#Jami Attenberg

[fairycosmos]

all this could be yours by jami attenberg

[the-wip-project]

This may be an event for us!

It's organized by Jami Attenberg on her newsletter, she also has a book out as a companion, but you don't have to buy the book to participate. You just have to sign up for the newsletter, and you'll get daily emails for the event for the first two weeks of June.

Check out the FAQ here:

[allthefoolmine]

#1000 words of summer, day 3 (03/06/24)

1000 words of summer, for anybody who doesn’t know it, is a writing challenge founded and run by Jami Attenberg. It involves writing 1000 words a day for the first two weeks of June.

Herewith following updates on how the challenge is going for me! I’ll start with an update on my own work on odd days and a recommendation for something that helps me write on even days.

Academia (389 words)

Divided into 225 new words on the use of the first person voice in Latin poetry for a book chapter I’m revising, and a 164-word conference abstract.

Fiction (1054 words)

I discovered that the fantasy world I am inventing uses pit looms for weaving, so that’s a thing. Also, there’s a Little Old Lady All Out Of Fucks To Give called Thistle now living in my head.

The Bottom Line

Wishing everyone trying to get words on pages this month the very best of health and happiness!

[sarahspy]

Even if we write fiction, the most beautiful literary subterfuge, we can tap into certain personal wells and it can feel (to us, at least) like those boundaries become translucent. How do we travel the line between pushing ourselves to be vulnerable, honest, interesting and still make ourselves feel safe? How do we take risks as artists and still protect ourselves? How do we stay steady even as we explore and exploit the wildness of our minds?

Jami Attenberg, in Craft Talk newsletter edition "Steady and Inspired"

[maryannmackey]

But every day she was a little older. Tomorrow, inching toward a gray future. A cold snap would show up in the evening, and the week after that was Halloween. This was the last nice day until sometime next year. The down coats were still in the attic, last year's mittens stuck in the pockets. In January, they'll go skiing in Wisconsin, the whole family, finally in the same place at the same time, and she'll get her period two days early, stuffing wads of toilet paper in here underpants, hoping the snow pants will hide the bulge. Her mother, lit in the lodge on hot toddies. Dad, somewhere else. Even when you're here, you're not here, her mother will say to him. Jess bleeding on the slopes. She was right here. Why wasn't anyone paying attention to her?

-A Reason to See You Again, Jami Attenberg

[aimmyarrowshigh]

[P]eople may not be capable of writing 1000 words specifically, and that 500 or 250 might only be within reach. Or they might only be able to find the time to write once or twice a week or maybe once a month. Or if you’re a poet, maybe you’re just writing a poem a week or something like that, and that’s actually a lot of work. So “1000 words” has become more of a metaphor within the project for “a good day’s work.”

Jami Attenberg

[likecastle]

I know there have been a lot of suggestions about alternatives to NaNoWriMo since that whole debacle happened, but I just wanted to plug novelist Jami Attenberg’s 1,000 Words project. She does periodic writing challenges (like writing 1,000 word each day for a week, or for the whole summer) and sends out really lovely free newsletters about writing and productivity that don’t feel cloying or self-help-y or overly on-the-grind-y. She’s also published a book about her 1,000 Words project, which I haven’t read, but if it’s anything like her newsletter, it’s down to earth and encouraging in a sea of really terrible writing about writing practice.

Most importantly, one of her mini challenges starts tomorrow, January 3rd, so if you’re looking for a way to reinvigorate your writing practice in 2025, it’s worth checking out!

[dwellordream]

Best Reads of 2024

this year i read 300 books. which i think is impressive but not as impressive as it sounds bc many of these books were very short, easy reads meant to be like, stuff you read at the airport or sitting by the pool on vacation. so it's not like i was tackling the harvard classics. i also read extremely fast; it only takes me about an hour to do 300 pages unless it's a super dense complex text. that said, here is a list of all the books i read this year that i would rate 4 stars or higher, separated by genre: Fantasy/Magical Realism: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Highfire by Eoin Colfer Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi Chlorine by Jade Song The Passion by Jeanette Winterson The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter Realistic Fiction: We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent Only Child by Rhiannon Navin Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper Prima Facie by Suzie Miller Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg Piglet by Lottie Hazell The List by Yomi Adegoke A Winter's Rime by Carol Dunbar The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas

Mystery/Thriller: Queenpin by Megan Abbott Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley The Guest by Emma Cline Advika and the Hollywood Wives by Kirthana Ramisetti Kala by Colin Walsh Descent by Tim Johnston Wahala by Nikki May When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff We Could Be Beautiful by Swan Huntley Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon The Lagos Wife by Vanessa Walters Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald Sea Wife by Amity Gaige Last Seen Wearing by Hilary Waugh The Black Cabinet by Patricia Wentworth Historical Fiction: Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning All You Have to Do is Call by Kerri Maher Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt Payback by Mary Gordon A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero Longbourn by Jo Baker The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson Go to Hell Ole Miss by Jeff Barry The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird Consequences by Penelope Lively Iron Curtain: A Love Story by Vesna Goldsworthy Homestead by Melinda Moustakis Not Our Kind by Kitty Zeldis Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Teddy by Emily Dunlay Science Fiction: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom Fever by Deon Meyer The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet Briefly Very Beautiful by Roz Dineen

Romance: Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson American Royalty by Tracey Livesay The One by Julie Argy The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin Queen of Urban Prophecy by Aya de Léon That Dangerous Energy by Aya de Léon The Dove in the Belly by Jim Grimsley Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadija VanBrakle Faro’s Daughter by Georgette Heyer Horror: Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka Cujo by Stephen King Night Watching by Tracy Sierra The Garden by Clare Beams The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman True Crime: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Columbine by Dave Cullen Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students by J. Reuben Appelman The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope

History: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and Nasa’s Challenger Disaster by Kevin Cook The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House by Sally Bedell Smith As Long as We Both Shall Love: The White Wedding in Postwar America by Karen M. Dunak Babysitter: An American History by Miriam Forman-Brunell Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women who Survive by Dalal Mawad Psychology: Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff Misdiagnosed: One Woman’s Tour of -And Escape From- Healthcareland by Jody Berger Stolen Child: A Mother’s Journey to Rescue Her Son from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Laurie Gough Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood by Tanya Frank I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Us, After: A Memoir of Love and Suicide by Rachel Zimmerman Everything Is Fine: A Memoir by Vince Granata Juliet the Maniac by Juliet Escoria

Memoir: Upstairs At The White House by J.B. West A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival by Kelly Sundberg This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU by Adam Wolfberg The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher and Mary Pilon Remedies for Sorrow: An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother’s Pursuit of the Truth by Megan Nix Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie by Julia Haart Minding the Manor: The Memoir of a 1930s English Kitchen Maid by Mollie Moran Love in the Blitz: The War Letters of Eileen Alexander to Gershon Ellenbogan by Eileen Alexander Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story by Lis Smith The Apology by Eve Ensler Wild Game: My Mother, Her Secret, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur One Way Back: A Memoir by Christine Blasey Ford Biography: The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson by Rebecca Boggs Roberts King: A Life by Jonathan Eig Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams by Louisa Thomas American Girls: One Woman’s Journey into the Islamic State and Her Sister’s Fight to Bring Her Home by Jessica Roy Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli

Gender: Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks Enslaved Women in America: From Colonial Times to Emancipation by Emily West You’ll Do: A History of Marrying for Reasons Other Than Love by Marcia A. Zug The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History by Ilise S. Carter Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lillian Faderman

[therumpus]

Mini Interview with Jami Attenberg

By Denise S. Robbins

Jami Attenberg’s A Reason to See You Again (Ecco Press, 2024) is funny and quick-moving with a strong emotional core that explores what it really means to be family, through thick and thin. The novel revolves around the complicated family dynamics of a mother and her two daughters as they grow up and live through the cultural and technological changes throughout the 20th century, moving deftly between the thoughts of the characters in surprising ways. It’s wide-ranging, delving into various women’s relationships with work—or the absence of it. 

When she’s not writing books, she manages the highly popular Substack newsletter Craft Talk and its yearly challenge, “one thousand words of summer,” where she motivates thousands of subscribers to write a thousand words a day for ten days straight. 

We spoke over Zoom about her writing process and how this latest book fits in with her life’s work.

***

The Rumpus: A Reason to See You Again is your tenth published book. That’s a lot of books! Is there something you're trying to accomplish that you haven't in your earlier works?

Jami Attenberg: I wanted the book to cover more time. My last few novels were much more compact. Then when I wrote my memoir, I enjoyed how it spanned so many years and so many cities. It gave the story the chance to breathe. So, I wanted to apply that to the novel. I was also interested in having family members be separate from each other as opposed to being intimate and involved in each other’s lives. They were more spread out and spaced out. It’s also possible this desire to span more time and space came as a response to that particular claustrophobic feeling I had in the pandemic.

Rumpus: What seeded the idea behind this novel? 

Attenberg: I actually wrote about this in my newsletter [Craft Talk]. During the pandemic, I was looking at a lot of vintage clothes on Etsy and kept seeing these white puffy shirts. I started thinking about a woman wearing it and being somebody's cool aunt. Generally, characters show me the way into a book. And so, the cool aunt, Shelly Cohen, was the first character for me. I pictured her at a kitchen counter in the suburbs talking to her family, with all of them leading different lives, interested in each other but also always a little annoyed with each other.

Rumpus: Does that dynamic have any resemblance to reality? How much of yourself is in this book and these characters and their relationships?

Attenberg: None of these characters are like anybody that I know, really. But they’re adjacent to people I know. They feel like they live in a neighborhood I’ve lived in before. Or maybe they’re a third cousin. Someone you met once and feels familiar, even if you can’t say exactly who they are. 

Rumpus: How do you find the central core of a story with multiple main characters? What are they all hovering around? 

Attenberg: The way time moves forward in this book is the core, and how the characters are impacted by time. Time is both the structure and the thrust. For example, the way they communicate at the beginning of the book has changed by the end of it, often expressed in terms of technological advancements. And those kinds of changes are ones that can only emerge specifically over the passage of years or decades of time.

Rumpus: So, technology changes relationships in this book. But you could say it just provides your main characters with new ways of ignoring each other. 

Attenberg: There’s one scene near the end of the book where two characters are driving in a car and a third one calls them on a cellphone. And they really don’t want to talk to this person, but there’s no way of ultimately avoiding it: we live in an era where you can track people’s locations all the time. It’s vastly different than earlier in the book, when it’s Nancy’s twenty-first birthday and she desperately wants to talk to her family, and she has to leave her house, walk down to the corner payphone, put money in it to make a long-distance call, and hope that somebody's there and picks up at this specific moment in time. In a way that phone call is so much more meaningful. But their communication still has meaning at the end of the book, when they finally do break through to each other. 

Rumpus: A lot of important life events in this story aren’t actually in the book but are referenced offscreen or obliquely. How did you decide what to put in the story versus what to reference offscreen?

Attenberg: These people are not confrontational until it’s too late. They’re trying to figure out how to exist with a problem without actually dealing with it. So, these things feel far away to the reader because they feel far away to the characters. They don’t like dealing with things head on. But there are still feelings that are very much present. 

These things trigger other issues down the line, though. If you don’t deal with something in the moment, eventually it’s still going to show up. One of my characters doesn’t tell another character something very important, and when the other finds out, she is furious with her. It impacts their relationship forever. By choosing to avoid conflict, she created another conflict in the process. And a lie by omission is still a lie, and that’s certainly a plot point. 

Rumpus: I also wanted to highlight one particular line: “He thought it would be easier to explain themselves to the world if they lived in the same place, when actually they only had to explain themselves to themselves and no one else.” It feels like the heart of this story.

Attenberg: I wouldn’t say that line is the heart of the book, but it’s a touchstone line, one I hope people highlight on their Kindles, ha. The characters in this novel grew up during a certain time and place where they felt like there was a path for them with specific milestones they had to achieve to please the world in a certain kind of way. I think most people understand now that we don’t have to stay on that conventional path, that we don’t have to abide by anyone else’s rules. I think the characters in the book are happiest when they figure that out. Even if it takes a long time. 

Rumpus: On top of writing novels, you also run Craft Talk and the yearly “one thousand words of summer” challenge, with daily letters of encouragement from various authors. Does this community enliven your own novel writing? 

Attenberg: It keeps me on track. And every year there’s a letter from one of the contributing writers that hits the right chord and comes at the right time. That’s the beauty of these letters of writing advice. You never know when you’re going to need it. This year, that letter came from Jennine Capó Crucet. It was about writing from a place where you know you can throw it all away. So that’s what I did. I gave myself permission to just write something I could throw away. Then I loved everything I wrote, and now I’ve written thirty thousand words this summer, the new beginning of the book, and it's great. I definitely feel the accountability. Every year. We're doing it together. It's equalizing.

Rumpus: Even somebody who's written ten books needs that accountability sometimes.

Attenberg: People need it, and it works. It really works. But also, you don't need it. We can write all the time on our own. But during one thousand words of summer, it feels like a friend is there with me. 

Rumpus: So, you’re working on another novel now. How many more novels do you have inside you?

Attenberg: I’m not planning to stop writing. Will my next novels get published? Who knows. Does it matter? Probably not. How many books do I have in me? A million. I’m in my fifties now. I’ve slowed down a bit but know more of what I want and can look back at what I’ve done. And I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. 

[xx-jasper-xx]

Bit of a random post, but here are something things I took away from the book 1000 words by Jami Attenberg. I plan on starting a new goal/challenge to myself to write 1,000 words everyday. Cause right now any time I have a new fanfic idea it takes me a week, sometimes even more, just to get around 1,000 words.



[charliejaneanders]

Super grateful to Jami Attenberg for featuring me in today's installment of #1000wordsofsummer, a daily newsletter with inspirational/noodly writing thoughts.

Wherein I confess to being one of those people who talk to themselves too much

[fairycosmos]

all this could be yours by jami attenberg

[rockislandadultreads]

New Year, New Interests!

Why We Read by Shannon Reed

We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and to make us more fully human. Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher and lifelong reader, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students.

The Artist's Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing by Vivienne Coleman

This comprehensive drawing book is an excellent resource for artists, whether they are completely new to drawing or wish to build on their existing skills. Artist Vivienne Coleman takes away the mystery of how to produce an accomplished drawing by revealing the exact process each image undergoes from start to finish. Each project is broken down into several steps, showing the technique applied at each stage and explaining how the reader can do the same.

Mini Plein Air Painting by Remington Robinson

The talented artist behind the popular Instagram and TikTok accounts @remingtonrobinsonart has gained a devoted following by showcasing his unique and portable painting setup. In this book, he reveals his secrets and teaches you how to set up your own miniature plein air studio using mint tins. You’ll be amazed at how easily you can carry your art supplies and, whether you’re at home or on the go, you’ll have everything you need to immerse yourself in the art of plein air painting.

1000 Words by Jami Attenberg

In 2018, novelist Jami Attenberg needed writing inspiration. Using a bootcamp model, she and a friend set out to write one thousand words daily for two weeks straight. What began as a simple challenge between two friends has now become a literary movement - write 1,000 words per day without judgment, or bias, or concerns about writer’s block, and see what comes of it. This book is about becoming - and staying - motivated, discovering yourself and your creative desires, and approaching your craft from a new direction.

[allthefoolmine]

#1000wordsofsummer, day 2 (02/06/24)

1000 words of summer, for anybody who doesn’t know it, is a writing challenge founded and run by a novelist named Jami Attenberg. It involves writing 1000 words a day for the first two weeks of June.

I’m going to be posting about each day of the challenge, with my own work in the spotlight on odd days and a recommendation for something that helps me write on even days.

Today’s Recommendation

Abbie Emmons’ immersive writing session videos on YouTube are super fun! so far I have especially enjoyed the “fantasy castle” one.

Update

Fight Princesses and Rescue Dragons is 1312 words longer.

The bottom line

Veel success and good luck to everyone taking part in 1000 words 2024! Over the next two weeks I’m going to try to find anybody else who’s posting on Tumblr about this and cheer you on.

In the meantime, you’ve got this, you’re doing great.

[bruiseslikeblueroses]

The State of my Unions

I rediscovered Tumblr. Switched over to Bluesky. I feel like a social media refugee. I feel bad for the real refugees in Los Angeles. It seems like the city is burning to the ground. I’m really worried about my bestie. She sounded panicked when we talked last night.

As far as things go, I’m fine. Missing my new husband terribly. I can’t wait for him to move in here, Only three more weeks. This bed and end tables gets switched out for his larger set, which I am all for. My previous domestic partner died on this bed. It’s just too sad. A fresh start is a good thing.

My father wrote us up a dream lease, at least I say this without having seen it yet. Casey, bless him, will be paying 90% of the house expenses with his larger income and I will be taking care of food and tradwife stuff. That sounds quite agreeable. I don’t mind being a housewife at all. I do that anyway, because I like living in a clean house. Eating decent food

The words are coming easier now. She was right, Jami Attenberg's 1000 Words of Summer. This is a good exercise. 200 words without really thinking about it. Of course I am all hopped up of Cold Brew from Casey’s forgotten appliance. That is may secret summer survival tool. I forgot how caffeinated this stuff was, also. Two pint glasses and I’m ready to write the great American novel spew. It feels good.

Now I’m a forth of the way through. A good feeling. There is a lot of history I have with Tumblr. I am happy to see familiar faces there, as well as on Bluesky as people flee Threads. Some are staying, like I thought I’d stay at Twitter/X. I haven’t posted anything but cross promotion there is what feels like years. At least a year. 

Time moves differently now. Faster. It’s 2025 and I’m throwing away cans of food in my pantry that expired in 2019. Trying to get the place cleaned out for Casey. I love him. I love him so much. We want to get old and grey together and I am all about it. I pamper him because he is such a jewel. I made him an apple pie the other day. It’s still siting in the fridge, looking lovely. Should be delicious. He loves my cooking. He’s so nonjudgemental and loving. He’s the one.

415 words. Anything else? It’s two am. Suddenly there are so many more interesting things to do then play video games. It feels like coming alive. I could really use a bath, a nice morning soak. But I’m flying on caffeine and don’t really want to sit still for that long. At lest my hair is okay. Doesn’t need to be washed. I cut my bangs a lot shorter. They look a lot better.

I cut my own hair, I’ve been doing it that way for years. Since I moved to Reno and stopped spending a fortune on my hair and nails. The right thing to do.

Sure, the high life with Larry was nice, but I love Casey so much more. He is so much better in so many ways that I feel like we can really be happy together into old age. I am actually excited about spending the rest of my life with him.

I’ve had many lovers, paramours, wives, booty calls, but Casey is my special loving husband with the same value structure I have. That means the world. I am so happy about him moving in at the end of the month.

Today the cleaners comes and do a deep cleaning on the place. I am so glad. I am so very thankful to my parents for paying for this. I should be awake. I have to be awake, actually. I will have to find various strategies for rooms to hide out in. As the weather is chilly. Near freezing, lately.

I take out my meta glasses. Ask them the forecast. It’s 29 degrees right now. Below freezing. I wonder if it snowed tonight. I got a warning on my phone that it might. 

For some reason my glasses will only play podcasts. I fiddle with them until my Spotify Upbeat Mix comes on. Lady Gaga, Born this Way. The morning seems even more sparkling now. Music is everything.

The changes in Meta’s policies as they try to appeal to the upcoming Trump regime are disturbing. I have no stomach for bullying. As they are explicitly targeting LGBTQIA and mentally ill people, I am going elsewhere digitally for a while.

I can’t afford to leave Reno, Nevada. My psychiatric medication, my wonderful house, my five cats. My new husband. Everything is wonderful except Los Angeles is on fire and the incoming. regime I strongly disagree with. 

Hopefully I can fly under the radar. Keep my head down. Survive.

Yes, I am a bisexual woman who chose to marry a man after two wives did not work out. He’s not my beard, although he has a nice dark beard. We met on OK Cupid. It was all over once I’d read his profile and we started talking. I cleared my schedule till our first date and put on my Bettie Page heels.

I’m listening to Todrick Hall, a regular on Ru aul’s Drag Race. He makes amazing dance music. Casey said I listed to gay club music and he was not wrong. Broadway musicals, Lana Del Rey and remixes they might put on at the Abbey on underwear night. 

Discovering Violet Chachki’s musical output was a revelation. Dominatrix disco.

Since The Vivienne passed, I’ve been watching that All Stars All legends Season. Drag perfection. The Viv turns amazing looks. She looks so radiant and animated on television, it’s hard to accept that she’s gone.

Death, aging, time, change. I have no solution for my fleeting middle age, except don’t stop. Don’t stop writing. Creating. I need it more than ever now.

[bettsfic]

hi there! i really admire your work. i was looking in your writing advice master doc and didn’t see this anywhere, but i hope i haven’t just missed it. i have taken a long break from writing due to mental health reasons but i’m doing a lot better now. i want to get back into it, but i’m not sure where to start. i don’t even really have any particular ideas i want to work on. i got the book 1000 words by jami attenberg hoping for some inspiration, but i actually just felt too intimidated to put that many words on a page. any sage wisdom, oh wise on? thanks for your time! 💕

i think focusing on a goal that's not attached to a specific project would be a good place to start. something like general word count, hours of writing per week, or even x number of short prompt fills or writing exercises. the aim is to get back into the swing of it and that means revisiting the basics of sentence crafting and paragraphing and just getting your thoughts onto the page in a way that reflects your intentions. you don't have to think much further than whatever goal you set, because by the time you reach it, a vibe or character or conflict will hopefully have caught your attention and turn into something you want to expand.