Hey, CNFers,
Happy start to the New Year? Is this the year? Is this when it happens? Or do we stay in our well-worn grooves? Give up at the slightest resistance? Frustration? Do we get discouraged? Do we put too much pressure on ourselves to be everything all the time to everyone?
We all have questions we ask of ourselves. I hope you find the answers you're looking for. Above all, I hope you stick with it, whatever "it" is.
As you know, this newsletter starts here and goes up to 11!
1. As many of you know, social media is something I struggle with. The thing itself and the very notion of it. So maybe consider a Twitter-free January, as inspired by Cal Newport. So if you graciously link up to @CNFPod this month and I don't give you the love you deserve, I'm not ignoring you.
2. Bradford Pearson's Eagles of Heart Mountain deals with the internment of the Japanese and Japanese Americans on our own soil during WWII. Sobering, infuriating, and downright embarrassing.
3. If you have any room in your inbox for another newsletter, you might want to subscribe to Story Club with George Saunders. Why? It's a masterclass in how he digests, interprets, and crafts the short story. I think it's $50 a year, but it's $50 a year where you essentially take a class with Saunders. Think about it.
4. Illegible evidence. [I love the design of this notebook, but the cardstock is too flimsy for me]
5. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
6. About halfway through Marc Maron's interview with Guillermo del Toro, del Toro talks about workshopping and editing his movies. He says, "Look, come in and be brutal. We have a saying, when it comes out, we all agree it's a masterpiece. But before it comes out, it's a piece of shit. Let's brutalize anything you want."
7. I hated reading New Yorker editor David Remnick say this when he was talking to Paul Thomas Anderson about Licorice Pizza and his movie-making process: "I’ve always thought of writing as something that you can do, or imagine yourself doing, simply because you have a pencil and a piece of paper. It’s a great deal harder than that, but you have the instruments to do it. You have the self to do it. And nothing else is required other than, well, genius or talent ..." [emphasis mine]
Read the entire interview for context, but ... I can't get behind saying something of that nature. I won't bog it down here as I riff about it on this episode of CNF Pod, but figured I'd drop it in.
8. Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy by Rachel Kranzt
9. All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told by Douglas Wolk
10. Joan Didion died, and there was no shortage of people writing about her. I was particularly touched by my pal Seyward Darby's riff about it. And, if you look at the image below, you'll have another understanding as to why I'm getting off Twitter for at least a month:
|
|
This is the kind of stuff that always frustrates me about Twitter, or social media. If I don't even know it's there, then I can't get annoyed or frustrated, hence the Twitter-free January. What's with the constant need to try to have the "smartest" or "hottest" or "contrarian" take on social media? It's all dust in the wind, man.
I won't say who it is. I think they're a great writer and reporter. I even get why maybe even they are frustrated that people take to Twitter to validate why a dead writer means something to them, but why not let them have their personal, public eulogy? I don't know ... If I were smarter I'd be able to articulate it better ...
11. The Year That Was and Wasn't
CNFin' Happy Hour
Here's a primer: Let's talk writing goals for 2022.
Wednesday, Jan. 19, 5 p.m.
Meeting ID: 943 3086 8970
Passcode: y9BJ5X
Become a CNFin' patron!
If you want exclusive goodies, consider becoming a patron. Your dollars go into the production of the show (It ain't cheap!) and into the pockets of writers. You are directly helping the CNFin' community. After Patreon and Uncle Sam get their cut, of course.
You have the knowledge that your money helps produce this show, can afford for gear upgrades, and if we hit a critical mass, maybe do away with paid sponsors so the show feels more and more streamlined.
Hey, it's up to you, but if you want to support the community and get coaching, an audio magazine, and transcripts, go check it out: patreon.com/cnfpod.
Editing and Coaching
You've heard me say that if you want to get in better shape, you hire a personal trainer. She holds you accountable and makes you better. Same with editing and coaching. If you're ready to level up a pitch, an essay, or, hell, a book (!), drop me a line and we'll start a dialogue and see if I can help you get to where you want to go. My strengths are in sports, memoir, and sports memoir.
b.r.o.
PS: The middling writer and podcaster lives and dies by reviews. If you have a moment, consider leaving a kind review on Apple Podcasts for The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. The sheer number of WRITTEN reviews for our little-podcast-that-could speaks volumes to this community. Reviews help the wayward CNFer pause and think, 'Yeah, I think I'll pull over and stop here for a bit.' Thanks, CNFers!
|
|
|
|
