Writers Update - Jan 8, 2026
Pressing Pause (just a little) - The moment I realized I needed tougher grit, or a steely spine, to hold my Art in line.
You know the feeling? Right before the finish line, when everything suddenly halts? I do. Not from doubt this time, but from clarity.
In this update, I’ll share what actually happened during the holidays. Why the project suddenly expanded. And how one quiet pause turned into the full blueprint for the entire Hush Halo universe. You’ll get a sneak peak on new poetry, weird inspiration and can check out the teaser on cover designs.
I had a sense that I was about to release something before fully understanding what it needed to become. For once, I listened.
It All Looked Done, Until It Didn’t
It was only a few weeks ago that I genuinely believed Paradise Beyond Pulse was ready to go.
I was in a hurry. The layout was finished, the ISBN purchased, the cover designed, and the Amazon KDP settings polished to the point of - - Well, I was already mentally in the launch phase.
And then the momentum just halted. Not dramatically. Not in a crisis kind of way. More like a quiet internal brake.
When Flow Stops for a Reason
When my flow stopped, it felt more like a signal than resistance. The world behind the poems was bigger than the book I was preparing to publish.
I could feel a storyline forming under the surface. Almost like a series waiting to be written, but not yet shaped clearly enough to become a trailer or a pilot.
I knew the poems carried atmosphere, mood, and tension. I also knew the internal logic still needed anchoring. I didn’t want this weird world to scatter into beautiful fragments without a spine to stand on.
That was enough to make me step back.
Rewriting the Hush Halo Synopsis
During my so called quiet days between Christmas and New Year, I ended up rewriting a full synopsis of the entire Hush Halo.
Not as presentational material, but as a tool for myself. I needed an inner map to keep the world coherent and the logic intact. I wanted to make the emotional arc steady enough for anyone trying to follow along.
To be honest, it felt weird and rewarding at the same time to build this live, with mistakes, rewrites, and all. Especially with an audience.
Pulling Down the Idea-Cloud
Hush Halo had hovered over me like a giant idea cloud. I knew what it felt like, but not what it actually was.
Writing the synopsis pulled everything into view, connecting threads and creating logic and motivation. The realm formed rules I hadn’t consciously articulated before.
I wasn’t just chasing an atmosphere. I was building an actual story.
It felt like pulling that cloud down thread by thread. What started as a loose constellation of poems now had shape, scale, and a direction I needed to see clearly.
The Poem Count Shock as the Material Multiplies
Until now, I’ve published around 100 dystopian poems on Substack. But once the larger structure clicked, I realized I had more than 200 pieces that could fit the first book alone.
Great, right? Yes, in theory.
In practice, this means going back through everything and choosing what actually belongs in the first book of Systoics: Paradise Beyond Pulse. It also means reworking anything that drifts too far from the core.
It’s a luxury to have options, but every new idea adds another round of decisions.
A Glimpse Into the Tone of Poetry
That sudden expansion opened a new creative window. I’ve written several fresh pieces that came directly from understanding the world more clearly.
Here’s a poem from that new batch. It’s just a small preview of where the tone is heading now that I’m writing poetry with an actual map in my hands.
When Everything Yields
When Everything Yields Moving through spaces designed to bend before me. Widened doorways, lightened halls, steady floors. Nothing catches on my clothing, touches my thoughts. Every surface agrees. Interactions arrive pre-smoothed. Disagreements dissolve into tone. Tension gets edited out of the room. Whispered words get heard. My body relaxes a bit too easily. Shoulders drop before they rise. This life protects me from collisions with invisible armor. I wish edges told me where I ended, pain defined my shape. I wish resistance gave my choices weight, reaction made my touching real. But here, everything yields. Safety as an atmosphere. Comfort replacing friction. I feel myself losing the memory of me, how I learned what I know, who I was before the bow. As I kneel I feel, this aint me. ©Samia Oldman
Let me know what you think!
How My Brain Helps and Complicates
I’m first to admit that I’m naturally impatient. At times, almost too quick with my hands for my own good. I create fast, a lot, and often without stopping to ask whether I’m working on the essential parts or just the exciting ones.
At a retreat years ago, we had to invent ourselves an Indian name. Mine became Flickering Mind, which fits a little too well.
The point stands. I move fast. Maybe this project is teaching me to slow down just enough to let ideas find their right place and time.
The Timeline Shift I Didn’t Plan But Needed
I know no one is holding their breath for my debut except me, which is probably healthy. Still, here’s a casual heads up: the original release date will almost certainly shift.
I’d rather correct now than publish too soon. This pause did not cancel or derail the project. It clarified it. That feels far more valuable than sticking to a date on a calendar.
There is good news about making decisions quickly. The faster you make decisions, the faster you can correct them.
Unexpected Inspirations
I’ve drawn a lot of creative energy from Substack lately, but also from films, series, and books. As this might turn into an interesting topic later, I’ll say this much now.
I never expected any of them to one day influence a dystopian fantasy poetry project. To be honest, I didn’t even know that was a thing. Apparently, it is now.
One of the strangest related surprises has been returning to Lucy M. Montgomery. Yes, that Montgomery. The one who gave us Anne Shirley, the daydreamer of daydreamers.
A solid reference point for dystopian and sci-fi poetry, right? And yet it hits differently when you are building a bleak future realm while still trying to leave a crack open for hope.
Anne of Green Gables might not approve of my world, but she would understand the imagination required to build it.
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
A First Look at the Systoic Trilogy
The first three book arc, told from the perspective of the Systoics, now has a visual identity. Or at least a strong candidate for one.
The general direction is a clean, atmospheric, slightly eerie aesthetic that captures both the cold logic of the Systoics and the beautiful, blooming stream beneath the system.
Think of it as a mood board in book form. Knowing myself, I reserve the right to change everything at the last minute.
Let me know what you think?
Your Presence Here Actually Matters
I want to thank you for supporting this strange, evolving project. Especially because my artwork is abstract, layered, and occasionally a little hard to explain without a twenty page disclaimer.
As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts.
Own your glitch.
Yours,
Sam
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All works are created and copyrighted by Samia Oldman.
Discover my Poetry or read more about my writing process:
Did you miss the previous Artist’s Update?
As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts
Have you paused and rebooted a project?
Do you follow your first plan, or does the real version appear later on?
Tell me about your last creative detour?
Comment below!
Sam, I love all three covers SOOOOOOO MUCH! But when you know the new date, let me know please: When can I own your glitch? :)
L. M. Montgomery!
So Glad to know younger folks still read her!
I think all creatives at different stages of our lives, have varied life/create rhythms. Being around non-creatives or creatives with a snobby attitude can sometimes make us doubt our own journey. Our task might be not to be snobby about it, but to politely go about our own journey in the midst of the disapproving atmosphere. Sometimes very difficult, and, no, we shouldn't have to, but Darling... that's what reading books is for!!!!!
(HahahahahahahiCCuphahahaha...had no idea I would write that, I'm copying and pasting this into my diary.)
Keep Sharing and Creating!
(and thanks for adding audio of your poem, I didn't know we could do that, will look into it)