Milk & Honey's July 2025 State of the Blog & The Sunshine Blogging Challenge

Where the blog is at & my answers for the challenge I was nominated for.

Hi friends,

I have had such an incredible June with you all. Our first writing challenge was beyond my expectations of success. It was so beyond them that I didn’t realize how exhausted I’d feel at the end of it. I found new voices, deeper creativity and a stronger sense of community. If you are new here, welcome. This is a place for morbid creativity.

The polls are in— you guys want more prompts. I hear you. I want to give more to you but I also need to be honest about what I can manage. I also felt like I didn’t have time to write creatively or dedicate time to the many drafts of personal essays I have.

I do not want to slow down but I need to set more realistic expectations for myself.

I am personally going through a big life transition and I have been feeling stressed, burned-out, and anxious about my next moves.

For the month of July, Milk & Honey is not hosting a challenge. I know some of you were really looking forward to another one, I am sorry. What you can look out for is:

• short horror

• poetry

• personal essay on religion

I will also use this time to reflect on what August will bring for us. I do plan on hosting another challenge, I will be working on how to make the next one unique and a better experience for you. I will be working on the administrative aspects of the blog including some more informational pages and other smaller events that we could host for you. I want to post these “State of the Blog” posts every few months to keep you updated on what’s to come and create a set clear goals for Milk & Honey.

Keep reading for my response to my nomination from

Bradley Ramsey

for the Sunshine Blogging Challenge.

Thank you for being here.

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The Sunshine Blogger Award Rules:

I am told that I am required to state the rules so state the rules I shall.

• Display the Award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.

• Thank the person who nominated you.

• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.

• Answer your nominator’s questions.

• Nominate up to 11 bloggers.

• Ask your nominees 11 questions.

• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

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My nomination came from the

Bradley Ramsey

over at The Writer’s Journey, which you can subscribe to below. Bradley was one of the first people that restacked one of my pieces and provided genuine feedback on it. He opened my eyes to how this corner of Substack can be an incredible community and a resource for writers like us. He remains an inspiration with the talent he possesses as a writer and kindness he carries along the way. Thank you for nominating me Bradley!

Onto the questions!

• What made you want to become a writer?

  • I loved reading. I loved escaping. I wanted to create those places that you use to escape to.

• Do you remember the first story you wrote? What was it about?

  • I don’t remember the first story I ever wrote. The earliest story I can remember writing was in high school about a boy waking up next to a pack of wolves They treated him as family and protected him when the hunters came.

• What first brought you to Substack?

  • I was looking for structure. I was looking for a place to get my work read. I didn’t know it but I was looking for community.

• What are your writing goals for the rest of this year?

  • I want to expand Milk & Honey. I want to write more.

• What sort of themes or takeaways do you hope readers get from your work?

  • I hope they take away feelings of comfort. That their morbid curiosities are appreciated by other people and that being weird is okay.

• If you could have dinner with one famous author or poet (living or dead) who would it be and what would you talk about?

  • It would be R.L. Stine. He was my first introduction to horror as a little kid in my elementary school library.

• Who is your biggest supporter and how do they inspire you?

  • My dad. He calls me when my posts come out and tells me my words brought him to tears. He compares me to Edgar Allen Poe (lol I wish) and makes me print out my articles to give out to people he knows.

• What are three items on your writer’s bucket list that you hope to achieve?

  • Write a novel, have my work published (not exclusive to the novel), make a living off my words

• What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

  • I usually don’t listen to anything or I listen to rain sounds, but it has to have thunder.

• If you could travel to any time period, which one would you pick?

  • Maybe the future, whatever time period is when humans have figured out all the fucked up shit

• What’s one piece of advice you would give to writers just starting out?

  • Keep going! It’s so cliché but you won’t get better unless you keep doing it. It’s like a muscle. You have to build it up and if you don’t use it, you lose it.

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Why do I feel so anxious about nominating someone else?!

Carlos Morales

is my pick! Here are my questions for you, I stole some from Bradley’s list lol.

What is your favorite genre to write within?

Who is your favorite author?

What are your writing goals for the year?

What made you want to become a writer?

Who inspires you the most?

Do you have a writing process?

What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

What is the hardest part about writing?

What brought you to Substack?

What is the longest thing you have ever written?

What is your favorite part about writing?

Thank you for the nomination Bradley! I also looked for the original creator but I couldn’t find their tag. If you know them, let me know and I will update the post!

until next time

-meg

<3

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