Look 101: The art of casting
Fellow angler,
Casting is foundational to fishing. You’ll never manage to catch a fish if you never manage to cast. And while there’s great nuance to casting, it boils down to committing your lure to the water.
To be clear, this newsletter is not about fishing. But this first post is the equivalent of me dropping a lure into the water as skillfully as I can, and hoping that you bite.
That’s it for fish content. The rest of this post will cover what to expect from this blog and some anticipated questions you may have.
What’s this newsletter about?
I am slowly working to become a full-time novelist and I’ll write regularly about that effort. There will be plenty of behind-the-scenes content as I progress from a peon to either a superstar or an older peon with the sort of valuable life experience that convinces recruiters at high-paying tech companies that I’m worth hiring.
I think you’ll find useful nuggets in these posts even if you don’t want to be a writer. The process of establishing a career and finding the time and energy to do something you want to do feels broadly applicable.
But this blog is also an outlet for my thoughts and stories that I want to write while other more important work is being ignored. I will attempt fish puns and sometimes there will be more fun and vibes than substance.
Why the name? Why all the fish?
It’s based on a story I read years ago. I have no idea if it’s true and I’m a little afraid to look up the details in case I got it way wrong. Here’s the dramatized version I’ve been holding onto for years:
Some scientist-professor-dude had his students examine a dead fish. He told them to look at their fish because he was about to leave the room and when he returned, he wanted them to share what they’d learned. But it was a smelly, gross looking fish and no one really wanted to touch it or get close to it.
When the professor returned and asked students what they’d found, they shared what type of fish it was and basic anatomical details that anyone could see from a distance. The professor wasn’t pleased. He felt they hadn’t really looked at the fish. So he again said, “Look at your fish,” and left the room. This process repeated a couple more times and each time the students looked more closely and uncovered more useful details to help them understand the fish in front of them.
I’m sure there’s more to the story but this is enough to explain my inspiration: How often do we go through life observing only the most superficial details? I do hope that through this newsletter, I can look more closely at my writing and my life — both as a writer and in general. Ideally I’ll help you to do the same, but I would never promise that.
(Also I studied aquaculture and worked with fish farmers for years so I guess I just like fish.)
How often do I have to read this?
Every other Tuesday at 10AM ET inshallah.
I chose that time because I subscribe to a Muppet newsletter and that’s when it sends. By sending my latest post at that time, you and I can both look forward to an email at the same time.
But why should I subscribe to another newsletter?
I know our inboxes are full so I’ve given this some thought. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
I think I will find success and become a full-time (and for now I dare only say in parentheses, best-selling) author. By following along with this newsletter, you can tell future humans that you got in on the ground floor.
If that appeals to you, then you sound like the sort of intelligent, fun, and beautiful person who would enjoy my writing.
Should I fail to become a successful novelist, then in those quiet moments when you’re sitting with your friends and it’s been 10 minutes since you finished your drink so you’re unsure if you should leave or try to keep the hangout going, you can pull up this blog and laugh at the dunce who thought he would become a full-time (and best-selling) author.
This is a win-win.
Does this cost money?
No. Now, the more cynical among us may argue that I’m following a timeworn capitalist tradition of offering a free service that I can monetize once I’ve built an addicted user base. That I’m merely building a “brand” that allows me to one day exploit loyal readers by convincing them to pay me money and buy my books.
To those overly suspicious people I say:
We all know how this works, folks! I need to make money to continue writing my stupid little stories. But while I’d appreciate a paid subscription, this is available as a free newsletter. So for now let’s just have fun.
Are we done here?
One more thing: By making it all the way through this post, you, my reluctant reader, are now an angler. Yes, it’s a fishing pun. But in line with the title and examining life more closely, when you look at something (fish or other), adjusting your viewing angle is often a simple but profound way to change how you see that thing.
It’s tenuous but if you squint, it’s a double entendre.
Anyway thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Happy fishing!