PACING, WAKING UP, AND A MESSY HOUSE

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Gettin Good: Ok team, I made it out of my In Ascension lull and have finally found the page-turner within. This book is feeling more and more like the science-fiction pacing I was looking for! Although I did read this line in a NYT book review – “I came to appreciate this pacing as an exercise in readerly patience, a necessary preparation mirroring Leigh’s own”– which makes me think either this was really smart on the author's part or this is totally made-up reasoning to justify the 20% of bore I just endured (also I'm a lot of things, but I am NOT a patient reader). Anyway, I'm confident I'll have this deep sea/space exploration book finished next week in which case I'll give you my FULL review.

What I'm writing: That Second Novel has an outline!!! I repeat: That Second Novel has an outline!!! Which is really what Jennie Nash calls an “inside outline” which means, it's an outline that tracks both the external plot points and the internal arc of the character, and each scene includes a “Because of this, then this” to make sure the book is driving forward. It's a science and an art, these book things!!! But in doing the outline this week, the story started to really feel alive for me – as did my astrological superstar main character :)

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon:

Oh hey New York Liberty!!! Unprecedented ratings, a national championship, and off-the-charts sales is what happens when you invest in women. This is a business case and a sports story that will remind you this isn't just a social cause, women are damn good business.

What makes women clean? Ann Helen Peterson looks at the way a home space serves men, but women tend to serve their space. I audibly LOL'd at one of her lines: “They were just as smart, accomplished, and hot. They just had larger piles of laundry” because just last week my smart, hot, accomplished pile-of-laundry galpal and I were telling her mom about our piles of laundry...to which her mom instinctively and genuinely responded with something along the lives of “I could never. It gets put away immediately” ...I believe I'm related to many women just like her but alas, I did not get that give-a-shit gene. But it still weighs on me, as does keeping house. Which is wild because I'm the only one dirtying it!! If cleaning weight on you, read this piece and let go of clean culture, it's highly gendered.

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:

Today I bring you a totally incoherent trove of things I've been loving:

I didn't wear jeans, regularly, until almost 30. Agolde has changed that for me and this high-waisted, wide cuff is making me want to put on jeans over leggings. WUT.

I spent most of August and September trying to “get up earlier to write.” It wasn't working. So I decided not to try hard, but to try something else entirely. Enter: Loftie Clock. Too expensive, but totally worth it. I'm rising and shining!!! Thanks to its two-alarm system, the first alarm gently lulls you to consciousness, second alarm is relaxing but with repetition so you come to. I've also been using its noise machine setting to drown out the AirBnB guests regularly getting lit in the hot tub next door.

Got this yummy, chocolate dress for a few fancy events and compliments ensued! Also paired it with this slow-fashion handbag (in camel, with off-white stones), made by a woman-designer Matergea in Colombia who uses cactus skin as vegan leather.

Also my life has been changed by Hungry Root. I'm in my 5th week of healthy, whole foods meals and I've never been so happy to not grocery shop, to not go crazy searching for recipes, to not worry about what to make for lunch or dinner, and to not waste food. This personalized grocery shopping is transforming my week! A code for $50 off if you need less food chatter in your life.

Most importantly, VOTE. VoteSaveAmerica.com/2024 if you need ballot resources (or if you've voted and need volunteer resources!!)

Woman on xx