A gentle close to the week

With 9 little things that made life better / Issue 1,371

Oh, hi friends!

How ya doing?

You've arrived!

End of the week. 

Putting things to bed.

Maybe a last-minute scramble or two.

I love to scrub away the open loops. 

There's the final 15 minutes of an audiobook calling my name. The draft I need to clean up and send along, to deposit it in someone else's brain. The lingerers. The mini-plans to be made for next week. Don't forget to pay that bill, too.

Maybe you'll get more snowfall.

Maybe you'll get cozy.

Maybe you'll get through whatever you're going through.

The week deserves a gentle close.

Or, if not that, then a gentle progression, from this one to the next.

You deserve it, too.

9 Little Things That Made Life Better This Week

And people rarely read a great, timeless classic and, feeling full of gratitude and admiration, suddenly stop themselves, and go, “Wait, hold on: how OLD was she when she wrote this?” and then, if the person was, you know, old, change their minds. 

• If you want to keep the faith, read George Saunders on being “behind” as a writer (and his very good thoughts on literary agents).

• If you want to run in the snow, get a pair of Snow Trax that hook around your shoes (that’s the name of mine, this kind from LL Bean is similar). I got in five beautiful miles and didn’t worry once about slipping. They actually work!

• If you’re considering writing a newsletter, or struggling with monetizing your newsletter, read Caitlin Kunkel’s thoughts on newsletter “best practices.” As someone who has rejected many/all newsletter best practices for the past six years — no one suggests sending out daily emails lol — I agree with her 100 percent! You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. What would make it fun to you?

• If you’re writing a musical, this advice by Marsha Norman is the gold standard.

• If you want to read the screenplays for this year’s Oscar movies, here they are! 

• If you’d like to see how David Lindsay Abaire and Jeanine Tesori created Kimberly Akimbo, watch this charming video and marvel at their notecards on the wall. (h/t Aliza Rabin)

• If you’re a writer under 35, here’s a chance to win free tickets to Merrily We Roll Along!!! Wow, so much musical stuff this issue, eek.

• If you want to relive your childhood (or maybe just mine), eat these cheese and peanut butter crackers.

• If you’d like a kick, try the chile & garlic cashews from Trader Joe’s. I love.

What little things made your life better this week? I’d love to hear about them!

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And In Case You Missed ‘Em

Tuesday’s note: How to adapt (like the bear)
Wednesday’s note: January afternoon play-by-play
Thursday’s note: Today’s Most Radical Action