really loved reading this!! especially your thoughts on “writing for fun, writing for exposure, writing for practice, and writing for money”…I’m trying to focus on writing for fun and practice, but my anxious self is always like…maybe you should write more for exposure?? and I worry that instinct pushes me to do less ambitious work
I’m going to listen to the Momus podcast—also this post was a nice reminder to actually pick up a copy of Sophia Giovannitti’s book! I’ve been meaning to read it for ages
Thanks for the shout-out Terry!! Love your column. If you're interested, we did a slow-read of House of Mirth earlier this year -- you can find all the guides on my Substack, should you want a supplement for your reading. :) Mirth is my all-time favorite Wharton novel (and maybe my favorite novel ever) and the Gillian Anderson film is definitely worth watching. It's nowhere near as good as Scorsese's AoI adaptation, but Gillian as Lily is SO incredible! (I loathe the casting choice for Selden.)
I feel fatigued not just from the substance-lite round-ups but also from the overwhelming amount of critical analysis happening. It is difficult to sift through and find quality within that. And by quality, I just mean a legible point of view; I am not too picky about anything else. I can appreciate charming writing from smart, curious people who haven’t learned the rules yet. Substack feels like the best place to learn.
I’m an editor for work and it makes me forever glad I’m not a writer professionally. As nice as it would be to get paid to write sometimes, it would also suck the fun right out of it. That works for some people! But there’s really something to be said for not being required to care more (or differently) and writing whatever the fuck you want instead
really loved reading this!! especially your thoughts on “writing for fun, writing for exposure, writing for practice, and writing for money”…I’m trying to focus on writing for fun and practice, but my anxious self is always like…maybe you should write more for exposure?? and I worry that instinct pushes me to do less ambitious work
I’m going to listen to the Momus podcast—also this post was a nice reminder to actually pick up a copy of Sophia Giovannitti’s book! I’ve been meaning to read it for ages
This resonates.
Thanks for the shout-out Terry!! Love your column. If you're interested, we did a slow-read of House of Mirth earlier this year -- you can find all the guides on my Substack, should you want a supplement for your reading. :) Mirth is my all-time favorite Wharton novel (and maybe my favorite novel ever) and the Gillian Anderson film is definitely worth watching. It's nowhere near as good as Scorsese's AoI adaptation, but Gillian as Lily is SO incredible! (I loathe the casting choice for Selden.)
omg i apparently did not scroll back far enough! so excited to check out the Mirth as i go along :)
I feel fatigued not just from the substance-lite round-ups but also from the overwhelming amount of critical analysis happening. It is difficult to sift through and find quality within that. And by quality, I just mean a legible point of view; I am not too picky about anything else. I can appreciate charming writing from smart, curious people who haven’t learned the rules yet. Substack feels like the best place to learn.
Thank you for the Ellen West ❤️❤️❤️
I’m an editor for work and it makes me forever glad I’m not a writer professionally. As nice as it would be to get paid to write sometimes, it would also suck the fun right out of it. That works for some people! But there’s really something to be said for not being required to care more (or differently) and writing whatever the fuck you want instead