Thank you to everyone who subscribes to the Small Talk newsletter.
We all know that being a writer can be a pretty solitary business. But you’re not alone! There are plenty of other completely miserable writers out there staring at their screens, doubting themselves, and finding ways to procrastinate by, say, reading this email.
I feel you.
So here’s what I propose—and this idea might backfire on me and make me feel even lonelier, so my mental health is now entirely in your hands.
In the spirit of building a community, I want to introduce a discussion thread. This is your opportunity to say what’s on your mind and get to know others in the group.
So. Let’s introduce ourselves!
I’ll go first: “Hi. My name is Jon. I enjoy podcasting, sushi, break dancing, and petting my cats. I have a wonderful wife who used to be Elon Musk’s and Prince’s personal chef and is now a therapist. I also have two amazing kids, 11 and 15. My goal in this newsletter is to share some of my wisdom and the wisdom of the impressive people I interview each week on my podcast Write About Now.”
Ok, now it’s your turn. In the comments below, let us know what you do for fun and for a living, and what the hardest thing about writing is for you.
In the spirit of sharing, I leave you with this unfortunate photo of my tribute to Prince as a scrawny 17-year-old. (Are those Walkman headphones?)
Hi I'm April Wilkner! I studied Journalism at NYU (with Jonathan as my features teacher!), write poetry as a creative outlet, and work as a broadcaster/actor. I am interested in screenwriting now and picking people's brains on that craft. Fun Fact: I was on Cycle 2 of America's Next Top Model and I am a volunteer suicide crisis counselor for LIFELINE.
Hey Jonathan, just subscribed. Hope all is well. I have been working on some deep-dive stories for The Marinade last month getting my feet wet with live (zoom) interviews. The editing part and marketing part is what takes time and trying to get ahead of it. I finally caught up with your latest few episodes on procrastination and time travel fiction. Loved both. Keep up the good work. There is a lot I hope to learn from you as I continue this part-time craft working toward my purpose of building The Marinade. Looking forward to connecting with you more soon.