Tag: Writing

My Book Idea Just Hit #1 on Amazon.

Julian1 Comment

Unfortunately, I didn’t write that version. I didn’t complete any version. I did, however, develop the same idea, which shows you the value of incomplete ideation:

Five years ago I had the notion to write an alphabet book where all the letters were silent. I’d call it “M is for Mnemonic” and mess with kids. Last year, lying late at night on a tennis court under the stars, a friend and I spitballed different words. We finished the alphabet. Those notes are below.

P is for Pterodactyl is currently #1 on Amazon. It’s pun-filled, polished, and most importantly published. Kudos to the writer. It’s a great idea.

 

A is for oatmeal

B is for dumb or subtle

C is for yacht or cnidarian

D is for Django Reinhardt, now unchained.

E is for hate

F is for <beep>

G is for slaughter

H is for herb or eh

I is for the rain in Spain, which falls mainly on the plain.

J is for fjord

K is for knife

L is for talk or folk.

M is for mnemonic (name of book?)

N is for god damn

O is for tough

P is for corps

Q is for (quiet) (because quiet is silent even though the q isn’t. For example, if someone is mouthing “quiet!”)

S is for corps

T is for Colbert. Like Stephen, eating sorbet.

U is for baroque

V Is for Moskva (Moscow)

X is for faux

W is for ewe.

Y is for you

Z is for the first z in pizza

 

The background storyline / one of the storylines is a pair of parents fighting because they’re having trouble teaching their kid the alphabet

Try sending it as a real children’s book of just the letter-phrases and illustrations, captioned “for gifted tykes”

Then, we can also hit the ironic market after. It’s not the first market though, and the real market has a larger chance to be really big

On the 7th day, God rested. He didn’t just not-work; He rested.

Julian1 Comment

Is a veg day the necessary calm after a storm? After 13 hours work yesterday, today was pizza and soda and staying up past 3. At the end of these days, I typically feel sad. Nobody gains when a person lets their life spiral away. I didn’t even read much, which I really should do more.

You needn’t spend every second moving toward what you want, but you can be and should be if you have the right aims. Retreating is sometimes the best way to advance. I wonder if that was the point of today.

On the 7th day, God rested. If God needs rest, I must too. These days must be okay. I feel less bad now, less regret.

I assisted a friend with her ten-year-old student. I helped a high school boy plan for his future. He liked an essay I wrote enough to share it with his class. I didn’t work–so what? I’m following my natural rhythm: Fits & starts, sprints & walks.

I’ve been having all sorts of wonderful experiences–futbol and tennis, befriending locals, helping kids. Today was a slow heart rate, no-work relaxed day. I opened a new book and began my next writing project.

I learned about myself. This is who I was. I can be someone else tomorrow. “Was” doesn’t mean “am.”

When Next?

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After completing my first novel last month, I’ve wondered when I’ll start my next big project. The answer: When it’s easier to do than not.

At the moment, I’m saving over $2000/month from freelance gigs pouring down like hotcakes, the sort of delightful mixed metaphor only released by stretching.

For the fourteenth day in a row, I consider starting a mailing list. I even have some posts I’d include, but it feels like work, unlike this daily writing, which feels like stretching.

If it’s good, it’s good. And it’s good, so why stop? Thanks to work, reading, living in Colombia, Salsa dance classes, learning Spanish, and games with friends, I’ll keep doing this until I start that.