[WILF] Sharpened pencils & dull tools
1 day ago • 7 min readWelcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Each pencil hides inside it thousands of drawings. The artist's job is to discover and make these views of new worlds visible.” ― Alejandro Mos Riera Photo By: Kaboompics.com What I Learned From … In third grade, we all wanted to empty the pencil sharpener. It was bolted to the wall inside the classroom closet, the kind with a crank you had to...
READ POSTThe lake was blissful. Until the cops showed up.
3 days ago • 4 min readSomewhere between the unicorn float and the flashing lights, I made a decision. I didn’t expect to end a blissful lake day by calling the cops, but there weren’t many other options. A few summers ago, my Dad and I took The Niblings (my niece and nephew, for the new folks) to a popular lake in a nearby state park. Gorgeous lake views, a clean swim area, new floats for the kids shaped like fantasy creatures. (Word Nerd Fact: Did you know that Brits call swim floats “lilos” cause you lie on them...
READ POST[WILF] Cooking Without a Recipe & Writing Without Rules
8 days ago • 5 min readWelcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” ― Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Photo by Kyla Rose Rockola What I Learned From … The first time you open Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, you’d think you accidentally picked up a textbook…if textbooks made you ravenously hungry. There are...
READ POST[WILF] Lighthouses & Findability
16 days ago • 6 min readWelcome to What I Learned From…If someone forwarded this to you because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” ― Anne Lamott Photo of Petit Minou Lighthouse in France by Petr Slováček What I Learned From … I name all my Kindles Alexandrian. We’re on the eighth or ninth iteration by now thanks to updates, the slow death of battery life, and that one...
READ POSTWhat’s in the drawer you never let anyone read?
22 days ago • 7 min readPamela Anderson’s yellow legal pads reveal a truth: some writing isn’t for readers…it’s for survival. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “For someone like me, it is a very strange habit to write in a diary. Not only that I have never written...
READ POST[WILF] Urban Walls & Writing in Tight Spaces
30 days ago • 6 min readWhat do brick tenements and balcony plants have to do with writing? More than you think. On decorating the margins and making space for your voice. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “She wasn't doing a thing that I could see, except standing there...
READ POST[WILF] Ursula K. Le Guin & Sharp Pointy Sticks
about 1 month ago • 6 min readWhat if stories weren’t meant to conquer? Le Guin’s carrier bag theory, a sweaty 5K, and what it means to carry meaning without needing to win. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “The world is a woven basket. Every stitch counts.” ― A.D. Posey...
READ POST[WILF] Birthday Candles & Blowing Things Up
about 1 month ago • 6 min readBirthday candles = ancient wish magic, accidental grocery-list arson, and why your creative work deserves a fiery ritual. Plus pie. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. “She had a fire inside her. She wondered if the fire was to warn her or destroy...
READ POST[WILF] Messages in Bottles & Letting Go
about 2 months ago • 5 min readWhat an old ocean ritual teaches us about hitting publish and letting go. Welcome to What I Learned From…, a curious little newsletter full of essays, advice, and rabbit holes for writers who want to sharpen their craft without losing their edge. If someone forwarded this because they think you're one of us, they’re probably right. You can subscribe here. Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes Walked out this morning, I don't believe what I sawA hundred billion bottles washed up on the shoreSeems...
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