💌 May '24: Monthly Wrap-Up

It's the hard-knock life.

Dear Friend,

Years ago, long before I knew I’d be Substacking and needing quote attributions, I wrote down something a SCBWI panelist said about being a writer that has felt “true” ever since.

“What you are committing to is standing at a door, and knocking for the rest of your days.” - Do you know who said this? If so, please comment and let me know!

Sure, maybe some literary and celebrity superstars have publishers knock on THEIR door. But for the remaining 99.9% of us, we will be the knockers, not the knockees. It’s part of why everyone wants an agent—to have a trusted partner to approach all those doors with. 😂

A neighbor’s house in Melbourne, Oz. (We’re now in Seattle.)

So, yeah, you’re going rap-rap-rap away. Your hands may callus. You may even be tempted to yell through the mailbox slot, “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! I CAN HEAR YOUR TRUE CRIME PODCAST!” And, still, no, you can’t choose if anyone will open the door.

Still, you can try to enjoy the knocking (as best you can). Will you try shave-and-a-haircut next? Perhaps it would be fun to pretend you are furiously winding up for a pitch before giving the door *two light taps.* Or, maybe you’ll just bellow, “Alohomora!” while holding down the buzzer with a stick you found. Keep it as fun as possible for yourself, creator, and remember: what you’re selling is good stuff—even better than Girl Scout cookies. You will find the right house that needs it.

I know this photo isn’t as flashy as a bunch I saw post-Aurora, but this is what it looked like most often where we were. It felt like looking at a Rothko gallery in the sky. It was awe-inspiring—and a bucket list item I got to share with my family. I got some video when the sky was most lit; you can see that here!

"It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academician. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing."

— Mark Rothko

I have often found myself really moved by Rothko’s work when I’ve been lucky enough to see it, and I follow @dailyrothko on Instagram to further educate myself about his work and philosophy.

My Substack posts from this month were:

• 📌 Anthropomorphism Isn't Just a Great Scrabble Word

• 📌 The Good (vs. the Bad) Kind of Scary

• 📌 Great Aunt Pitty Pat, Part 2

• 📌 Great Aunt Pitty Pat, Part 1

• 📌 Natural Rhythms and Purposeful Backbeats

And two more I found when turning out my coat pockets:

• 📌 Not Feeling "(Fill in the Blank)" Enough to Tell Your Stories - Just like Walt Whitman, you, too, are large; you, too, contain multitudes!

• 📌 Orange Beak Studio Sessions - For £15 (around $19), you can peek into the mind of some of your favorite picture book illustrators--and enjoy British-accented PB shop talk

Here’s this month’s throwback video—I love this song as-is, but the video really showcases the vulnerability Alanis (powerfully) shared in her songs. It’s rare that a song written by a 23-year-old gets even better and more resonant the more the audience matures, but I think this one does. 🫶

Here is a quick glimpse of the many picture books I was jealous of this month. You can read why (plus my reviews of many others) on my Goodreads reviews.

Some of the many books I'm jealous of...

I haven’t done a free cell phone or desktop wallpaper in a while! I snapped this picture a week or so ago; I love the way rain looks on leaves. (Side note: I suspect this picture would make a pretty tricky jigsaw puzzle!)

Free to download/save and use for personal use only. Thank you.

May the Force be with you.

Your “leaving May for June” friend,