So I thought I would try a newsletter for a change
Going off script this time while I also talk about some upcoming ideas
Note: there’s a good chance that your email provider may truncate this newsletter due to its size but if you get this by Google’s mail system you might have to click on a link to read the whole thing. FYI.
If you’ve been a H.A.T.T.E.R.1 for any length of time you might have noticed that I generally have a post of original writing each Wednesday. Lately they’ve been essays as opposed to me trying to explain something; sometimes I throw in a writing experiment.
I’m in a mood to change things up this week so I’m going to write a few bits here and I’ll use my amazingly low tech custom section dividers2 which I’ve been keeping a drawer for a few months.
Let’s go.
I haven’t done a statistics update or a progress report since H.A.T.’s first anniversary back in May:
I expect to wait until the beginning of August to do another one; quarterly is enough from now on, I think. All I’ll say for now is that people still keep subscribing to H.A.T. faster than people leave, which is indeed pretty nice. Thanks!
I have an essay in mind about public libraries. They are wonderful and I have volunteered on library boards for years. Plus I’ve been using libraries and bookmobiles since I was a wee lad. People need to write about public libraries. I will, soon!
An interesting thing happened during the past week. On July 6th I posted on a Substack Shout Out thread offering to collaborate with other people, looking at the world from a Gen X perspective but also offering to compare generational perspectives with writers. I got a few takers last week, which was fine.
Then on Monday, July 10th, On Substack published the following, with another link to my collaboration request:
Since then I’ve had many more people express interest in collaborating! At least 22 so far which is… wow. Now I have to figure out how to organize all of this: nice problem to have! I’m thinking about different possibilities on how to do these. I’d definitely like to do some Substack Letters series with some of these folks, like the one I did with
a few months ago:
It’s good to have some options! More to come!
I am watching episodes of Space 1999 while I write this newsletter. They are a hoot. 1970s special effects are sometimes amusing. Very amusing. I love this show dearly but I have no illusions about it being great art.
Never let your Moon leave home, folks. Just don’t.
I’ve been following Amy Guth on social media for years. I’ve subscribed to her Substack
which is a hoot. I’m not normally one to try writing prompts but this one caught my eye:
I’ve literally thought about creating a FAQ about myself for
, just for fun. Amy’s question is more specific, though. I’m actually trying to think of a question that people ask me regularly. Sometimes I do get asked if I’m OK, mainly because I tend to look stern or worried a lot because I’m usually thinking hard about something. Or legitimately worried because I’m trying to figure out how we’re going to accomplish something at work - project manager’s syndrome, I suppose. I guess it’s my form of resting B face!I need to get back to reading The Power Broker if I’m going to finish it before the end of the summer.
I wrote about Instagram’s Threads this weekend. I still don’t know if I’m going to stick with it long term. The best word I have for it is bewildering. It’s wonderful to hang out with some friendly faces though.
Say hi if you see me there, on Bluesky or Substack Notes: @markdykeman
I fear I have lost my main commonplace book. I took it with me on a business trip a few weeks ago and I can’t find it anywhere I have looked. I’m trying not to worry a lot about this but if I can’t find it I’ll be sad. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into it. I’ve haven’t completely given up yet but I’m running out of places to look. Darn it.
*** Update July 14/23 - the commonplace book has been found! Thanks to all who expressed their concern and sympathies. ***
Life is difficult. I tend to think of it as a feature, not a bug. But it’s always worth moving forward.
What do you think? How about this: why not share your thoughts in the Comments?
How About This Terribly Enthusiastic Reader
Inspired by the custom section dividers used by
at - hi Tim, if you’re reading!
I hope your Commonplace book shows up. This has prompted me to write my name, email, and phone number in mine.
Great post, Mark! I was so pleased to see your Note included in 'On Substack's post on Monday - that was a really super thread on collaboration, and I'm so glad they followed up with a post about it. Kudos for the mention!
I'm ever so sorry to hear about your misplaced commonplace book - that's really upsetting. It's no exaggeration to say that I'd be utterly beside myself if I lost either of my notebooks. I've got my name and phone number in the front of each, just in case, and just hope that if I ever lose one I'll get a phone call. Well, that's the theory!
I love the sound of your FAQs! I've been thinking about getting together with my own regular collaborator Terry Freedman to 'compare FAQs' as part of our correspondence, although given the light-hearted nature of our letters to date, those FAQs are more likely to be tongue-in-cheek than in any way credible...! 😁