Some things I wanted to show you
Interesting links for November
It’s been … a rough few weeks. Expensive and exhausting and distracting and oh my god all the election texts and phone calls. Very stressed about money. This is the time of year that I start to make plans and intentions for the following year, so it’s been a lot of … thinking.
One thing that I’m proud of this last four or five weeks is getting back into regular writing (not counting the week of the election, my god).
Writing is my One Thing* and I have faith that if I just keep on keeping on (3000 words/day, even if it’s across more than one project), that the revenue will follow. I focus on what I can control and try (try) to not let myself be distracted by the rest.
In 2023 and most of 2024 I spent a long time letting myself rest and get out of burnout/survival mode, even to investing in an expensive experiment, but I think that’s all in the past and now I’m just writing every day, scheduling periodic promotions and marketing, and putting out books.
One secret pen name book is coming out this month. Another tentatively January. Flight in April. Another 4 (maybe 5) secret pen name books through the end of 2025. And if I’m writing 3000 words/day that still gives me time to get ahead on books for 2026.
Here we go.
— You Might Not Recover from Burnout. Ever. : Scary and depressing but … 🤷🏼♀️ That’s capitalism, I guess. “I want to share that burnout is a seismic shift in a person’s priorities, one that the body enacts by force as a self-preservation tactic — and that some people are so transformed by the experience they can never piece their old life back together. But what’s most difficult (and most delicate) to tell [my friend] is that all of this might be a good thing. In many ways, burnout is an attempt by the body to give us our freedom back — but it can only do so by taking away our ability to be exploited.”
— The Political Party: An American Invention : “Washington quickly realized a fundamental truth about revolutions: at first, everyone is united against a clear enemy, but it soon devolves into revolutionary versus revolutionary.”
— 7 Books about the History of Voting in America : I’ve read The Federalist Papers but not the other six. Going on my library list.
— From Campy Episode Titles to Iconic Fashion: The Ultimate Guide to ‘Murder, She Wrote’ : I’ve seen some episodes of this show, but a full series watch sounds like a fun future project. “What makes Murder, She Wrote so interesting as an adaptation (in part) is the choice to make Jessica a surprise hit author after a career as a teacher. She does not rely on the generosity of others to fund her life or shape her choices. In fact, rather than serve as her benefactor, her nephew on Murder, She Wrote, Grady, is mostly forgettable and a goofball she has to bail out on occasion (I am not a fan, if you’re a Grady-head please don’t at me). This is a woman in charge who always dresses well, reads the room, and is off book on every detail that matters in life. Conveniently, she solves whatever murder presents itself in one hour’s time.”
— A Brief History of the Most Famous Swear Word in the World : “In all of English there are few words rich enough in their history and variety of use to warrant a dedicated dictionary that runs to hundreds of pages and multiple editions. That fuck is at the same time one of the most notorious, popular, and emotive words in the language makes it all the more fascinating—and deserving of the attention given to it in this volume.”
— Julie Sedivy on Amplifying the Power of Language : “I have often encountered this attitude, as if a scientific way of thinking about language might choke off the source of creative inspiration. Perhaps it’s part of the greater sense that scientific and technological progress have led to a widespread disenchantment, as argued by the philosopher Max Weber, in which humans have lost access to nonrational modes of thought and to the emotions of awe and wonder that can well up in the face of mystery.”
WATCHING:
Gerald’s Game (yikes. So disturbing); Seed of Chucky (Spencer loves this franchise if you can’t tell); Curse of Chucky* (the worst of the franchise); Warm Bodies* (love Nicholas Hoult); Salem’s Lot (the new 2024 version, it’s fun and not nearly as bad as the internet would have you believe); Cult of Chucky (loved the visuals of this one); Creepshow (classic); The Fog* (another classic); Brokeback Mountain* (I love this movie. So heartbreaking); Civil War* (rewatch. Love this, hard to watch during election week though); Hobbit 3 Appendices* (and now I want to go all the way back to Fellowship)
READING:
American Rapture* (CJ Leede is a must-buy); Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* (Spencer is reading the series to me); The Whispers* (v compelling)
( *these are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through any of these links I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you )
You are simply crushing it and I'm filled with envy. :) Congrats!