@lainewrites

humanities girl working in tech. novelist, essayist, always in revision mode. taking a break from X. find me on substack or IG: literaryelaine.

 nyc
elainewrites.substack.com
Joined August 2010
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if someone likes your writing, chances are they will like a lot of the other stuff you like and share. our writing reflects our values and tastes. it's not possible to like someone's writing without being drawn to some part of their ethos.
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there’s so much fear around ai in publishing, understandably. but i think there’s never been an easier time to figure out if you actually like writing without wasting years of your life
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sometimes you need to hear yourself say what you think you want in order to realize you don’t actually want it. when it’s just a thought in your head, it’s easy to stay in the realm of fantasy
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this line from east of eden will haunt me
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sometimes you just have to say the thing in order to say the next thing. backlogs are creatively stifling.
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reading east of eden, i'm fascinated by cathy ames as the male fantasy of a female villain, a projection of men's fear, desire, and idealization of women, monstrous because she rejects every role women are expected to embrace: daughter, wife, mother.
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the scary thing of modern dating is how close to desire lies danger. there’s nothing wrong with going to a party in the hopes of meeting up with a guy and having a good time. it’s so ordinary, so natural, a beautiful experience that can easily tip into horror.
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when you’ve lost the plot
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love that all these movies are being made of old books / classics. what’s next… stoner? i who have never known men? transit of venus?
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reading really good nonfiction feels much more “nutrient dense” than scrolling the feed, even if your feed is really well-curated. It’s like the difference between a really beautiful multi-course meal by a single chef, and grazing on a bunch of random little snacks
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have a theory that ppl who find it hard to create content on social media tend to have more filters, which involves overthinking whether they should share a thing, how to share it, when to share it, while the ppl who are good at it just post whatever comes to mind
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not a single human being on this entire planet wants a permanent Netflix sticker on their copy of East of Eden.
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one of the most pervasive well-intentioned social impulses is to offer something you’re not prepared to give in order to avoid conflict/awkwardness or spare the person’s feelings. i like to think i’m getting better at saying what i mean
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has anyone noticed that canal street has become totally unwalkable?
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i no longer think anything is truly “obvious.” surprised to realize this when a friend kept saying, “obviously…” and i kept thinking “but is it?”
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helpful instructions
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sometimes the attainment of a goal is both a reward and a curse
Fahd Ananta
@fahdanantaAug 23
Sometimes in life the pursuit of a goal is more fulfilling than the goal itself
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i can’t get enough of other ppl’s book recommendations even though god knows i don’t need more books on my tbr. it just thrills me to hear what someone has to say about a book they loved. it’s this little window into their soul.
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doing something for pleasure has to be the purest reason. i’m reading agatha christie mysteries again. they’re not expanding my world view or improving my writing. i’m just in it for the thrill.
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desire = "I want this" anger = "I don't want this" two sides of the same coin. inability to express anger is an inability to express desire. resentment is what happens when desire is unexpressed - it goes underground & festers the classic archetype here is the "nice guy" - agreeable on the surface, but often with a deep simmering rage that erupts eventually the nice guy can't articulate his desires - he doesn't want to risk rejection or risk making others uncomfortable. he puts his desire/anger in his shadow and tries to forget about it but there's a huuuge cost to that. he loses access to his own aliveness, and resentment takes its place. he feels his own rage and it frightens him, and thus he rejects it more
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some of the most culturally resonant books and movies depict smth that many people have experienced in a way that is so honest, it’s instantly recognizable. goes to show that it’s worth trying to articulate the thing that feels true to you. chances are you’re not alone.
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