'A Few Good Things' is now 'No Talk Too Big'
In hopes a name change will encourage me to write more frequently
Hi, friends! This is just a quick note to say I’m changing the name of this Substack. I’ve been feeling kind of restricted (and also like a failure) because of the promise of ‘good things,’ and to be perfectly frank I don’t need any more reasons to not write, so since this is my newsletter and I can do what I want, I've decided to break that restraint!
Sorry in advance to any of you who come here for my famously unrelenting positivity.1 It's not that I'm planning to be a downer (I never plan on that, although it has been known to happen), but life is just so full of things to talk about that don’t fall into the category of ‘good things,’ and I want to feel free to talk about them. Also, I like to think my subscribers are here because they/you like reading my thoughts on a range of topics, and enjoy the way I word those thoughts. Hopefully my pieces about less rosy subjects are equally compelling/validating/enjoyable, in their own way.
Whether it’s work burnout, writing insecurities, political anxiety, the stresses of parenthood (or a combination of those last two – keep your eyes peeled for the next newsletter!), bummers abound, and in my opinion they’re always worth writing about. Hence: ‘no talk too big,’ which was the best way I could think of to call this newsletter ‘fuck small talk’ without actually swearing or repeating an oft-used phrase among other Substacks. I reserve the right to change it again in the future if I come up with something better.
That’s all for now. I will still end every missive with a random joy, because I love doing that and I think even the darkest days can be brightened a tiny bit by something stupid or cute or funny. Here’s today’s: my monthly clothing rental included this absurdly soft, almost embarrassingly purple coat, and wearing it not only makes me (and other people) smile but also makes me (and my kiddo) feel like I’m (and he’s) being hugged by a giant stuffed animal.
As for the ‘recent reading’ and ‘recent writing’ sections, I’ll keep the former and drop in the latter as it feels relevant – which it usually doesn’t, these days. In this particular message, I’m going to combine the two and link you to an old post, which I re-read because I wanted to write about needlepoint2 and I had a spidey sense that I’d written about it before, so I went and found this post from two years ago and kind of fell in love with it. One of the benefits of writing in a semi-fugue state, as I so often do, is getting to read your work a while later as if you’re completely new to it. (Also, it doesn’t actually touch on the same element of needlepoint symbolism that I’d originally wanted to share, so you might get another post sometime soon about that!)
Okay, that’s all from me for now. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get that next post out soon – my day job has been kinda all-consuming since the fall but hope springs eternal that we’ll get our shit together and things will level out…
xoxo,
Anne
If you didn't laugh, or at least smirk, you probably haven't known me very long.
LOL I’m so old
Love that you listened to what you needed to set your writing free(er)! Look forward to reading your next post too as a mom of a 2-yr old in these chaotic times. Thanks, Anne!