Grasping time: A semi-annual bonanza of writing updates (and the like)
- Jason Haskins
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Six months. Time moves in the blink of an eye when you are truly in it. Days are short and the memories, long. Or is that the memories are short and days, long. To be clear, even as I move slower with focused intentions on a daily basis, time moves on, calibrations be damned!
Scars of life to not define. They slice open. They fortify and revitalize, left as reminders not to dwell upon, but to grow from. To hope. To believe.
What does it all mean, dear reader? Well, it means a good old fashioned newsletter update last appeared within the walls of this website six months ago. So, on this August night just past the midpoint of the month, a semi-annual update on writing, projects, and more materialized -- which is not to be confused with Victoria's Secret and its semi-annual sale. Two different things entirely.
As the minute hand moves, hour hand trailing behind (or is it ahead?), we are here now to say, "away we go!"
Writing updates
Approaching the month of September, writing has kept me busy, with projects finishing and gaining momentum. The final draft of a long-gestating novel finished up back at the end of January. I have been in edit mode for Through the End of Time since while building a list of agents to send to. A somewhat slow process because I have focused on finishing two other projects in the same juggling arc.
First, I finished the first three drafts for the newly named third book in my middle grade series. With any luck, Pumpkins, Puppies, and Parades: An Autumn Adventure will be ready for release in November or December 2026.
Recently, I also finished the first draft of a new full-length play, which I aim to have a private reading for after completion of the next draft. Speaking of readings, in the spring, I was grateful to have five dear friends join me for a private reading of The General Laws of (Mostly) Everything Human, a full-length play I finished in early 2025. Edits continue with that play and I am about sixty percent finished on a draft for yet another full-length.
Definitely keeping busy with writing, including the very occasional short poem.
Sublime mornings
under layers of passion
melting away
misty memories and
ennui
radiating in your
delightful
aura. Again
yesterdays turn into today's
stable future.
If you want more poetry, including a Haiku, you can purchase a chapbook I put together last May. Suggested price $5-10. Venmo (jason-haskins-1) or msg me and I will get a copy in the mail for you!
On the big and small screen(s)
In the land of cinema, I have been making an effort to see more movies in theaters. Not a whole huge leap (well, kind of for me, in recent years), but I have seen three this summer: The Odyssey, Hadestown, and Disclosure Day. I enjoyed all three, with Hadestown being my favorite.
Here is a selection of films watched in recent months (join me on Letterboxd to see more):
Hamnet - Loved it! Gut wrenching but still...
Obsession - Middle of the road for me
Scream 7 - Let's just say...worse than Scream 3
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F - Fun!
Weapons
Zola
Anyone but You - Big nope
In the land of television, finished up The Bear (and immediately started a rewatch from the beginning), Hacks, and season three for House of the Dragon. Also recently started watching Fargo and am closing in on the final episodes in season two of Nobody Wants This.
Jamming out
The effort continues to broaden my horizons, or at least expand them beyond the artists I loved from 1995 - 2010. The most recent album listen was Lost Weekend from Phoebe Bridgers. My God. She tweaks your heart track by track on this album, then wrings the tears dry on the second to last track, As Above.
Along with Bridgers, here is a sampling of the top artists I have been listening to, which is a mix of old, new, and new to me.
Noah Kahan
Raye
Celeste
Maggie Rogers
Paul Cauthen
Kendrick Lamar
Bon Iver
Jason Isbell
Lord Huron
Taylor Swift
Gracie Abrams
The National
Rosalía
Rose Linn
Bonus: Both Paul McCartney (The Boys of Dungeon Lane) and The Rolling Stones (Foreign Tongues) released new albums. I highly recommend you check them out if you haven't already, especially if you are feeling nostalgic and sentimental.
A good book (or six)
If you have been following along on my social media channels in 2026, I share at the end of each month the books I read in that particular month. You can also follow along over on Goodreads or Storygraph as I track my reading history.
In 2026, I finished reading 28 books thus far, on pace to reach my goal of 40 for the year. Currently, I am reading: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, and The Dance of Connection: How to Talk to Someone When You're Mad, Hurt, Scared, Frustrated, Insulted, Betrayed, or Desperate by Harriet Lerner.
Podcasts
Wrapping up this semi-annual newsletter, I will say the podcasts I listen to are fairly limited in scope. Pop culture, comedy, sports, and celebrity interviews highlight the list with SmartLess, Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, Office Ladies, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, New Heights, and How I Made Your Mother.
I finished Rider Strong's fiction/true crime podcast Red Weather and recently started The Telepathy Tapes. This is an interesting look at autism, non-verbal speakers, and how they communicate (and really, that description I just gave is only the tip of the iceberg).
Thanks for stopping by. Be bold. Be kind.
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