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The victory lap, an emu in a gum tree, and bellycheer [Friday Goodie Bag]
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Reading time: 3.13 764 words Hey Reader, Post-show blues is a real thing. It’s happened to me many, many times. After a great trapeze performance, after my comedy set in Bristol before Christmas, after I handed in my Masters dissertation. A bit like Boxing Day used to feel before I realised Boxing Day is one of the BEST days of Christmas. We do the thing, then… silence. Flaaaaaaarp. Like a let-down balloon. Well, not this time, Satan. After January Uncaged, we’re doing a victory lap. Sort of. We’ll have been messing around and creating and writing for 30 days and we’ll have created at least a handful of really cool things and I’m not letting that go uncelebrated. If you’re anything like me, you’re terrible at celebrating what you’ve accomplished. I finish something hard and immediately think “Right, what’s next?” No time to breathe or reflect. I didn’t even go to a graduation ceremony for my Masters degree and honestly I regret that a bit now. This isn’t frivolous, either. When we celebrate our achievements, even the small ones, we train our brains that doing hard things is rewarding. And we become capable of so much more. So after January Uncaged, we’ll meet on Zoom for an hour to congratulate each other, share what we learned and made, and I’ll help you figure out how to keep going because this practice you’ll build is for life, not just for January. We’re going out with a sparkle, not a whimper, is what I’m saying. How about it? Are you in? I know you’re probably buried under a mound of cheese right now but this is the perfect treat to spend that Christmas money on. Just click here ⬇️
Enjoy Twixtmas! Right, time for a Festive Friday Goodie Bag. Here’s what I’ve put in your stocking… This interview with Santa ClausThere are ideas everywhere if you know how to see them. Like, what might the New York Times ask Santa Claus if they got him for an interview? How about Mrs Santa? Or Rudolph? Because you know a reindeer that can fly and has an alert button for a nose can probably also form coherent sentences. This Aussie version of The 12 Days of ChristmasWant an emu in a gum tree? Super. Enjoy this version of the classic Christmas carol which quite frankly was unhinged to start with. Thanks Sarah Silva for putting this on my radar! What we’ve all been thinking about the 12 days of ChristmasSpeaking of, from the guy who brought us Decorative Gourd Season, Colin Nissan, is an exposé on The 12 Days of Christmas. It’s a weird song, to be sure, and its weirdness hasn’t escaped Colin, who has dissected and eviscerated it here. This printed zine as an act of resistanceI make zines and they’re one of my favourite creative activities. I see them as a little act of resistance and revolution because my aim is to deliver a smile into people’s letterboxes. But this zine is an ACTUAL act of resistance in the US and it’s wonderful. Could you make a zine? This commentary on consumerismI make no apologies whatsoever for including this in a Boxing Day Goodie Bag. Because I want us all to be filled with joy as much as possible, and the way we’re mostly living right now? That ain’t it. What I’m readingHonestly not sure because I’m writing this in the past, but I know it’s silly and possibly involves time travel. What are YOU reading? Please hit reply and recommend me something you love. What I’m writingI’m writing for me. Stuff that moves me. Things I feel. What’s freaking me out and lighting me up. It’s all going into a new newsletter I’m starting in 2026. Not work-related. ME-related. Brain-related. Word of the weekNot one, but a collection of festive words for you this week. Use these in emails if you can! Yule-shard: one who leaves things unfinished before Christmas. Every office has one. Including mine, which contains only me. firkytoodling: kissing and general romantic messings around. Under the mistletoe, which literally means “poop stick” so enjoy! scurryfunging: that frantic tidy-up we do just before a guest arrives. My entire life is scurryfunging. bellycheer: festive food! respair: a lost word that means “fresh hope” and I think that’s perfect for 2026. Quote of the week“Christmas is a baby shower that went totally overboard.” —Andy Borowitz I wish you bellycheer, not too much scurryfunging, and all the respair in the world. 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 Tuesday + a creative goodie bag on Friday 🖖🏼
Reading time: 1.26 338 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, When Louise joined one of my writing programs years ago, she couldn’t move. Literally: she had a medical condition that left her immobile, off work, struggling to fill her days with anything meaningful. She wasn’t a writer. Or a reader. And no idea what she was doing. Three months later, she had 66,000 words — a full first draft of the book that had been rattling around in her head. You can hear her full writing journey...
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