three cents: braaaains

Hi. I’m writing you from an undisclosed location atop a woodsy gulch near the Pacific Ocean, where I’m on “retreat” so I can compile the first draft of my book. It’s happening! I even printed it out! So without further ado, let’s go to the things:

1. a thing about money 

Last week I had my brain picked twice. I sometimes get asked for career advice from writers and editors, but honesty it's still seldom enough that I often say yes. I usually only agree to have my brain picked by women, because of the patriarchy. I know that I don’t owe anybody my attention, but I enjoy meeting potential peers, I like the ego boost, and meetings like these help me get better at presenting myself as, like, a professional (imagine this being read in a Valley Girl accent).

People who have picked my brain have gone on to do things like hire me, be hired by me, and join my writing group. They've also done things like ape my ideas a wee bit too closely, never acknowledge me again, and totally overstep the boundaries of our professional relationship after an initial meeting. 

Recently, author Mat Johnson said on Twitter, "Between recs, blurbs, judging, anthologies, it's possible for a writer to be writing all the time and have nothing to show." Last week, I was on deadline (still am!) and after a day of doing pretty much nothing except having (great!) coffees and phone calls with brainpickers, I exhaustedly thought, hmmm, maybe I should spend my energy on my own sh*t before I spend it on other people's? And speaking of the patriarchy, Rachel Fershleiser, Prominent Literary Influencer, recently commented "Do men also get emails that essentially say, 'Hello, I hear you have professional expertise, please provide it to me free of charge.'?"

What do you guys think? Is brain-picking basically asking a person to work for free? And do women tend to over-mentor while men tend to feel over-entitled to mentorship? Or is this just what it means to be part of a community? 

"BRAAAAINS!"
 

2. another thing about money 

I learned a lot about how hard "millennials" actually work when I interviewed writer/comedian/YouTuber Akilah Hughes. Akilah was also kind enough to explain to this clueless Gen Xer what a “brand opportunity” is. Kids these days! It’s all in The Dough. 

3. a thing about love 

This month it’s finally been not-frighteningly-warm in San Francisco, and I have been finding love indoors ... by regressing to creative activities I once enjoyed as a child:

• I re-discovered my favorite girlhood paper dolls (and realized how influential they were on my taste): Great Fashion Designs of the Fifties.
• I got an Adult Coloring Book, part of a recent publishing phenomenon that I have loudly and frequently mocked. (Also, maybe these should be renamed Grownup Coloring Books?) But omg, I totally love it. The one I have is the Mindfulness Coloring Book, which I prefer to call the Mindlessness Coloring Book. Same diff. 
• Whilst visiting San Francisco, check out some truly disruptive technology at the Cable Car Museum. It’s really SO COOL. And it’s free, so you have no excuse. 

stuff i read: 

I have always wondered how so many books can possibly be sold for a penny online. Now I know. How indie media is really funded: by rich men. And also by … no, actually it’s still just mostly rich men. Speaking of rich men, this is how politicians sell shit-tons of books. This is how artists in San Francisco (used to) live. Here's how much money journalist Susie Cagle made this year. (Susie is donating a large portion of her Patreon income to help redesign my website, Who Pays Writers, so I suppose that link is, in an indirect way, sorta sponsored.) And for all the lonely fiction writers out there, here's how to get yourself really freaked out before you’ve even finished your novel (spoiler: it’s by reading this article)!

Lastly, this has nothing to do with money or writing, really, but WHO DOESN'T LOVE THE SIMPSONS ?!

Okay, internet time is over for the day, back to retreating. 

xoxo,
m.