Let's not sugar-coat this
Go ahead, numb the pain
with niceties and your sad attempt
at an apologetic expression
that didn’t fool anyone for a second.
It doesn’t change the fact
that there are needles
puncturing all of my
vital organs. (I haven’t forgotten that
you put them there.)
So let’s play your favourite game:
how many spoonfuls of sugar
can you feed me
before I realize
it’s poison?
“Okay, here's my advice to you (and young journalists in general): 1. You basically have to be willing to devote your life to journalism if you want to break in. Treat it like it's medical school or law school. 2. When interviewing for a job, tell the editor how you love to report. How your passion is gathering information. Do not mention how you want to be a writer, use the word "prose," or that deep down you have a sinking suspicion you are the next Norman Mailer. 3. Be prepared to do a lot of things for free. This sucks, and it's unfair, and it gives rich kids an edge. But it's also the reality. 4. When writing for a mass audience, put a fact in every sentence. 5. Also, keep the stories simple and to the point, at least at first. 6. You should have a blog and be following journalists you like on Twitter. 7. If there's a publication you want to work for or write for, cold call the editors and/or email them. This can work. 8. By the second sentence of a pitch, the entirety of the story should be explained. (In other words, if you can't come up with a rough headline for your story idea, it's going to be a challenge to get it published.) 9. Mainly you really have to love writing and reporting. Like it's more important to you than anything else in your life--family, friends, social life, whatever. 10. Learn to embrace rejection as part of the gig. Keep writing/pitching/reading.”
—Remembering celebrated reporter Michael Hastings, who was killed in a car accident on June 18, with wisdom from his Reddit AMA – a bittersweet addition to our ongoing archive of timeless advice on writing.
Pair with H.P. Lovecraft’s advice to aspiring writers, Ray Bradbury on rejection, and the collected advice of great writers.
“I have two children. Dickens had ten -- I think Tolstoy did, too. Did anyone for one moment worry that those men were becoming too father-ish to be writer-esque? ... The idea that motherhood is inherently somehow a threat to creativity is just absurd." (Zadie Smith) "The key is not having one child, it is living in a place where there is excellent daycare and a social world that allows fathers to have the time and the motivation to fully share in raising kids." (Jane Smiley) "I think I have become a better writer since having children. It improves creativity, particularly because once you have children it makes you realise the story isn’t about you." (Louise Doughty) ”
—Acclaimed women writers respond to a recent opinion piece arguing that in order to be successful, female writers should have no more than one child.
Meanwhile, some female writers proudly choose to have none, while an infographic look at the data suggests a grim gender disparity.
“The present is always unsettled, no one has had time to contemplate it in tranquillity . . . . I was a painter before I was a writer . . . and a painter never wants the subject right under his nose; he wants to stand back and study a landscape with half-closed eyes.” ”
—Isak Dinesen
How to Repair a Broken Past
The first step is to turn it off and on again. If this does not work, you might wish to turn it off and leave it off. If you insist upon fixing this, first unscrew and peel back the control panel that hides your grudges. Turn grudge ‘A’ as far to the left as it will go without turning into love, then turn it farther. Lubricate tensions ‘A’ and ‘B’ (see diagram) in order to obtain maximum range of movement (to allow for later flexibility when reaching conclusions).
If you find that you cannot go on at this time, rest.
If you cannot rest, you must go on.
Return to the control panel. Check if anything is lodged in the insecurity gears. If so, remove carefully and gradually until the obstruction is gone. You may wish to wear gloves. You may wish to call someone and blame them, but it’s best to refrain from this urge.
At this point, you may find that the past has become increasingly hard to see. A magnifying glass will suffice for close inspection needs, but you may wish to fumble, as sometimes fumbling brings about accidental fixes. It is recommended that you look closely at any debris found in the insecurity gears.
If you are unable to resolve the issue yourself, another option is to discard or recycle the past. Check with your local facilities. In some cases, you may be able to sell your past, but be sure to remove all incriminating information before transferring ownership.
