It’s 5:47pm on Friday and not one person has reached out to ask me where in the world is my Thursday newsletter post. I’m not upset, I get it, people are busy! I created this newsletter mostly as a challenge to myself to see if I could write once a week. Since it’s Friday, I’m technically not breaking my streak. Now that I have you on the edge of your seat, I’ll let you in on the long-awaited secret of how I do what I do. How I turn lemons (tired brain) into lemonade (pulitzer prize worthy online content). I want to apologize for my tardiness this week, but I’d like to let you in on the details of my writing process so you understand and or unsubscribe. I respect the power of a tidy inbox.
First, I like to call my mom and complain that my stomach hurts. This is an important first step in writing because you can’t write if you’re about to undergo an emergency appendectomy.
Once my mom tells me to take a Tums and drink water, I watch 2-3 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy as “research” for my supposed career in TV. Right now, I’m an accounting clerk, but soon enough, I will be the Show-runner of “Love Peninsula.” It’s like Love Island but you can sort of leave whenever you want.
After TV, I like to walk to the bodega for a seltzer and come back with a pack of cookies and dish soap. The big apple is full of sweet surprises and yesterday I woke up to a dead moth next to me in bed.
Once I’ve had my snacks, I like to have what I call Justin Bieber time. This can range from 10 minutes to 2 hours, but usually consists of watching any new music videos, stalking Haley Bieber’s Instagram, watching the “Sorry” video and pretending I could’ve done the choreo if I didn’t quit dance in high school, and then thinking about whether or not i should get a tattoo. Justin Bieber time is important, as it connects 23 year old me with 16 year old me. The two me’s combine forces when I write which gives me the unique perspective and tone of a 19 year old.
Checking in- it’s now 7:24pm and I am thinking about wrapping this up. As my good friend and future doctor Arman said, “writing is harder than medicine.” I don’t think that’s true given that I’ve written a lot in my life but have never practiced medicine. Except for when I peed on a paper strip test in 7th grade bio to see if I had diabetes. (Apparently this was an illegal thing to do in a public school and also inaccurate?)
Checking in again- it’s now 8:28pm. I just got off the phone with my mom after breaking the news that RBG died. I don’t believe that idolizing political figures is helpful but I do believe in the power of good role models. Justice Ginsberg was a fighter, for reproductive rights and for her own health, and that will inspire me going forward.
I don’t have any witty commentary. That’s part of the process as well! Knowing when to shut up. Every writer is a product of their lived experiences and the climate they’re writing in/about, and today I’m scared, but I won’t lose hope.
I like to finish everything I write with some sort of takeaway. For myself, for anyone who made it this far into reading, and because I don’t fuck with open-faced sandwiches. So, I’ll ask that you think about what would compel you to write something down. Think about what you have to say in a way that nobody else can articulate, what stories you have to tell, whose lives you want to be a champion for, and take notes. Tell your friends and family how much you love them, donate to mutual aid, and take care of yourself.
"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."