Very interesting. Very brave. It's a shame that Jo doesn't share your love of SF. Have you considered divorce? I didn't see Dune2 in the end because you lot convinced me that I needed to see Dune 1 first, but I couldn't find it available apart from buying it. I only ever walked out of something once, much to the embarrassment of my girlfriend at the time. It was a version of Hamlet that was, and remains the worst interpretation of any Shakespeare play that I've ever seen. Do avoid burn out: the reading will still be there. I once commented on a tweet twenty years after it had been posted. Well, I don't like rushing to judgement. 😂 night night my friend
The worst interpretation of any Shakespeare? You haven’t seen the Austrian interpretation of Romeo and Juliet: deafening shouting THE WHOLE TIME, bags of skulls and bones falling from the ceiling. The only good thing was the rotating stage. Beat that!
I declare it to be a tie. The one I walked out on featured everyone suspended in rigging growling their lines out. Apparently it was meant to represent the idea that everyone in the play is trapped.
Think you summed up Holly perfectly there, Nathan. Just a great fun read. Looking forward to his new book that’s out in May which is short stories along with a supposed sequel to Cujo. So, we’ll see how that goes 🤔
Not sure I’ll go and see On the Silver Globe though, despite your very succinct summary 😁. I think I would end up walking out too! 😆
Looking forward to more stories of Renn and Brae but just when you’re ready. You’ll find that diary soon enough 👍🏼
“Fraying” is a good word for just now. Over here something is off kilter, but I’m not sure what. Maybe me. It’s like I’m waiting for something. Could be the changing of the seasons 🤔
The world fascinates me. To you it’s a Saturday morning heading into autumn and here’s it’s a Friday night still clinging onto the last of winter before hopefully a bright spring morning tomorrow. Amazing
Enjoy the weekend, Nathan, and we’ll see where the path takes us next 👍🏼
Oh wow, I didn't know that. was coming Cujo remains one of my favourites from when I first got into King in my late teens. It amazes me how much he can still churn out every year.
You know, you're right. That's the exact feeling. Like something is going to happen. Almost an anxious feeling. Perhaps it is the change of seasons.
I hope you do indeed wake up to a lovely spring morning!
And here I am reading it 20 minutes later. Like chatting with a friend. I enjoyed the chat dear Nathan. Enjoy your well-deserved long weekend. Hugs dear fellow. 🤗🤗💕
Ugh, other things are the worst. Tar was brilliant, wasn't it? They did miss a trick not including at least one scene where she visits a tar pit, though. I share your desire for you to return to Renn and Brae, btw. Definitely ready for those guys, again--whenever you're ready, of course. No need for a 2021 repeat. I try to keep a solid four years between breakdowns, personally...
I so get that feeling when a piece of equipment one has relied on and nurtured for years simply just says No one day… I’m truly sorry that for you it was your computer… that’s hard!
But even still… even spontaneously you have the words… « The edges of me unfurl, are caught and loosened by the wind… » you gathered them up and made them still Nathan… nicely done!
I hope you get the rest days you need - i feel that unfurling too, I’ve a week to go still!
Thanks, Susie. I hope nothing is too frantic before you get to those rest days.
It's been a great and much needed couple of days here. A little work on Friday morning, but a complete switch-off since then (before I accept and return to things later today or tomorrow, but at least I return refreshed).
Take the time you need, brother - I might have reached peak Substack too, and I've just signed on to be a reader for the Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize so the next 5 months could be pretty frayed... 💜
Thanks - more than I bargained for, even ;) I'm told I can take a pause or quit if I burn out at any point, but I'm going to do my best to give the writers my full attention.
Sorry for your loss, Nathan. I get even though I've never had an emotional attachment to a digital device. Guitars, yes. Computers, no. Thanks for the recommendation of Tar, it's been on my list for a while. Can't wait to see where Brae goes when you get back to it.
Love a peek into your morning pages. Wandering, insightful, full of raw emotion and maybe a hint of heaviness and longing? And have you discovered @nadiagerassimenko? She writes a lot about gaming, games, an unsuspecting gamer full of poetry and gentleness.
Thanks Kimberly. Yes, I know Nadia well, although I think she's on a bit of a Substack break at the moment, which is a shame as I miss seeing her around and reading her posts.
There's usually some heaviness and longing going on here when I sink down into writing mode ;)
It’s 00:00 here and I’m reading the words you wrote in what was the future for me. Last year I almost walked out of a movie as well, Barbie. I probably should’ve, because I kept talking to myself during the movie and literally squirming in my seat. I felt soiled by the time it ended and I was released from my pain.
Waiting for Brae. I know you’ll find that diary.
Finally, spring is coming here and I felt shocked for a moment when I read autumn. That passage was so beautiful and heartbreaking. Pain is poetry. Take care, Nathan.
I'm so sorry about the death of your beloved Machine. Maybe you can create a really cool writing nook for yourself and your trusty laptop somewhere in your house? I have my Microseasons HQ--just a corner of our kitchen, but it's eccentric and comfy enough to feel sheltering and poetic. When I sit down there, I pretend to be a writer. I admire your commitment to writing, Nathan, even when you are spent. That's discipline! I'm too quick to give myself a pass. Right now, I'm using the excuse of starting a new job--pouring all my cognitive energy into a new and exciting endeavor--but I've totally abandoned my substack! What if I can't get back to it? The thought panics me--like losing my child in a shopping mall--I am a terrible mother of my own writing.
Congratulations on the new job! That's exciting and also understandable that things elsewhere take a backseat. Cognitive energy often drains quickly, so it's good to keep it refreshed and recharged. Do what you need to do. I have every confidence you can get back to your stack when the time is right. I know what you mean about that panic, though. The weekly rhythm here has been my own kind of fuel. If I miss a week, what if that fuel runs out completely?!
I’m thankful for the opportunity—a great blessing for me professionally. Now I just need to figure out a good new rhythm for the days I’m not working. Your encouragement is much appreciated, Brian.
Thanks for this, Nathan! It’s good to be reminded that sometimes all we have is an hour and a half, but the obligations of work family or life can take precedence over our creative responsibilities. And I know how you feel about that work laptop, it’s hard enough to separate from the work identity without the ever-present reminder of that numbered sticker in the right hand corner of the machine, informing both the device and the employee that they are merely a number.
Hah, you're so right, Brian! The sticker!! It's right there, reminding me.
Thanks for taking the time to come by for a read. Always appreciated. Hope everything is going well for you and I look forward to when your next piece drops.
Sorry you’re struggling but happy you’re sharing it here with us. Isn’t that the best way to unload a burden? I must admit that while breaking down does not sound like fun, your after self care is 💯 and thanks to Jo it sounds like as well. I think it’s also a great way to exercise that writing voice as well. In terms of games as escape from reality, I don’t have much experience but I do it in other ways and think it must be healthy. I mean reading is one way for sure. This is how we play with self and maybe with the “real” hidden world that is so elusive. Thanks for all the recs! Especially as I’m on a film kick (though I think I’d be with your wife on that one). Im reading Ozeki’s A Tale for Time Being. She’s a Japanese-American professor and Buddhist priest. She writes about the way Japanese see “reality” as a dream. It’s my first encounter with her work and think you’d love it.
Thank *you* for the rec here, that sounds definitely my kinda thing. I'll check it out. Onto the list is goes ;)
And yeah, I'm sure you're right. It's a good place/mindset to exercise the writing voice. Appreciate your thoughts as always, Kate. I'm a bit slow to respond to stuff this weekend. Will get to those comments from you on your own post soon ☺️
I, too, have a burning desire to return to Brae and Renn but I’ll gladly wait. And replace that desktop, mate, get a good gaming rig, treat yourself! As far as the term “gamer” goes there is still stigma attached to that even if AAA games have become more mainstream, and I had to smile at your comparisons, adding “cineast” into the mix, the posh version of movie buff. I have long reached (or always were at) a point where I no longer care what others think about “gamers” I love games. I love movies and books and a lot of things, and it’s good to know you do, too. One of these days, we’ll need to do a dungeon romp together. Take Nadia, Dan and Teagan with us, too.
Hehe, no, I didn't 😮 I know it's a staple, but it's something I rarely get for some reason.
Interesting re: King that you've never thought of him as horror. I do get what you mean with psychology though. He does a lot of delving into the minds of his characters.
Agree that Tar wasn't make for liking, per se, but as a portrayal of "Lydia" and as a psychological thriller I thought it was excellent. I would revisit to catch some of the details I may have missed on the first watch.
Re King: it's not so much the psychology or the delving, although there is that. His stories are character driven, not plot driven. Ergo, he doesn't set off with horror in mind, he sets off with characters and a setting, and the story unfolds how it will.
Very interesting. Very brave. It's a shame that Jo doesn't share your love of SF. Have you considered divorce? I didn't see Dune2 in the end because you lot convinced me that I needed to see Dune 1 first, but I couldn't find it available apart from buying it. I only ever walked out of something once, much to the embarrassment of my girlfriend at the time. It was a version of Hamlet that was, and remains the worst interpretation of any Shakespeare play that I've ever seen. Do avoid burn out: the reading will still be there. I once commented on a tweet twenty years after it had been posted. Well, I don't like rushing to judgement. 😂 night night my friend
😆
I was worried it might leave to divorce when we were on our way home...
It's a shame that Dune Part One isn't streaming somewhere.
Ah, yes, terrible theatre. There is nothing quite like it.
Good effort with the 20-year-delayed tweet. Wait, is Twitter/Xitter 20 years old?!
That was a rounding error: twitter is 18 years old!
Close enough ;)
LOL
I enjoy good scifi. This was an abomination to filmmaking!
Fair enough! 😂
The worst interpretation of any Shakespeare? You haven’t seen the Austrian interpretation of Romeo and Juliet: deafening shouting THE WHOLE TIME, bags of skulls and bones falling from the ceiling. The only good thing was the rotating stage. Beat that!
I declare it to be a tie. The one I walked out on featured everyone suspended in rigging growling their lines out. Apparently it was meant to represent the idea that everyone in the play is trapped.
OMG - your experience sounds very extreme as well. 😳 Terrible!
I thought that about yours!
🤣
Think you summed up Holly perfectly there, Nathan. Just a great fun read. Looking forward to his new book that’s out in May which is short stories along with a supposed sequel to Cujo. So, we’ll see how that goes 🤔
Not sure I’ll go and see On the Silver Globe though, despite your very succinct summary 😁. I think I would end up walking out too! 😆
Looking forward to more stories of Renn and Brae but just when you’re ready. You’ll find that diary soon enough 👍🏼
“Fraying” is a good word for just now. Over here something is off kilter, but I’m not sure what. Maybe me. It’s like I’m waiting for something. Could be the changing of the seasons 🤔
The world fascinates me. To you it’s a Saturday morning heading into autumn and here’s it’s a Friday night still clinging onto the last of winter before hopefully a bright spring morning tomorrow. Amazing
Enjoy the weekend, Nathan, and we’ll see where the path takes us next 👍🏼
Oh wow, I didn't know that. was coming Cujo remains one of my favourites from when I first got into King in my late teens. It amazes me how much he can still churn out every year.
You know, you're right. That's the exact feeling. Like something is going to happen. Almost an anxious feeling. Perhaps it is the change of seasons.
I hope you do indeed wake up to a lovely spring morning!
And here I am reading it 20 minutes later. Like chatting with a friend. I enjoyed the chat dear Nathan. Enjoy your well-deserved long weekend. Hugs dear fellow. 🤗🤗💕
Here I am, reading your comment 2hrs after you left a comment 20 minutes after I wrote something 😉
Thanks for being here, friend. Have a lovely weekend!
Ugh, other things are the worst. Tar was brilliant, wasn't it? They did miss a trick not including at least one scene where she visits a tar pit, though. I share your desire for you to return to Renn and Brae, btw. Definitely ready for those guys, again--whenever you're ready, of course. No need for a 2021 repeat. I try to keep a solid four years between breakdowns, personally...
Hehehe. Ahh your comments always make me smile, Chloe.
It's good to know I've got another year before the next breakdown, then.
I so get that feeling when a piece of equipment one has relied on and nurtured for years simply just says No one day… I’m truly sorry that for you it was your computer… that’s hard!
But even still… even spontaneously you have the words… « The edges of me unfurl, are caught and loosened by the wind… » you gathered them up and made them still Nathan… nicely done!
I hope you get the rest days you need - i feel that unfurling too, I’ve a week to go still!
Thanks, Susie. I hope nothing is too frantic before you get to those rest days.
It's been a great and much needed couple of days here. A little work on Friday morning, but a complete switch-off since then (before I accept and return to things later today or tomorrow, but at least I return refreshed).
Take the time you need, brother - I might have reached peak Substack too, and I've just signed on to be a reader for the Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize so the next 5 months could be pretty frayed... 💜
Ooh, congrats Troy! But yeah, imagine that's a fair chunk of work!
Thanks - more than I bargained for, even ;) I'm told I can take a pause or quit if I burn out at any point, but I'm going to do my best to give the writers my full attention.
Sorry for your loss, Nathan. I get even though I've never had an emotional attachment to a digital device. Guitars, yes. Computers, no. Thanks for the recommendation of Tar, it's been on my list for a while. Can't wait to see where Brae goes when you get back to it.
Thanks, Ben. I think it's only because I built it and spent time selecting the components all those years ago. It had a good life 😆
Love a peek into your morning pages. Wandering, insightful, full of raw emotion and maybe a hint of heaviness and longing? And have you discovered @nadiagerassimenko? She writes a lot about gaming, games, an unsuspecting gamer full of poetry and gentleness.
Thanks Kimberly. Yes, I know Nadia well, although I think she's on a bit of a Substack break at the moment, which is a shame as I miss seeing her around and reading her posts.
There's usually some heaviness and longing going on here when I sink down into writing mode ;)
Don’t worry about us Slake. Take care of you; we shall be here when you return.
Thanks Clancy! I know I just need a few days of downtime to recharge the brain cells.
Thanks for being here, regardless of whatever things I scribble down!
It’s 00:00 here and I’m reading the words you wrote in what was the future for me. Last year I almost walked out of a movie as well, Barbie. I probably should’ve, because I kept talking to myself during the movie and literally squirming in my seat. I felt soiled by the time it ended and I was released from my pain.
Waiting for Brae. I know you’ll find that diary.
Finally, spring is coming here and I felt shocked for a moment when I read autumn. That passage was so beautiful and heartbreaking. Pain is poetry. Take care, Nathan.
Bang on midnight :D
Thanks Claudia, always appreciate you dropping in for a read. I hope you're getting some spring emerging from the ground.
Yes, we finished watching Barbie and were left somewhat baffled by the sheer praise and buzz it had received.
Brae soon, I promise!
Barbie was terrible. So cringe. Ken was the best!
Yay, looking forward! I’ll finish Sernox meanwhile. Oh, I also write on my work laptop…
(There's a part of me that worries that work *knows*. Not that it's a big deal, I guess.)
*'Cause I'm just Ken, anywhere else I'd be a ten...*
It's certainly a catchy tune. 😄
I’m kenough. 😅
Actually long film for telling a guy, hey, I’m not that into you.
Haha so true!!
I'm so sorry about the death of your beloved Machine. Maybe you can create a really cool writing nook for yourself and your trusty laptop somewhere in your house? I have my Microseasons HQ--just a corner of our kitchen, but it's eccentric and comfy enough to feel sheltering and poetic. When I sit down there, I pretend to be a writer. I admire your commitment to writing, Nathan, even when you are spent. That's discipline! I'm too quick to give myself a pass. Right now, I'm using the excuse of starting a new job--pouring all my cognitive energy into a new and exciting endeavor--but I've totally abandoned my substack! What if I can't get back to it? The thought panics me--like losing my child in a shopping mall--I am a terrible mother of my own writing.
Thanks, Ann!
Congratulations on the new job! That's exciting and also understandable that things elsewhere take a backseat. Cognitive energy often drains quickly, so it's good to keep it refreshed and recharged. Do what you need to do. I have every confidence you can get back to your stack when the time is right. I know what you mean about that panic, though. The weekly rhythm here has been my own kind of fuel. If I miss a week, what if that fuel runs out completely?!
Bleeding onto the page like an artery. Mustn't let it clot off. 🫀😅
Hah, love the notion! 🤣
I look forward to whenever you get back to your Substack! I hope the new job has been good for you.
I’m thankful for the opportunity—a great blessing for me professionally. Now I just need to figure out a good new rhythm for the days I’m not working. Your encouragement is much appreciated, Brian.
1) Plot is a strong word, there was no plot just custumes and sets and people yelling about nonsense
2) You forgot to mention that it was nearly THREE HOURS LONG. I gave it 2.5 and finally couldn't stand being yelled at in nonsense anymore.
You stuck it out for a long time ;)
Thanks for this, Nathan! It’s good to be reminded that sometimes all we have is an hour and a half, but the obligations of work family or life can take precedence over our creative responsibilities. And I know how you feel about that work laptop, it’s hard enough to separate from the work identity without the ever-present reminder of that numbered sticker in the right hand corner of the machine, informing both the device and the employee that they are merely a number.
Hah, you're so right, Brian! The sticker!! It's right there, reminding me.
Thanks for taking the time to come by for a read. Always appreciated. Hope everything is going well for you and I look forward to when your next piece drops.
Sorry you’re struggling but happy you’re sharing it here with us. Isn’t that the best way to unload a burden? I must admit that while breaking down does not sound like fun, your after self care is 💯 and thanks to Jo it sounds like as well. I think it’s also a great way to exercise that writing voice as well. In terms of games as escape from reality, I don’t have much experience but I do it in other ways and think it must be healthy. I mean reading is one way for sure. This is how we play with self and maybe with the “real” hidden world that is so elusive. Thanks for all the recs! Especially as I’m on a film kick (though I think I’d be with your wife on that one). Im reading Ozeki’s A Tale for Time Being. She’s a Japanese-American professor and Buddhist priest. She writes about the way Japanese see “reality” as a dream. It’s my first encounter with her work and think you’d love it.
Hope you enjoy some bouldering soon 😉
Thank *you* for the rec here, that sounds definitely my kinda thing. I'll check it out. Onto the list is goes ;)
And yeah, I'm sure you're right. It's a good place/mindset to exercise the writing voice. Appreciate your thoughts as always, Kate. I'm a bit slow to respond to stuff this weekend. Will get to those comments from you on your own post soon ☺️
I, too, have a burning desire to return to Brae and Renn but I’ll gladly wait. And replace that desktop, mate, get a good gaming rig, treat yourself! As far as the term “gamer” goes there is still stigma attached to that even if AAA games have become more mainstream, and I had to smile at your comparisons, adding “cineast” into the mix, the posh version of movie buff. I have long reached (or always were at) a point where I no longer care what others think about “gamers” I love games. I love movies and books and a lot of things, and it’s good to know you do, too. One of these days, we’ll need to do a dungeon romp together. Take Nadia, Dan and Teagan with us, too.
Cineast! That's a great term. I like it.
Love that you love all these things too! Definitely keen for that co-op romp!
Thanks for being here my friend.
👍 I hear BG3 has coop...
Sure does. I've heard it's very well implemented.
Did you get a choc top at the Astor? That's the important part.
I've never thought of King as a horror writer. He writes about the psychology of his characters and the communities they inhabit.
I didn't love Tar, I don't think it was made for liking. The acting was impeccable, of course. Not a film I'd revisit.
Hehe, no, I didn't 😮 I know it's a staple, but it's something I rarely get for some reason.
Interesting re: King that you've never thought of him as horror. I do get what you mean with psychology though. He does a lot of delving into the minds of his characters.
Agree that Tar wasn't make for liking, per se, but as a portrayal of "Lydia" and as a psychological thriller I thought it was excellent. I would revisit to catch some of the details I may have missed on the first watch.
Re King: it's not so much the psychology or the delving, although there is that. His stories are character driven, not plot driven. Ergo, he doesn't set off with horror in mind, he sets off with characters and a setting, and the story unfolds how it will.