Let's Get Meta
Writing about writing, plus some links
I recently came across a Substack post titled “I couldn’t think of what to write today.” That seems to be a common problem. Just do a quick Google search and you’ll find plenty of topics for blog posts, content generation strategies, and creative writing prompts. These may be great, for all I know, but I haven’t read them despite the links I just provided.
That’s because finding topics to write about is not my problem (knock on wood!).
Right now, my list of newsletter ideas is at 69 and growing, not including a few drafts I’ve started. It’s true that during any given week, there may be only one or two of those that I feel like writing about. But finding a topic hasn’t been an issue for me so far. I write this newsletter not just because I love writing, which I do, but also because I have lots of things I want to say.
What is an issue is my old friend time. It’s been on my mind, and I seem to write about it a lot. I’m grateful that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been more willing and able to prioritize the things that are important to me — like writing this newsletter — so that I can fit them into my limited time. (Though I still watch too much TV. But we’re in the Golden Age of TV, right? Or is that over?)
This week, though, I hit a few snags. Anyone’s work can get busy at unpredictable times, and as a consultant with various clients I’m particularly susceptible to things bunching up all at once. Which they did. Then there was the usual life stuff, some of which also bunched up.
The result was that I got to Sunday afternoon without having even begun to write about the topic I had planned for this week. You’ll have to wait for some yet-to-be-determined future date to hear what that was.
Instead, here I am getting all meta. I admit, it’s one of my favorite things to do. If you ever want to make me notice something, just try a little meta — I guarantee that will get my attention. Maybe I just enjoy thinking too much. More on that in a future newsletter.
For today, instead of picking a topic and not giving it the attention it deserves, I’m going to share a few tidbits I’ve come across recently.
Pieces worth reading
If it were up to me, the Barbie movie wouldn’t be nominated for any Oscars — but then, I think Forrest Gump is one of the worst movies ever made and am not a fan of E.T. Still, given that it was nominated, it’s sadly reinforcing of the movie’s message that Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were overlooked for the awards, as good as Ryan Gosling’s performance was. This article highlighting the doll’s history, written by the preeminent Barbie historian (I didn’t know there was one!), is a good follow-up to my post about the movie: Barbie Biographer on What’s Really Behind the ‘Barbie’ Oscar Snubs.
I admit it, I like lists. I like To Do lists and keep more than one. I share this love with my favorite writer on time,
, whose book Four Thousand Weeks I keep referencing. But in true form, he turns this idea on its head in his piece “What if you’re already on top of things?” in which he suggests creating a Done list. Unlike To Do lists, this list starts out empty, and as you accomplish things you add them to the list. “Each entry is a cheering reminder that you could, after all, have spent the day doing nothing constructive — yet look what you did instead!” Cool idea! As long as we don’t worry too much about days when we’re not so constructive or productive. One way around that, which he advocates for, is adding small items to the Done list, like brushing your teeth or having coffee.Can and should attention be taught? Yes, according to the authors of “Powerful Forces Are Fracking Our Attention. We Can Fight Back.” They propose the rather meta idea of applying “attention to attention,” or engaging in “attention activism,” to combat the “increasingly powerful systems [that] seek to ensure that our attention is never truly ours.” It’s not just about freeing yourself from the tyranny of your smartphone; it’s about ensuring the viability of “meaningful life, collective action and political engagement.” That sounds worth trying!
Substack newsletters to check out
There are way too many great Substacks out there to keep up with! And of course, I hope you’ll keep reading Flower Child and tell your friends about it. Here’s a handy button for that:
But if you have time to read others, too, here are some good ones. I’ve shared or recommended a few others before; these are just some of my recent favorites.
- by . Anyone can be an oldster, because we’re all getting older! I appreciate Oldster Magazine’s exploration of and perspectives on the experience of getting older.
- by . A newsletter about “women living and thinking differently in their third act”? Sign me up! Oh, wait — I’m already signed up.
- by . I’m not even a mom, yet this excellently written newsletter consistently speaks to me about the many “narratives out there that are in dire need of interrupting.”
- by, not surprisingly, . Although I’m past midlife at this point, I’ve found this newsletter’s focus on “self-discovery, confidence and joy” well worth digging into.
Bonus non-Substack recommendation: If you have access to the New Yorker, check out my new favorite writer (among many other favorites), Leslie Jamison. She’s written some books, too!
I read some other good Substacks too, but I don’t want to bog you down here — or divert your attention too much from mine. 😊 What have you been reading? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for another wonderful Flower Child post. I like the idea of paying attention to attention; I need to stop fracking it! And I like reinforcing my current practice of adding things I’ve done to a day’s list. It felt like cheating until someone else gave me permission. I better pay attention to that too. It’s always something!
I'm with you on Barbie. I still wonder what others are raving about. I thought it was bringing up that we need to create an empowering place for Ken to be in a healthful way but I did not see it go there once he was put in his place.