I glanced down at my phone, noticing a text from my old friend, Kellie, who I hadn’t heard from in a while. It read: “What’s your address? I’ll send you a postcard, alright (in the voice of an old man yelling at kids, like, ‘why I oughta,’ etc., etc.).”
She had just finished reading last week’s newsletter, in which I complained about how I’d only ever received one postcard in my entire life.
I re-read her text, a smile flashing across my face.
Wow… I thought. That’s really kind. Not only did she take the time to read my newsletter, but she actually cares enough to send me a postcard, too.
I continued reading her message: “Also, idk if the formatting of the new email comes across that well on a phone, FYI. Idk if that’s the goal, but something looks off. That’s my feedback.”
Come again?
I frantically responded, thinking there’d been some error in the way the newsletter had been sent out.
She replied a few minutes later with a screenshot of the newsletter on her phone. “Is this how it’s supposed to look?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like!” I replied.
“Oh, sorry,” she texted back. “I think I might have accidentally just roasted you.”
She followed up with a minute-long audio message. I assumed she might backtrack, trying to soften the blow of her criticism. Instead, she doubled down, firing off a slew of questions:
“Why is it so bland (the format used to have more character)? Is it supposed to look like a plain-text email? And what happened to the blurbs of the songs (I really liked those)? Why did you change it (there was nothing wrong with the old version)?”
The I’m-going-to-get-a-postcard smile that had so brightly spread across my face slowly faded into an oh-shit-the-new-formatting-of-my-newsletter-sucks grimace.
Her questions made me realize that some of you actually do read this newsletter, for which I am truly thankful, and therefore I owe you a better explanation of what the heck I’m even trying to accomplish.
So here goes:
WHY DID YOU BOTHER CHANGING THE DANG FORMATTING?
I want this newsletter to be more focused on my writing rather than solely on music. For that reason, it’s intentionally meant to look like a plain-text email, making it easier to read. Regardless of what type of device you’re using, it should look the same—just words on a page.
WHY DO YOU WANT IT TO BE FOCUSED ON YOUR WRITING, RATHER THAN MUSIC?
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been doing a considerable amount of creative fiction writing. I’ve written two short stories, a novella, and a full-blown 100,000-word novel.
WAIT, REALLY?! WHERE CAN I READ WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN?
Nowhere, yet. I’m trying to get some short stories published in literary magazines and journals, which I hope will create the stepping stones necessary to get my novel published.
BUT I LOVE TO READ. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN?
Yes, I am. There will be a time, hopefully sooner rather than later, when I am satisfied with the current draft of my novel, and I will be looking for a select few people to beta-read my manuscript. I’ll communicate that through this newsletter and on my social media when the time comes.
WILL YOU STILL SHARE YOUR TOP FIVE SONGS OF THE WEEK?
Yes! I am still obsessed with music, but there are only so many hours in the week. I’d like to spend more time writing about whatever is grabbing my attention rather than little blurbs about each song. BUT—there may come a time when I will write the little blurbs again.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THIS NEWSLETTER? WHY SHOULD I STILL SUBSCRIBE?
I have three main intentions: 1) to have a place to share what I’m writing—fiction, non-fiction, or otherwise; 2) to document the process of pursuing my goal of getting this novel published; and 3) to continue sharing music that I think is good.
Hopefully, this clarifies some things! There’s about six weeks left in the year, so I’m really trying to get my pipers piping and my swans a-swimming (if you know what I mean) before the weight of a New Year’s Resolution inevitably crushes my soul.
Until then, feel free to send me a postcard with any other criticisms you may have.
I glanced down at my phone, noticing a text from my old friend, Kellie, who I hadn’t heard from in a while. It read: “What’s your address? I’ll send you a postcard, alright (in the voice of an old man yelling at kids, like, ‘why I oughta,’ etc., etc.).”
She had just finished reading last week’s newsletter, in which I complained about how I’d only ever received one postcard in my entire life.
I re-read her text, a smile flashing across my face.
Wow… I thought. That’s really kind. Not only did she take the time to read my newsletter, but she actually cares enough to send me a postcard, too.
I continued reading her message: “Also, idk if the formatting of the new email comes across that well on a phone, FYI. Idk if that’s the goal, but something looks off. That’s my feedback.”
Come again?
I frantically responded, thinking there’d been some error in the way the newsletter had been sent out.
She replied a few minutes later with a screenshot of the newsletter on her phone. “Is this how it’s supposed to look?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like!” I replied.
“Oh, sorry,” she texted back. “I think I might have accidentally just roasted you.”
She followed up with a minute-long audio message. I assumed she might backtrack, trying to soften the blow of her criticism. Instead, she doubled down, firing off a slew of questions:
“Why is it so bland (the format used to have more character)? Is it supposed to look like a plain-text email? And what happened to the blurbs of the songs (I really liked those)? Why did you change it (there was nothing wrong with the old version)?”
The I’m-going-to-get-a-postcard smile that had so brightly spread across my face slowly faded into an oh-shit-the-new-formatting-of-my-newsletter-sucks grimace.
Her questions made me realize that some of you actually do read this newsletter, for which I am truly thankful, and therefore I owe you a better explanation of what the heck I’m even trying to accomplish.
So here goes:
WHY DID YOU BOTHER CHANGING THE DANG FORMATTING?
I want this newsletter to be more focused on my writing rather than solely on music. For that reason, it’s intentionally meant to look like a plain-text email, making it easier to read. Regardless of what type of device you’re using, it should look the same—just words on a page.
WHY DO YOU WANT IT TO BE FOCUSED ON YOUR WRITING, RATHER THAN MUSIC?
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been doing a considerable amount of creative fiction writing. I’ve written two short stories, a novella, and a full-blown 100,000-word novel.
WAIT, REALLY?! WHERE CAN I READ WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN?
Nowhere, yet. I’m trying to get some short stories published in literary magazines and journals, which I hope will create the stepping stones necessary to get my novel published.
BUT I LOVE TO READ. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN?
Yes, I am. There will be a time, hopefully sooner rather than later, when I am satisfied with the current draft of my novel, and I will be looking for a select few people to beta-read my manuscript. I’ll communicate that through this newsletter and on my social media when the time comes.
WILL YOU STILL SHARE YOUR TOP FIVE SONGS OF THE WEEK?
Yes! I am still obsessed with music, but there are only so many hours in the week. I’d like to spend more time writing about whatever is grabbing my attention rather than little blurbs about each song. BUT—there may come a time when I will write the little blurbs again.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THIS NEWSLETTER? WHY SHOULD I STILL SUBSCRIBE?
I have three main intentions: 1) to have a place to share what I’m writing—fiction, non-fiction, or otherwise; 2) to document the process of pursuing my goal of getting this novel published; and 3) to continue sharing music that I think is good.
Hopefully, this clarifies some things! There’s about six weeks left in the year, so I’m really trying to get my pipers piping and my swans a-swimming (if you know what I mean) before the weight of a New Year’s Resolution inevitably crushes my soul.
Until then, feel free to send me a postcard with any other criticisms you may have.
