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Hey friend,
This is a short email I’ve started sending out every couple of weeks as a part of the 90-day experiment I’m doing publishing a fictional story every week day. What to expect in this email:
A piece of wisdom I've found in books I'm reading, podcasts, etc.
A line or two from the most popular story I've published
A short note on the project itself
Piece of Wisdom
I just wrapped up reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Possibly a top 5 book of all-time for me, certainly top 10.
I have pages of quotes and notes from it, rich with wisdom as it is. Here are a couple related to sorrow and suffering, of which I’ve been thinking a lot about lately:
"Those born to wealth, and who have the means of gratifying every wish," said Emmanuel, "know not what is the real happiness of life, just as those who have been tossed on the stormy waters of the ocean on a few frail planks can alone realize the blessings of fair weather."
“Though he had acknowledged his guilt, he was protected by his grief. There are some situations which men understand by instinct, but which reason is powerless to explain; in such cases the greatest poet is he who gives utterance to the most natural and vehement outburst of sorrow. Those who hear the bitter cry are as much impressed as if they listened to an entire poem, and when the sufferer is sincere they are right in regarding his outburst as sublime.”
Our sorrows are the darkness that allows us to perceive the light in our lives. And sharing it with others is not a burden but a gift.
Most Popular Story
From Defiance: The Living Arrow
A son said to his father, “I've learned through the way you held me in my youth that in defiance, one finds the purest form of self-obedience."
Notes on the project
When I started publishing these stories I had already written five. I had a cushion. Due to travel, that cushion has reduced to zero, to the point that yesterday I was still editing the story for the day three hours after my typical publishing time.
This has led to a new feeling of pressure and urgency, as these stories take me hours to write each day.
I, like many, have always had a romantic view of what it would be like to be a writer, or poet, or musician, or artist of any sort. Easy, flowing days where you create when you’re inspired. I’ve been reading about what it’s actually like for years now, but am only now experiencing it.
In Turning Pro, Stephen Pressfield writes, “The professional does not wait for inspiration; he acts in anticipation of it.”
Inspiration and motivation are overrated. The pro shows up at the proverbial typewriter or canvas daily regardless of how he feels.
Natural talent is overrated, and is often regarded as meaningless in certain disciplines when compared to consistent work. One achieves excellence through a series of small, unsexy daily actions taken over the course of a long period of time.
Finally, I got this very sweet comment on one of my stories:
I’m perceiving this period of time as an opportunity for me to prove to myself that I’m willing to show up to do the work whether it’s raining or shining. Because I said I would. And that feels fucking great.
Love to you and yours,
Michael