Let the horizon be what it is
.Issue One.
You may have the privilege of deciding what you will risk. Or you may have no such agency; losing everything, regardless. Sometimes these look the same.
This week I borrowed an e-book of Alexander Chee’s “How To Write An Autobiographical Novel” from the library (shout out to Libby, changing the game) and by the end I knew I also needed to own the book. Among the passages I highlighted were these:
Should you decide that writing is your way to serve your country, or to defend it, you are almost always writing about the country it could become.
…
when fascists come to power, writers are among the first to go to jail. And that is the point of writing.
…
when war comes—and make no mistake, it is already here—be sure you write for the living too. The ones you love, and the ones who are coming for your life. What will you give them when they get there? I tell myself I can’t imagine a story that can set them free, these people who hate me, but I am writing precisely because one did that for me. So I always remember that, and I know to write even for them.
I have long believed some books find you when you most need them.
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I’ll be sending the next issue of the Main Event on Sunday. It will only be available to subscribers on the paid tier. Thank you very much for your support and interest.