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A note from Jane

The best running coach I’ve ever known now spends most workouts not running.

I started training with Tommy Rivers Puzey after I bought a treadmill for summer runs and found his numerous iFit series, set in far-flung locations such as Portugal, Greece, Japan, and Bolivia.

In his earliest running videos, Puzey’s commentary is formal and focused on fitness. Occasionally he loses his train of thought because he passes something like a beautiful fig tree, but he keeps running and repeats why 80 percent of your training should be easy. In later series, he discusses local history, offers language and geology lessons, and shares information on nearby flora and fauna, sometimes stopping mid-run to pick flowers or fruit, or to pet a dog. (From him I learned you should not eat olives directly off the tree.)

Then, in 2020, Puzey was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer that he was lucky to survive, which left him at 25 percent of his former lung capacity. (His wife wrote a memoir about it; this New York Times article is a good place to read a short version of what happened.)

So what do you do after that when you’re a professional runner?

I don’t know a thing about Puzey’s relationship with iFit, but it’s clear he’s one of their most popular trainers. Within a couple years, he began a “Road to Recovery” series that featured, to start, 10-minute walks at a slow pace. (He is winded during some of it.) Last year, he launched Rivs Run Club, a “come as you are” training program consisting of 20-minute sessions that he mostly walks. Participants are invited to walk, jog, run, or even pull up a chair and watch.

The club feels like the culmination of everything he represents—qualities of gentle fortitude alongside being curious and present—that you could glimpse in those first formal runs, now fully unleashed. His training position is more powerful than ever before.

May he have many more decades left.

Jane

P.S. Most popular post this month: ​Should You Use Substack for Your Email Newsletter? Or Something Else?​

​Bob Eckstein​

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I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.

I had to switch apps for remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and passings

For a long time, I used a little-known app (bip) to track important dates, but the iOS version was pulled from the app store and stopped working. Thus began my painful and frustrating search for a comparable app that was either free or that I could pay for once. (Must something so simple be a subscription? Really?)

Finally I landed on Countdown (only available on iOS, apologies). It’s not as perfect as bip, but it’s close. My requirements: advance pop-up notifications and the ability to add dates that aren’t birthdays because I’m the kind of perverse person who likes to remember the anniversary of my divorce.

Apple Watch charger for your car

Continuing with my Apple theme: I’m an Apple Watch user, and recently I discovered there are minimalist/portable chargers for the watch that are perfect for your car. There are many types; this Belkin model is similar to what I bought.

Command strips: when you don’t want to drill or nail something into the door or wall

I wanted to put up a hanger on the office door for sweaters and things, but I detest over-the-door hangers, while Mark wanted to avoid putting a hole into the door. We resolved the marital disagreement with Command strips, explained here by the New York Times. Especially great for anyone renting.

How to have a drink without having a drink

I have tried various non-alcoholic beverages meant to mimic spirits and haven’t enjoyed any of them, until I found Ghia. I wouldn’t have picked them up myself, but my husband spotted their “lime & salt” beverage in a cheese shop, thinking it was a refreshing sparkling water. Turns out he hated it and I loved it, then I realized it’s part of the NA beverage trend.

I enjoy Ghia’s canned concoctions in particular. I pour one into a big wine glass over ice, sometimes add a little shrub (a fruit & vinegar based syrup), and it’s terrific on a hot summer evening. Again, just to reassure everyone, no affiliate links or sponsorship here, just sharing something that adds joy to my weeknights.

Next online class: Mastering Narrative Flow

• Taught by: Tiffany Yates Martin
• Ideal for: Novelists who want to create well-paced stories without getting bogged down in info dumps, logistics, or minutiae
• Jane says: Wondering how to write better transitions? Or how to avoid clunkiness when moving between scenes or chapters? This class is for you. Or read this instructive article if you can’t take the class.​
• When: Wednesday, July 22, 1:00–2:30 p.m. EDT, or wait for the recording delivered the following week

Your turn: digitizing handwriting

In the last issue, a reader asked for your favorite (preferably free) app or resource that converts handwritten pages to digital text. Here’s what you said. You’ll see that AI tools are suggested here. Some people are comfortable using AI for such tasks, some are not. My advice is to pay for a subscription if you’re using these tools regularly, and turn off training in your settings.

• I have an e-ink device called a Supernote, and I can’t speak highly enough about it! It’s designed specifically for writers who normally write in longhand in a notebook, and don’t want the noise and distraction of a tablet. The screen has a paper-like feel, and the recognition is accurate (as long as your handwriting isn’t too “loopy”). It can convert handwriting into docx, PDF, or text format, and you can sync directly to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, the free Supernote cloud, or your own personal cloud via wifi. There are many native templates, from college-ruled to lists to music staff, and you can upload your own (I design templates in Canva); it also has built in calendars and to-do lists, as well as apps for Kindle, drawing/sketching, and screen mirroring. It’s great for research, as you can upload PDF and EPUB files. There’s no subscription fee, your only cost is buying the device and a pen. The manufacturer, Ratta, is honestly one of the best companies I’ve ever dealt with—they’re very transparent, engaged with their users, and constantly working to improve the product without losing the “writing in a notebook” feel. It’s absolutely the best investment I’ve made, both for my writing and just normal life. —Leigh Fludd-Smith
• I have tried multiple apps to convert handwritten pages to text. The best so far is Google Gemini. I write math and draw diagrams so my notes are very formula heavy. I just upload the image or PDF and write “LaTeX this,” then Gemini would give me the .tex file with the preamble. I have paid for Mathpix for a while before and was really happy. It converts handwritten pages to markdown and is really easy to use. But when Gemini started giving similar results, I stopped my Mathpix subscription. —Antsa Pierrottet
• I convert handwritten pages to text by reading them aloud using the voice-to-text option. This works on my phone or PC, using email, Google Docs, Word, or Scrivener. —Ann Borger
• A Google search suggested I use ChatGPT. Since I was familiar with it, I gave it a try. I first took a picture of my handwritten page with my phone and saved it as a JPG or PNG file. I then prompted ChatGPT to do a transcription of my handwriting to text and uploaded my file into the prompt. Although it was unable to capture edits I made in the margins (even though at times it tried), AI did a pretty good job of transcribing my handwriting. —Alis Sefick
• It might require the $20 per month version, but Claude does a bang-up job transcribing my chicken scratches. —Brad Berens

Next question: Reader Pete Millspaugh asks, “What audio recording device do you use in the field, both for transcribing your own thoughts and recording interview subjects? I’m not quite satisfied with Apple Voice Memos.”

Do you have a tools or resources question you would like me to ask all readers? Offer up your suggestion, and I might feature it.

Free resources featuring Jane

The Business of Being a Writer: I’m a guest on Stacy Ennis’s podcast, Beyond Better. Featured quote from me: “Most writers, if you study their careers, their best work came from being under pressure doing things maybe they didn’t necessarily want to do.”

Marketing & promotion for established authors of practical nonfiction: a business clinic with Jane and author Julie Dirksen, live Zoom session on Friday, July 24, at 12 p.m. EDT

Smart Comps: how comps actually work inside a publishing house, and how you can use that same thinking to position your book with clarity and confidence, a live Zoom session on Friday, August 7, at 1 p.m. EDT with Linda Secondari

Upcoming online classes

• ​Mastering Narrative Flow with Tiffany Yates Martin, July 22
• ​Writing From Your Why with Leslye Penelope, July 29
• ​Writer’s Survival Guide to Contracts, Legal Issues & Other Business Basics with Jane Friedman, Aug. 6
• ​What Platform Means for Literary Artists & Skeptics with Jane Friedman, Aug. 12
• ​Mastering the Art of the Synopsis with Jessica Strawser, Sept. 16
• ​Find & Sharpen Your Memoir’s Voice with Lisa Cooper Ellison, Sept. 23
• ​Improve Your Author Website with Jane Friedman, Sept. 24
• ​Find Your Voice as an Essayist with Amy L. Bernstein, Oct. 7
• ​Specificity & Context with Tiffany Yates Martin, Oct. 14

Meet Jane at an event

• ​SCBWI Virtual Summer Conference, July 30–Aug. 2, 2026
• ​Willamette Writers Conference (Portland, OR), July 31–Aug. 2, 2026
• ​Romance Writers of Australia (Darwin, Australia), Aug. 21–23, 2026
• ​Queensland Writers Centre (Brisbane, Australia), Aug. 24–25, 2026
• ​AALA People of Publishing (NYC), Sept. 30, 2026 (reporting)
• ​Author Nation (Las Vegas), November 10–13, 2026 (reporting)
• ​AWP Bookfair & Conference (Chicago), March 17–20, 2027

“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan

Created by Jane Friedman I report on the publishing industry and help authors understand the business of writing. My newsletter that helps pay the bills is The Bottom Line, which recently discussed how authors can sell direct to bookstores.

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