This Whole New Year

It started, and some housekeeping

Dear reader,

I’ve had this post sitting in draft for a week, so I suppose it’s time to send. This is my intention-setting for this newsletter and posting this year.

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t have a new book coming out this year. A not-unprecedented, but fairly unusual occurrence for me. I have at least two books that are underway (and sold) to finish (the LATE books, but it’s happening!)… and a third to start and perhaps finish this year as well. I’m considering this my “year of not-selling” by which I mean focusing on creation and communication in place of the time marketing stuff takes up. (Not that I’m good at the marketing anyway, and yes, I’ll still let you know when books are on sale or there’s news, of course! The dogs and cats still need food. As do I.) ANYWAY, I was cleaning my closet out during a snowstorm, and I found this well-preserved hoodie that Blogger sent me lo, many years ago, as a freebie for, well, blogging on blogspot…

And I decided maybe it was a sign of sorts.

Not that I’m going back to blogspot or traditional daily blogging. But that maybe it’s time to go more retro with my online presence.

I’d been opining (yes, that’s the term) lately here and there about how much I miss the early blogging days, the litblog world and then early literary twitter. Honestly, it’s a freaking delight how many of the people I got to know back then are still friends to this day. And, of course, there’s no re-corking of genies. The bottles got smashed on the rocks. But in the post-X, blue-sky and IG/meta-hell landscape, I’m feeling the need to slip back into, well, something more comfortable and this newsletter seems the most logical way to do it.

Austin Kleon

(whose work I first got to know in those early litblog days) always says newsletters should be letters, and that’s how I’ve styled this one but…we’re going further in that direction.

Since I don’t have to promote anything new this year, but need to do a ton of writing, it feels like a good moment to see what something more akin to blogging looks like for me now—and that will be a letter here at least once a week, with the occasional second post. When I started out, I was writing for myself mainly, but the pleasure was all in the community it helped make and became a part of. Now, I’m sure

John Scalzi

will be laughing at me, because he never stopped… but I bet he’ll also cheer me on. As friends do.

This won’t be a place where I do frequent reviews like I did back on Shaken & Stirred. But I want to use it more the way I did my blog back then: here’s a little of what I’m thinking of, what are you thinking; here’s what I’m reading and watching and listening to and loving and where you might find it, when applicable; here are some little side notes from adventures and pets; here is some whining; and—essential—here is some public accountability to myself of what I’m doing writing-wise.

In the old days, we had threads for shows we all watched and robust discussions. Maybe we’ll do that here too! But we will not be having any flame wars or arguments, because life is short and there’s plenty of places you can be mean or be treated meanly on the Internet; I’m not gonna facilitate one of them.

I plan to stick some posts up on my actual website too. Paid subscribers, I’ll be thinking of extras to treat you to in the coming months (if there’s something you’d really love, please let me know). Anyway, I’m rethinking a lot of things, and what I want is to feel I’m giving and getting more quality than quantity out of my time online and to refocus on my writing life now that my life life is wrested into a shape once more.

#

Posting here what I’ve said elsewhere, for the record. If you haven’t read the Vulture article about Neil Gaiman yet, it’s a rough read. If you have triggers around sexual assault, please be careful if you choose to do so. But I would feel remiss if I didn’t mention it. Neil was someone I considered an early mentor and a friend, if one who could engage in problematic behavior. I had no idea what he was capable of—I know many others who feel the same. He never crossed these lines with me, but I have zero doubt these women are telling the truth. (And since I knew him best in my early 20s, I feel a real mix of gratitude and survivor’s guilt for that.) Last week was a rough one for me emotionally, and I know it was for a lot of others. I’m still processing and also sending love and support to everyone who has been hurt, whether up close or as a fan.

I did speak to Lila Shapiro for the piece, as someone who has known Neil for a long time. She had spoken to 90+ people by the time I talked to her. It’s incredibly thorough, nuanced journalism, exceedingly well-reported. Believe the women. And also? If you’re not familiar with sexual coercion and sexually coercive assault, please go read this. Consent is only consent if it is given freely. Tattoo it on your eyelids. Tell every young person you know, and anyone else who needs to hear it.

I also very much appreciated Glen Weldon’s piece about what to do with the work when you discover a beloved creator is not who you thought.

Take care of each other and the people you love. Perhaps this week more than most.