The Quickest Thesis Insanity: Big Apple Weekend Edition
Friends, I am going to have to keep this short due to a ridiculous and fairly robust sprinkling of work on my plate today. The story I’ve been working on…
Friends, I am going to have to keep this short due to a ridiculous and fairly robust sprinkling of work on my plate today. The story I've been working on for Boston Mag recently doubled in size, which--while good for my sneaker addiction, clip file and ego--isn't awesome for my thesis. I have to turn around a third draft of it this weekend or risk getting flogged by my editor (Geoff--if you're reading this, I'm working on it right--ummm... wait. Why are you reading this?)
Meanwhile, on the thesis front, I am having trouble writing a crucial final speech that some would say will make or break the book. No pressure right? Luckily I NEVER overthink things. I'm just waiting for it to come to me in my sleep and translate directly onto the dictation machine I have hooked up to one of the several Alphasmarts I keep on my bedside table.
Also, I'm in NYC visiting Ramsey who, last night, informed me that his popularity with women is "cresting". I'm not sure how to interpret that. I did, however, just see a woman made almost entirely of plastic wearing boots that went up to her thighs. Take that, classiness!
Two final thoughts:
One: I just read a very insightful and interesting analysis on the weird, self-perpetuating marriage between celebrities and the paparazzi in the Atlantic Monthly called "Shooting Britney" (I read the Atlantic, NBD!). It's by David Samuels, a fantastic writer, and it allows people like me--who pretend like I'm too high-minded, literary, and above-the-fray to "slum" by reading about celebrities in US and InTouch and the like-- to read about celebrities and the like (it's okay since it's in the Atlantic!). It's also disturbingly surreal. You can find it here: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200804/britney-spears
Sidenote: (I also read The New Republic! I'm so nuanced!)
Two: I'm officially retiring the music of 1998. I think i've maxed out the usefulness of Sister Hazel and the Offspring. I've opted to back the music bus up another ten years to 1988. Get excited.
Enjoy whatever nuanced joys your weekend brings. We'll continue our friendship on Tuesday.
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).