Welcome to my newsletter!

"It was like every childhood nightmare I'd ever faced!"

Reader,

I don’t remember the first thing I sold as a writer.

I was young—somewhere in my twenties. Maybe even early twenties. I think it was an interview with a musician for a small, fledgling industry magazine.

Nothing glamorous.

And at that time, I had no idea that years later I would face one of the darkest, scariest challenges a writer can encounter.

Let me take you there.
​
​The year was 2020.

It was during COVID.

The world was gripped by fear… anger… frustration… and a great deal of sorrow. People were losing jobs, businesses were shutting down, and the question hanging over everything was simple and terrifying:

Would the world even survive—and if it did, what would be left?

​
In the middle of all that, I was fortunate.

I could write.
I could teach remotely.
I had some income.

And then I received what should have been a gift.

A graphic novel assignment.

Right in my wheelhouse.

It had everything—adventure, history, multicultural layers, rich research. The kind of project you hope for.

A gem.

And every day… for nearly a year…

I struggled to write just a single page.
​

One page.

Sometimes just a panel.
Sometimes just a few lines of dialogue.

It felt like trying to dig out of a coal mine with a nail file.

Slow. Painful. Endless.

I couldn’t understand it.

This was work I loved.
So why couldn’t I do it?

Deadlines came and went.​
They extended one.

Still, I struggled.

And eventually…

The project was canceled.

I had barely reached the end of a rough first draft.

I stared at the screen.

And what I felt wasn’t just disappointment.

It was something worse.

Defeat.

“Maybe I can’t do this anymore.”

“Maybe I never could.”

“Maybe everything I’ve done… was luck.”

That’s the lie.

And in that moment—it feels real.

It feels absolute.

​
The world got darker for a while.

I looked at my past work—and it didn’t help.

I looked at the unfinished manuscript— and it hurt.

I felt the shame. The fear. The frustration.

​
And then a voice cut through all of it:

“You’re not getting paid.”
“It’s not getting published.”
“But damn it—you’re going to finish this.”

Not for them.

For me.

​
This doesn’t have the Hollywood ending.

No last-minute call from the publisher.
No triumphant music.
No check arriving in the mail.

But it does have something else.

The sound of a crowd in my head.

Because I finished it.

A few weeks later…

I reached the end.

​
​And here’s what I learned:

The scariest thing a writer faces isn’t rejection.

It isn’t deadlines.

It isn’t even failure.

It’s the moment when you start to believe the lie—

that you can’t write.

That you’re a fraud.
That you’ve lost it.
That whatever you had is gone.

That lie is seductive.

Powerful.

Sitting at the back of your thoughts, it whispers in your ear.

It wants to bury you… seal the tomb… and leave you there.
​​
And if you don’t break out, you stay there.

​
That manuscript?

Still unpublished.

Maybe I’ll revisit it one day. Maybe I won’t.

That part doesn’t matter.

Yes, I carry some disappointment.

Yes, there’s still a trace of regret.

But I don’t live there.

And I don’t live in that lie.

Because the truth is this:

Sometimes the work isn’t easy.

Sometimes it’s harder than anything you’ve faced before.

But you still have to do it.

​
Not just for the client.
Not just for your reputation.
Not just for your audience.

For yourself.

Because finishing—especially when it’s hard—
is how you prove the lie wrong.
​

If this hit close to home—if you’ve ever stared at the page and wondered if you still have it—you’re not alone.

That moment… that doubt… that voice?

That’s exactly why I created The Simmons Says Toolbox.

It’s a simple, practical guide to help you rebuild confidence, reconnect with your voice, and get back to the work—without overthinking your way out of it.

Download The SIMMONS SAYS WRITERS' TOOLBOX and start building your way forward.

Now ... go forth and serve the story. Your story.
​Best,

Alex Simmons

PS: No, your calendar isn't wrong. Today is Tuesday. Simmons Says Newsletter has switched to Tuesdays instead of Mondays.

If you need help telling your stories, Click Below and let me know.