First, I hope things get better soon (or at least to a lower DEFCON).
I saw Sedaris do a reading a while ago, and it was as hilarious as you’d expect, but there were also a few parts that were frankly harrowing. I got a ton of insight into what drives him from that talk.
P.S. the book look awesome! I just grabbed a copy. Maybe a dumb Q, but why is there such a long lead time before it’s released?
Thank you so much, Kevin!! I’m grateful for the support. Not a dumb question at all: The pub dates are simply determined by their particular production schedule. This one just happens to fall in late summer 😊 Sedaris live is something special for sure. One of the notes he gives relates to what you identified as harrowing. He says that it’s important to work in gravity or even sorrow with humor because it makes everything richer and more memorable, relatable. Great stuff!
You were totally right, this was exactly what I needed to hear. It's so easy to get down on yourself and start spiraling. The root of that I think is a sense of loneliness, like you are in it alone and nobody can possibly understand. Which of course is the height of hubris, but we writers also think everything we create is brilliant, so that's just an occupational hazard.
I also have Masterclass but I haven't gotten to Sedaris' yet. Prioritizing immediately!!
Thanks for sharing this and the boost of confidence it has inspired in one writer who also started 2024 by crashing and burning.
The loneliness/isolation part of it is a big one I think. That's why I appreciated your piece because sometimes you just need to pour a glass and TALK about it. Every other profession gets to let off steam or bitch or whatever...artists need to do that kind of processing too. I think you'll get a lot out of the Sedaris course. I was really impressed with how much of it I needed to hear AND felt I could really use to push myself further. I have the Judd Apatow one on deck, but my bandwidth has been minuscule these past two weeks. ONWARD! :)
Gonna put in my pre-order for your book, been waiting to do this ever since the first Lens Zen!
Happy for you Sheils you're enjoying MasterClass, my kid and I have done a bunch on there and they're fun. Tan France from Queer Eye and Xtina Aguilera are good ones if you want a little diversion from the writerly and businessy courses!
As always Marmi you bowl me right over. I would LOVE to put a copy right in your hands...we must figure that out! I am excited to poke around further in all the MasterClass offerings. I think I might just be able to direct a perfume ad at least after watching Ron Howard. "Stand here, say this, cut!" How hard can it really be? :) X!
I'm sure anything you direct will be better than Natalie Portman's latest perfume commercial, it was so absurd and silly! And especially if you'll have Ron Howard's tutelage 🎬 Aaron Sorkin's MasterClass was great too!
If I were to direct it would be perfume and car ads ONLY. I feel like you can literally do anything: a woman in a ball gown dancing on the moon. J'adore by Chanel. Direct deposit please! :) (I will check out Sorkin's class...I would watch 15 minutes of walk-n-talk scenes on loop...yep.) :)
Sheila, I just pre-ordered this. I will be curious to see if some of the places I think of when I think of New England will be in it. The rest of the time I will just keep it handy for those moments when I want a whiff of my first home.
I did the Sedaris course when someone gifted me Masterclass a couple of years ago. I also took the Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman courses. I admire all of them so much I just had to see what they had to say. There are a few nuggets in each and I downloaded the notes. Sedaris holds a special space in my heart and on my bookshelf.
Thank you so, so much Elizabeth! You are so kind and such a peach :) I think you'll have some fun discoveries in the New England book..or maybe reacquaintances :) I will have to put the Neil Gaiman course in the cue. Ditto for me on Sedaris. I have been fascinated by what makes him tick artistically for a long, long time so getting some insight into how he breaks down his work was fantastic. It also made me go reread a ton of stuff, which has been a delight! :)
Thank you for this piece! I needed to hear some of this. I’m a huge fan of David Sedaris, so I loved hearing your highlights and take away from his Master Class. I need to stop scrolling Facebook hahaha!
I too consume a lot about how people work and operate (writing), and it always fascinates me. I try to incorporate as much as I can. I’m still struggling for what works for me, and I probably always will! Hahaha!
Thanks Kristin! That's enormously sweet of you to say and I appreciate the read. I'll never stop snooping around the desks of other creatives to see what I can learn from them--never a bad thing for sure! It's always about pinching what resonates with you and incorporating it into your own practice. Showing up for all of it is about 90% of the deal, isn't it? Keep at it! I'm sure you're doing just great! :)
First, I hope things get better soon (or at least to a lower DEFCON).
I saw Sedaris do a reading a while ago, and it was as hilarious as you’d expect, but there were also a few parts that were frankly harrowing. I got a ton of insight into what drives him from that talk.
P.S. the book look awesome! I just grabbed a copy. Maybe a dumb Q, but why is there such a long lead time before it’s released?
Thank you so much, Kevin!! I’m grateful for the support. Not a dumb question at all: The pub dates are simply determined by their particular production schedule. This one just happens to fall in late summer 😊 Sedaris live is something special for sure. One of the notes he gives relates to what you identified as harrowing. He says that it’s important to work in gravity or even sorrow with humor because it makes everything richer and more memorable, relatable. Great stuff!
You were totally right, this was exactly what I needed to hear. It's so easy to get down on yourself and start spiraling. The root of that I think is a sense of loneliness, like you are in it alone and nobody can possibly understand. Which of course is the height of hubris, but we writers also think everything we create is brilliant, so that's just an occupational hazard.
I also have Masterclass but I haven't gotten to Sedaris' yet. Prioritizing immediately!!
Thanks for sharing this and the boost of confidence it has inspired in one writer who also started 2024 by crashing and burning.
The loneliness/isolation part of it is a big one I think. That's why I appreciated your piece because sometimes you just need to pour a glass and TALK about it. Every other profession gets to let off steam or bitch or whatever...artists need to do that kind of processing too. I think you'll get a lot out of the Sedaris course. I was really impressed with how much of it I needed to hear AND felt I could really use to push myself further. I have the Judd Apatow one on deck, but my bandwidth has been minuscule these past two weeks. ONWARD! :)
Gonna put in my pre-order for your book, been waiting to do this ever since the first Lens Zen!
Happy for you Sheils you're enjoying MasterClass, my kid and I have done a bunch on there and they're fun. Tan France from Queer Eye and Xtina Aguilera are good ones if you want a little diversion from the writerly and businessy courses!
As always Marmi you bowl me right over. I would LOVE to put a copy right in your hands...we must figure that out! I am excited to poke around further in all the MasterClass offerings. I think I might just be able to direct a perfume ad at least after watching Ron Howard. "Stand here, say this, cut!" How hard can it really be? :) X!
I'm sure anything you direct will be better than Natalie Portman's latest perfume commercial, it was so absurd and silly! And especially if you'll have Ron Howard's tutelage 🎬 Aaron Sorkin's MasterClass was great too!
If I were to direct it would be perfume and car ads ONLY. I feel like you can literally do anything: a woman in a ball gown dancing on the moon. J'adore by Chanel. Direct deposit please! :) (I will check out Sorkin's class...I would watch 15 minutes of walk-n-talk scenes on loop...yep.) :)
Sheila, I just pre-ordered this. I will be curious to see if some of the places I think of when I think of New England will be in it. The rest of the time I will just keep it handy for those moments when I want a whiff of my first home.
I did the Sedaris course when someone gifted me Masterclass a couple of years ago. I also took the Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman courses. I admire all of them so much I just had to see what they had to say. There are a few nuggets in each and I downloaded the notes. Sedaris holds a special space in my heart and on my bookshelf.
Thank you so, so much Elizabeth! You are so kind and such a peach :) I think you'll have some fun discoveries in the New England book..or maybe reacquaintances :) I will have to put the Neil Gaiman course in the cue. Ditto for me on Sedaris. I have been fascinated by what makes him tick artistically for a long, long time so getting some insight into how he breaks down his work was fantastic. It also made me go reread a ton of stuff, which has been a delight! :)
Wahooooo!! Look at that COVER!!!
I can’t wait to have that on my bookshelf and to read it and plan all the places I want to go when I get up your way! Congratulations!!! ❤️🎉
Thanks Mighty Tara!!!! I am really excited to share this one! Nothing would make me happier than strolling with you in one of these special places 🥰
Congrats on the book!!
Thank you for this piece! I needed to hear some of this. I’m a huge fan of David Sedaris, so I loved hearing your highlights and take away from his Master Class. I need to stop scrolling Facebook hahaha!
I too consume a lot about how people work and operate (writing), and it always fascinates me. I try to incorporate as much as I can. I’m still struggling for what works for me, and I probably always will! Hahaha!
Thanks Kristin! That's enormously sweet of you to say and I appreciate the read. I'll never stop snooping around the desks of other creatives to see what I can learn from them--never a bad thing for sure! It's always about pinching what resonates with you and incorporating it into your own practice. Showing up for all of it is about 90% of the deal, isn't it? Keep at it! I'm sure you're doing just great! :)
Congrats on publishing! And just wanted to say I enjoyed this piece a lot!
Thanks Dave! You’re so kind and I really appreciate it!