from a fellow writer, who’s been involved in every stage of the book proposal process, giving notes and suggestions.

This is her final email:

“Just finished reading it, and I’ve got to say, your book seems like one of those books that people are going to flag/highlight/mark to reread and show to friends aka AMAZING!!!”

So appreciated and such a thrill to get sincere and excited feedback. It’s kind of beautiful, I think. To actually enjoy the process. In 2000, I remember seeing David Sedaris speak in Chicago, and he shyly looked around at the crowded bookstore and just said, “I used to come here all the time to listen to other authors read. This was always my dream.” I went online that very night and spent hours searching for any audio of him I could find, trying to find the answer in his work. But the answer’s always the same. You have to do the work yourself.

This Friday I’m turning 33. To celebrate, I’m posting a Mountain Goats song that always makes me cry and always reminds me: to hell with everything, be the core of who you are.

I’m also going to take a breather from posting (outside of updating the writing and video pages) until mid-November while I’m working with my Webmaster on a few overall site improvements.

And for my birthday? I want you to go for it.