Is this your inner monologue?
Oh, hi friends!
A glimpse into my current inner monologue:
Time is moving so fast.
Five months into the year.
What am I even doing?
I am so far away from what I want.
But what do I actually want?
And I’ve learned a lot in the past year, right? The past month? That’s good, right?
Do I have any snacks in my apartment?
When is my deadline? Did I miss my deadline? What is a deadline?
Am I working towards the right things?
Am I the only one who thinks this way?
Will I turn this thought blurb into a newsletter?
Do I give myself too much credit?
Do I give myself enough credit?
I just hit 109,103 words in this doc of newsletter drafts. That’s more words than anything else I’ve ever written. But are they the right words?
Can I play the long game and the short game at the same time?
Why do I call this a game, anyway? It’s my life.
Time doesn’t have to move so fast.
I can control how fast it goes.
I have control over more than I think.
Oh look, snacks!
My point is that there’s always doubt, insecurity, snack obsession, long-term thinking, short-term distractions, and a constantly churning brain to keep you occupied.
But you always have control over more than you think.
You control exactly what you think.
“[Ryan] Murphy’s method of simultaneously overseeing multiple shows is unusual, no doubt, but energy begets energy. He is intensely organized, with a plan for each hour: if you just do one small thing after another, he told me, you can create something immaculate and immense. He doesn’t get colds, he said; every few weeks, he has an I.V. drip of vitamins.”
Stayed up way too late reading this New Yorker profile of showrunner Ryan Murphy, who created Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, The People v. O.J. Simpson, and on and on.
I’m gonna skip the vitamin drip, but I like this idea of doing one small thing after another leading to something IMMACULATE and IMMENSE.
Backstreet Boys just released their first new single in five years. It’s called “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and it's a delicious slice of pop pie. 13-year-old Kara is so happy. So is 31-year-old Kara. I can see this being a great remix with a female singer, too. KTBSPA!
How many people are in space right now? Hello, perspective! (h/t Rebecca Darugar)
Are you the next great podcast host? Gimlet has a competition. Deadline soon. Apply!
How to get over disappointing yourself (my latest for Shine!).
Really enjoyed this piece on the craft of playwriting, with interviews with David Rabe and Neil Simon. (It’s from 1985. I don’t live in this decade.)
Anne Roderique-Jones called her mother every day for a month! Such a sweet story. Mom, do you want me to call you every day? We can talk about the new Backstreet Boys song. (And Kevin's extremely long hair?!)
Xia Boyu is a double amputee and he just scaled Mount Everest. !!!
Doesn’t OutdoorFest look fun? It’s a 10-day adventure festival across New York boroughs, including an ultra and 5K trail run and campout on Staten Island and immersive events, like circumnavigating Governors Island by kayak and paddling the Gowanus Canal?! Starts June 2. Here are the events!
Having lived in one, I have a fascination with teeny-tiny apartments, like this one.
Why willpower is overrated.
"The Writer exists in two worlds: the world he’s creating and the world in which he wears the same shirt a lot.” This Daily Shouts column is painfully funny.
This man is a hero.
And finally, are you waiting for your big break? Here it is: your big break is the moment you decide to take your dream seriously. (h/t Nina Semczuk)
Do you like these daily emails? Please share with a friend!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara