#13 Writing is a marathon, not a sprint
On taking breaks, learning to accommodate guilt and measuring progress.
I am a stubborn type of person; I’ve always tried to see it as a strength, as opposed to a weakness. I am determined to do things in a certain way and I won’t stop until I achieve them. No, I am not closed-minded, I embrace flexibility as long as it helps me to reach my goal. But, of course, there are times when circumstances don’t align with your intentions. Regardless of how driven, consciencious, well-intentioned you are.
For me, today is one of those days. Today is one of those days when my brain hints that I need a break from writing and creating content. And today, my brain is more stubborn than me. This means I have no choice but to obey.
I will need to learn how not to hate myself for this.
I will need to acknowledge the feeling of guilt but not let it drag me down.
I will need to understand I didn’t let anyone down for not writing a super well-researched piece this week.
I will need to accept that my progress isn’t lost just because I had a bad day and I couldn’t deliver according to my own expectations.
I will need to work on cutting myself some slack.
You can’t win every day the way you want to. But you can choose to turn your ‘defeat’ into a different kind of win.
My win is that this newsletter will be in your inbox today, just as usual. It might not be as insightful or as enriching as I’d like it to be, but I am doing the work to the best of my abilities. Writing, like many other activities, is a marathon, not a sprint, and recovery is hugely underrated.
On the bright side, I’m not running out of ideas anytime soon. I’ll see you again next Friday with more food for thought! Until then, check out what I’ve read and listened to this week, from literary scandals to Windrush Day and Billie Eilish!
Happy reading, happy learning,
Teodora x
P.S: Note for future self: next time you’re preaching not writing, how about not writing an article on writing?!!
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🥁 📚 The latest in the literary world
Not sure how I managed to miss the biggest literary scandal of the year, but better late than never! Quick disclaimer: lots of drama going on, from feminism and gender identity to cancel culture and anti-LGBTQ violence! The Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written an essay about two younger writers who went on to insult her online. It all started from Adichie’s comment in a 2017 Channel 4 interview: “a trans woman is a trans woman.” [Does this give you J.K Rowling vibes?] Adichie explained that her comment was about the differences in experience of gender. In her concluding remarks, Adichie wrote: “The assumption of good faith is dead. What matters is not goodness but the appearance of goodness. [...] It is obscene.” 🍿🍿🍿
Four of the world's leading scholar-activists set out “a vital, urgent manifesto for a truly intersectional, internationalist, abolitionist feminism”coming out at the end of October. Can you guess the title? 🙈 “Abolition. Feminism. Now” !!
Jane Goodall, the legendary British primatologist and conservationist, will publish a new book this autumn. “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times” comes 60 years after Goodall began her groundbreaking research of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park. Greta Thunberg and Leonardo DiCaprio, the two climate stars of the moment, have their praises on the back cover too. I guess you should pre-order it then? 🤷♀️ 👀
Aaand some happy news: After a bookstore in Gaza was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in May, the response from the international community has been overwhelming: more than $200,000 raised so far, as well as tens of thousands of donated books!💰 📚 👏
🎧 📰 👀 My media diet this week
Two British Museum curators are asked “what’s the best ostentatiously decorated otherwise mundane object you’re in chage of?” in the #CuratorsCornered video series. The answer may surprise you: a straw for drinking beer in ancient Mesopotamia! Why watch this? According to “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” one of the world’s oldest literary texts, beer drinking along with food and sex is part of what makes us human. Wise words, indeed! Cheers!🍻
34 mistakes on the way to 34 years old from Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of “Stillness is the Key” and “Obstacle is the Way” and the person who’s sharing the teaching of the great Stoic thinkers. Why read it? You’ll learn about ditching certainty, saying ‘no’ instead of ‘maybe,’ the anti-climatic accomplishment, marriage and how character is fate. 💡
In light of Windrush Day - a day that honours the generation of Caribbean migrants who helped rebuild post-war Britain between 1948 and 1971 - I listened to this interview with the Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman. Why listen to it? I recommended Borderline in issue #6 , but I was so happy to see Isabelle Roughol interviewing Gentleman on her book “The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile Environment” that I had to share it again. It’s rare that I rate nonfiction five stars and this was one of these occasions. My favourite part is when Roughol and Gentleman compare the Windrush generation to what is currently happening in the UK with the EU settlement scheme: could the Brexit generation be Britain’s next immigration scandal? 🇬🇧 🇪🇺
I am now in charge (more or less!) of social media content and newsletters for The New Humanitarian. This is a fantastic publication that focuses on writing about humanitarian conflicts around the world and I am beyond humbled to be part of the team. My favourite article this week is about the Libyan detention centres and the abuses within them, from detainees with gunshot wounds, beaten by guards or even several reported deaths. Why read it? This year, more than 13,000 asylum seekers and migrants have tried to reach Europe but ended up in one of these Libyan facilities. It turns out the UN High Commissioner For Refugee (UNHCR) and the EU are falling short on improving conditions for asylum seekers and Libyan authorities’s decision to shut down some of these centre is more a political act than real support. 😔 🇱🇾
📌 Random news in brief
Billie Eilish is “appalled and embarrassed” for mouthing anti-Asian slur in a resurfaced video from when she was “13 or 14”. Now, has this gone too far or should one be apologetic for his/her actions at this age? You tell me! 👀 👂
I’ve always imagined being an archaeologist must be so cool… I dare you to tell me I’m wrong! Some archaeologists have recreated the brutal death of the earliest known shark attack victim who was killed around 3,000 years ago. It appears the man had at least 790 injuries. 🦈 😵
If your favourite lockdown activity was ordering takeaway, you’re not alone! Ignore, for a moment, if you can, the massive plastic packaging problem because Deliveroo has got us all covered! They’re running a reusable container programme in Paris, partnering up with circular-packaging company barePack.🥡 ♻️
Before we say goodbye… 🥺
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Aw bless I know this can't be easy to do ever single week but keep it going as long as you Enjoy it. Also that so silly about Billy elish she should not have to apologise for something she did at 14. I hope you are doing well:D