What I Published in February 2024

Photo by Kelly Dawson

I don’t believe in writer's block. For those who choose to write as a career, in the year 2024, there really is no time to leave a page blank: There are bills to pay and invoices to chase and ideas to work through, if only to keep your inbox full of potential. Because of these facts, there isn’t much space to be precious about words, to agonize over them or craft them in a way that’s somehow markedly different than just getting them down. Sure, good writing takes time. But writing well is a muscle, it isn’t a spark. And more pointedly, writing may not always be easy, but writing is always a luxury. 

The funny thing about February is that nothing I sat down to write felt like an immense challenge. Lately, as much as I will always feel fortunate to have the work I do, I’ve felt like I figured out the puzzle of the types of stories the internet wants, and following this formula has made completing assignments relatively easy. There are two things that come to mind when I say this. One, that I get hired and paid because of the experience I have, and it’s probably taken me a decade or more to be able to write well quickly. Two, that’s it, I must have lost it. Why am I wondering what’s wrong if a story that used to take me a few hours to write now only takes me two? Perhaps I should bask in this fact and reward myself a little more for a job well done. But instead I’m questioning where the writer’s block I’ve never really allowed myself to have has gone. 

I wish I could tell you that I’ve used these extra hours to relax. Instead, I’m here, writing about the search for more challenges. For free. This is the true struggle of being a writer, in my opinion. Even when a sentence is good, even when a sentence is great, you wonder if you’re worth that sentence or if such a sentence could ever come again. Good thing there are bills to pay and invoices to chase and other ideas to work through, because there’s no real point in wading through that.

Here’s a selection of what I published in February: 

Dwell: You (Likely) Won’t Need a Permit for KitHAUS’s $38K Backyard Studio

Dwell: This Prefab Builder Never Makes the Same Home Twice—and You Can See It in the Price

Dwell: Before & After: Two Friends Give a Dated ’90s Cabin a Moody Reinvention

Dwell: Quartzite Counters and Cedar Cladding Come Standard in These $65K Tiny Homes

Dwell: Two Winemakers Build a Compact, Fire-Resistant Home With an Earthy Palette

Arch Digest: How to Clean a Nespresso

Apartment Therapy: I Tried the Viral “Weekly Reset” Cleaning Routine and It Took an Unexpected Turn

Apartment Therapy: 5 Golden Rules for a Flawless IKEA BILLY Bookcase Hack, According to DIYers

Apartment Therapy: Move Over, Marble. This Controversial Material Is Making a Kitchen Comeback In 2024

Apartment Therapy: Don’t Throw Out Your Greeting Cards Without Trying This Idea First