Fantastic, and full of great insights and truths. Thank you. And I just saw the movie with my wife last month, for the first time, and really enjoyed it. You deepened it for me. I for one don’t give a flying fuck about getting more readers through the algorithm. It is and has always been an organic process. One reader at a time
Thank you so much, Sebastian, I’m so glad you enjoyed reading (and the movie itself)! Definitely agree that getting readers through an organic process who genuinely engage with your work is more fulfilling.
Wonderful essay, Ramya! 👏 You're the exception that proves the rule that everyone needs an editor (OK, a good editor would pare down your work, but I'd hate them for it!).
Amanda Priestly: the case study that proves when men demonstrate command presence, they're viewed as "strong" and women are viewed as "bitches". 'Twas ever thus.
The best proof of the editor's value is A. Scott Berg's fabulous biography of Maxwell Perkins, the unsung hero who made Hemingway and Fitzgerald and many others in the pantheon of great American writers the behemoths they became. Editing as secret art form. Impressive.
Speaking of books, I hope you plan to publish a collection of your essays some day. They deserve that treatment.
An amazing essay (I seriously wonder how your brain does this). We do need editors! Harsh, picky editors because they make you better. Constructive criticism from a real human is what I need.. This also applies in my life- if my english teacher never graded my essays in such a "jarring" way , I wouldn't have strived for improvement. It made me yearn for writing so well that she would say that I was the best in the class ( I was, not showing off 🤭). Really a thought provoking essay! 👏
gangster insights
Fantastic, and full of great insights and truths. Thank you. And I just saw the movie with my wife last month, for the first time, and really enjoyed it. You deepened it for me. I for one don’t give a flying fuck about getting more readers through the algorithm. It is and has always been an organic process. One reader at a time
Thank you so much, Sebastian, I’m so glad you enjoyed reading (and the movie itself)! Definitely agree that getting readers through an organic process who genuinely engage with your work is more fulfilling.
Wonderful essay, Ramya! 👏 You're the exception that proves the rule that everyone needs an editor (OK, a good editor would pare down your work, but I'd hate them for it!).
Amanda Priestly: the case study that proves when men demonstrate command presence, they're viewed as "strong" and women are viewed as "bitches". 'Twas ever thus.
The best proof of the editor's value is A. Scott Berg's fabulous biography of Maxwell Perkins, the unsung hero who made Hemingway and Fitzgerald and many others in the pantheon of great American writers the behemoths they became. Editing as secret art form. Impressive.
Speaking of books, I hope you plan to publish a collection of your essays some day. They deserve that treatment.
Yes, especially for Substack where people like to read shorter pieces, I think that would definitely be the case! 😂
I should check out Berg's biography of Perkins—I'd love to learn more about how he helped to shape Hemingway and Fitzgerald.
Thank you, Baird, that's so kind of you to say! It would be lots of fun to collect them into a book, I think!
An amazing essay (I seriously wonder how your brain does this). We do need editors! Harsh, picky editors because they make you better. Constructive criticism from a real human is what I need.. This also applies in my life- if my english teacher never graded my essays in such a "jarring" way , I wouldn't have strived for improvement. It made me yearn for writing so well that she would say that I was the best in the class ( I was, not showing off 🤭). Really a thought provoking essay! 👏