Rob Tourtelot
@rtourtelot
Rob Tourtelot
The amateur's fear eclipses her compassion for others and for herself.
Steven Pressfield • Turning Pro
Kurt Vonnegut, talking about when he tells his wife he’s going out to buy an envelope:
“Oh, she says well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of
... See moreby gems I do NOT mean the author’s ideas or theories. Those are the last things we want. We want to form our own ideas. By gems I mean a little glimpse of something surprising and dissonant and mysterious – a person or a situation or a moment in history where you think, ‘I didn’t expect that ’ or ‘I don’t understand that , I’d like to go down a... See more
Jon Ronson • Jon Ronson | Substack
Writing doesn’t just change the way we understand our lives or the world. It changes us. Sometimes, it saves us.
Dear Scared to Feel Too Much: Sometimes, Writing Saves Us
When you wake in the night and the world is still, pay attention. When the wind shows its presence by rustling leaves, pay attention. When you take a slow deep breath and feel the beating of your own heart, pay attention. These quiet moments are secret ways in.
Beth Kempton • The Way of the Fearless Writer: Mindful Wisdom for a Flourishing Writing Life
Around 2019, my focus shifted from asking “who’s fucking with me?” to asking “how do I continue to fuck with myself?” Once you finally break away from seeing other people your most important puzzle to solve, then I think you can move on to more interesting puzzles, and eventually you put the puzzles on a high shelf, breathe in the air, and savor... See more
Talking about friendship with Heather Havrilesky
Often, in our doubt that we have a real story to tell, we hold something back, fearing that we don’t have anything else. And this can be a form of trickery. Surrendering that thing is a leap of faith that forces the story to attention, saying to it, in effect, “You have to do better than that, and now that I’ve denied you your trick, your
... See moreGeorge Saunders • A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
How the Logic of Cults Is Taking Over Modern Life
Plain English with Derek Thompson