. I’m looking forward to a better 2026. *crosses fingers* I certainly have a lot of things to be excited about!

Ahaha, I just remembered we saw John Green twice this year. That was a highlight for sure! And our amazing trip to California. Wow. Luis definitely makes my life happy. Everyone should be so lucky as to have their own Luis.

Happy New Year! 🎉

Last week, Luis and I went to see Argentina vs. Guatemala (soccer.) His family came, too, and it was amusing because, though he’s from Guatemala, we cheered for Argentina. His family seemed a little confused/annoyed. 😆 We’re fans of Lionel Messi and his teams, so we weren’t going to suddenly cheer against him! Guatemala did a good job against the World Cup champs, though. They threw them off and scored a goal early on. So they should be proud. Guatemala still lost, of course, but they made it harder to beat them.

When we walked back to the Metro afterward, it started pouring heavy, cold rain. And then the Metro stopped two stops away from our house, so we had to take a Lyft the rest of the way home. What an adventure!

We saw Inside Out 2 on Saturday. I love Anxiety! That sounds so strange, but I feel like PIXAR did a good job of personifying anxiety. It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s often not even easy for me to explain how it makes me feel. I once likened it to a building collapsing around me.

Anyway, in Writing Update news: I’ve crossed over into the 80% zone! The end is in sight! It’s amusing because I plan to use the end I’ve already written, so that’s a bit of a cheat. But still! I’ve gotten back into the palindrome word counts because I can’t help myself. My word goal for today is 69,696 words.

Nice.

There’s been a lot of discussion in the WriterThreads community regarding people (usually authors) purporting to have “the secret” to getting published and offering up expensive “boot camps” to teach people the tricks of the writing trade. I’ve noticed quite a few of these cropping up, especially when I’m Googling for quick tips. They’re also often accompanied by twenty-minute-long videos that can further waste your time and get you too in your head about The Process. As the authors on Threads point out, you should never feel obligated to pay anything to find your agent and get published.

Just write. That’s all you have to do. Write the story. Then edit it. That’s it. Read query letter examples, listen to the TSNOTYAW podcast, and put yourself out there. Anyone trying to get money from you is not really trying to help you.

…Okay, agents will take a cut when you’ve landed a book deal, but that’s different.

I’ve definitely fallen victim to getting in my head about the best way to structure my writing and the beats I HAVE TO HAVE, etc. and, at the end of the day, it isn’t helpful to get so worked up about it. There’s no reason for writing to be scary. If you love writing, you should do it because you love it and you need to do it. There are no real rules. What works out for one person may not work for another.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on that. Don’t stress yourself.

Tag: Threads

This will be our year. Took a long time to come.

“Hi! I’m Anxiety! Where can I put my stuff?”