Advice to a writer + a whole lot of other stuff

The first six weeks of 2025 have been absolutely wrenching. Sure, sure, there’s the political shitstorm¹ but also on a personal level. My Dad had surgery, which went as anticipated, followed by a recovery, which very much did not. My MIL and my Mom are both going through their own aging processes² that require time and energy (and also just suck donkey balls for all involved). My older kid is going through a weird health thing³ and the new federal regime would very much like it if my younger kid ceased existing.

Just when it seemed like all of that had reached, well, not a resolution but a plateau, on Monday, our big dumb dog was having a hard time breathing.

said big dumb dog (background) on the day we adopted him from the Sato Project

After an evening run to our local-ish emergency vet, Scott drove Lobo up to Albany.⁴ Long story short: Lobo had a bilateral pneumothorax, which essentially means that air was leaking from his lungs and getting trapped in the space between lungs and ribcage. And if you think that sounds hostile to continued life, you are absolutely correct.

It can, however, be medically managed for a day or two while the vets figure out what to do about it.

It’s in that lacuna where I absolutely gave in to falling apart. I’d been (barely) holding it together through all of the above but the dog stuff broke me.

This is the image my photo app served when I searched my pictures for dog photos. AI is getting better but I’m still not losing sleep over it fully replacing humans. (This was taken at Rhinebeck. Chillest sheep ever.)

To cut to the chase: Lobo had a lesion on one of the lobes of his lungs. It could be something chronic (like cancer) or it could be something benign (like pneumonia). Surgery was really the only way to find out and repair the damage.

Those of you who’ve had to make the choice between a frighteningly expensive procedure or putting a beloved family member down know what we went through. It was one of the more wrenching decisions we’ve made.

Yesterday, Lobo had the surgery and, so far, seems to be recovering well. He’s not 100% in the clear — there’s healing and a biopsy report to come — but he is closer to being back to his normal level of goober.

To cut further to the chase: there’s a Go Fund Me. Do not feel in anyway obligated or pressured. Folks have asked and we welcome any help.

We would also welcome 2025 being less of an asshole but are not holding our breath.

Before all of that, I moved deeper into my Colson Whitehead Era. This quote hit me on a number of levels:

“I considered myself a writer but hadn’t gotten much further than wearing black and smoking cigarettes. I wrote two five-page stories, two five-pages epics, to audition for my college’s creative writing workshops, and was turned down both times. I was brushed, but in retrospect it was perfect training for being a writer. You can keep ‘Write What You Know’—for a true apprenticeship, internalize the world’s indifference and accept rejection and failure into your very soul.”

— The Noble Hustle,⁵ Colson Whitehead⁶

Word, Mr Whitehead. WORD.

Speaking of writing —

Two opportunities to avail yourself of, if you’re of a mind to:

Christie Aschwanden runs a book proposal workshop that is well worth joining. I did it a few years ago and regret nothing.⁷

Jen A. Miller⁸ is taking on freelance writing coaching clients. She’s good at what she does.

I’ve also been throwing myself into podcasts.

This episode of Hyperfixed irritated the bejesus⁹ out of me at the start because the woman asking for help seemed to be marinating in her own privilege. And then I found the answer full of pragmatic joy. Remember: refuse to be fatalistic.

And, as per usual, 99% Invisible it knocking it out of the park. This episode about the TVA does so much to explain the difference between public and private enterprise and why both need to exist. It was followed-up by an episode about the Endangered Species Act and Tellico Dam that complicates it all further.

And, of course, some links:

• If you love language (and rage), please read this: Billionaire Dipshit And His Strike Team Of Greasy Beavises Are Stripping The Wires From The Federal Government

• If you think Blazing Saddles is racist, your motives are suspect.¹⁰

• Coroners in the news.¹¹

• Creativity is an act of survival.

• Why you should care about the NCAA trans ban.

• Re: the above—you should read Jennifer Finney Boylan’s op-ed. You should also just read her work in general.

1. sit tight. I’ll get there.

2. I won’t elaborate

3. again: won’t elaborate but it isn’t likely to be fatal but is just weird

4. about an hour and fifteen minutes from here. At least it wasn’t snowing much.

5. about poker, not writing

6. who has won a couple of Pulitzers and whose The Underground Railroad should be required reading for every American.

7. I regret that my book about Isabella Bird hasn’t sold, mind, but I don’t think it’s the proposal’s fault. Publishing is just a really dumb business.

8. who I ran a naked 5K with

9. technical term

10. I caught it on the TV recently and wow. Searing commentary with fart jokes. It is a work of brutal beauty.

11. and not for good reasons