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Leg day, white people stuff, and Shakespearean paint [Friday Goodie Bag]
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Reading time: 2.32 601 words Hey Reader, I’ve started and stopped this damn email so many times today I’m sick of myself. Do you ever get so sick of yourself you just want to scream and scream and scream until you’re hoarse? Yes, well. Anyway, I decided to stop overthinking it and instead tell you about a tiny experiment I’ve started, because perhaps it’ll help you too. I am going to write a few words of my cosy fantasy story every day for 100 days. That’s it. No end aim. No big hairy audacious goal. And absolutely no SMART parameters in sight. I’ve started a Trello board and I’m adding a card every day. Look. On day 1 I literally transcribed the handwritten notes from my notebook. If I only write 10 words, that’s fine. If I take a picture and give it a caption, that’s fine. The goal is to show up. Anyway, just thought I’d mention it. I’ve got Goodie Bag goodies for you now. You ready? These two bros who could literally heal the worldThere’s this Instagram account I adore. It’s two best buddies. They’re American. Their whole schtick is “Welcome to taking my white friend to do Black people stuff. Welcome to taking my Black friend to do white people stuff.” It’s SO wholesome. And absolutely hilarious. And very much NSFW so don’t have the volume loud in public (honestly good rule for life). Munya Chawawa laments leg dayAnother of my fave Instagram accounts (sorry there’s so much Insta today) in which one of my fave comics makes a funny. Honestly though check this out because there are so many clever little puns it’s a mini-masterclass in creativity. This thread of world-shifting observationsStumbled across this question on Threads: What’s something that someone just said to you in passing that changed your whole worldview? And got stuck there for a while. Evidence that there is amusing content everywhereEven on the side of a can of paint. Me doing a fireside chat next week!Oh HEY Anita Ellis invited me to Sutton Coldfield to sit in front of a fake fire and talk about creativity, writing, and why AI is destroying us all (and also how it isn’t). I will be chatting through what keeps people stuck, what gets them going again, and the biggest hugest mistake that I believe is at the heart of every single writing block ever. It’ll be lovely! Come meet me in person and enjoy my awkward T-Rex arms! What I’m readingI’ve just finished My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and I tore through it. She’s written a book absolutely stuffed full of truly unlikeable characters and I really enjoyed the whole ridiculous romp! I’m now moving onto Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea because my new personality is cosy fantasy. What I’m writingMy own cosy fantasy story. A little a day for 100 days and let’s see what happens, ey? (And my Kickstart Your Book course — coming soon to an internet near you!) Word of the weekskeuomorph n. an object or feature which imitates the design of a similar artefact made from another material. For example: the floppy disc save symbol which is still in use and which Gen Z and younger will never have seen. For example: camera phone apps that make a camera shutter sound. For example: fake buckles on velcro shoes. Quote of the week:“The one thing, more than anything else, is learning to pay attention.” —Robert Irwin TTFN, Vicky 🫡 p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.
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Learn to Write Like You Mean It
Join 500+ writers, creatives, misfits, and weirdos and learn to write like you mean it in 10 minutes a week. Get ONE practical tip, story, or shenanigan every weekday + a creative goodie bag on Friday 🖖🏼
Reading time: 5.19 1,263 words Read this email in your browser Hey Reader, A really, really good tomato is worth the wait and the effort and, sometimes, the travelling. It’s why my greenhouse is full of tomato plants of different varieties. I’m excited about all of them, but particularly the Wlà decks, which is a heritage tomato. Big, beefy, and red. The kind of tomato you see in old-timey children’s books, perhaps drawn by Beatrix Potter. A client sent me some seeds a few years ago, and I...
Reading time: 1.47 421 words Read this email in your browser Hey Reader, ➡️ 1. They allow (at least elements of) the writing process to be fun. Why so serious? ➡️ 2. They burrow through their discomfort and elbow their ego out of the way to get to the substance underneath. People don’t want a surface level book; they want depth. They don’t want our “ooh what will people think of me” prose; they want our down-and-dirty truths. The secret? 🔥Write the stuff you’re not sure you ever want anyone...
Reading time: 4.20 1,030 words Read this email in your browser Hey Reader, Okay, I’ll join in the weather commentary. IT’S HOT. So when I went to gymnastics this week, my plan was mostly to stretch and not move around too much because that room was approximately the same temperature as the surface of the Sun. But I did want to do a couple of somersaults into the foam pit because I’d been away for a couple of weeks. You need to keep doing them otherwise it gets scary again. Taking a run-up...