Learn to Write by Breaking Your Heart
George Saunders writes a book about his Russian short story seminar. He’s a great writer and teacher, and if you’re interested in storytelling that should be enough. BUT the example stories he chooses are incredible and heartbreaking. The audiobook features moving performances for the example stories and a terrific performance from the author himself, trying to keep his advice practical and down to earth as the subject gets more and more complex and real and heartbreaking. Cannot recommend this highly enough.
Yappy Little Dogs
To avoid yappy little dogs is to miss out on a delightful dog format. Yappy little dogs can have border collie-level fun in your living room without destroying your home. They age well, and many of them are happy to be carried around in a bag you can take into a donut shop. This is a premium part of the dog experience. “I like dogs, except for little yappy ones” is the “I like any music except rap and country” of dog enthusiasm, common but unfortunate.
Fake TV Shows from 30 Rock on Nestflix
The folks at Nestflix have a bunch of them: The Jackie Jorp-Jomp story, “God Cop”, “The Rural Juror”, the works. I’d like to say I haven’t been just clicking on these one by one and laughing for the last 12 minutes but I respect you too much to tell you lies.
The Lavish Dracula Puppet Musical
Short interview where Jason Segel discusses a complex moment in his career. Good art is not about idiosyncratic self expression, or at least not centrally about idiosyncratic self expression. But it is often about connection, and the idiosyncratic and quixotic are potentially powerful and useful tools for connecting. I’m saying don’t throw out all of the music you wrote for that lavish Dracula puppet musical.
