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A note from Jane

When I’m reporting on a topic in my lane of expertise, I have a strong urge to project confidence and intelligence. And if I’ve spent many hours immersed in research for a story, I want to come out on the other end with conclusions. Otherwise, what am I doing, other than wasting people’s time?

As soon as it was released, I bought tickets to You Can See Everything, the documentary about Elizabeth Holmes. I was already familiar with co-director Nathan Fielder through his HBO series The Rehearsal, one of the best documentary series I’ve seen in years. And, like everyone, I was captivated by the early glimpse of him talking to Holmes, a moment immediately transformed into an internet meme.

Now that he’s doing the PR rounds, Fielder has been entirely forthcoming about his experience interviewing Holmes and being with her family. He says in a Wired interview (subscription required) that he questions whether, even now, he understands Holmes. I find that an astonishing admission for a director who lived with her for 34 days and spent years on the film. He says: “I generally don’t see myself as having a great framework for understanding all the variables of things and people. … [As directors] we’re trying to focus on these moments that we couldn’t really make sense of fully.” He then adds, “I think I’ve grown into being comfortable with anything I don’t know.”

That’s what’s so compelling about his work. I’ll never forget the moments in the film when Billy Evans, Holmes’ partner, moves to shut down Fielder’s questioning despite the promise that Fielder can “see everything.” Sure, he can see, but apparently he can’t ask. At one point Fielder has to pointedly tell Evans he’s not the director who gets to decide on the questions.

It’s a reminder that asking the questions can be the most important part of the process, whether or not a conclusion emerges.

Jane

P.S. Most popular post this month: The Myth of the Gifted Writer

Bob Eckstein

ISSUE SPONSOR

A retro-fifties illustration of a woman editor seated at a desk with a typewriter and a coffee mug emblazoned with the words “Ask Me Anything.” Copy reads: You have a book in you! You also have a spleen. It takes skill to get them out. Click here for expert help.

AMA Office Hours with book doula Joni Rodgers

Writing life is a hot mix of joys and challenges. A book doula is a strategic partner who helps authors thrive at all stages of the creative journey. If you need to brainstorm story structure, solve a plot knot that has you stuck on chapter 7, or just unload on a human aunty with 30+ years in publishing, I see you, writer. Let’s talk. Book AMA Office Hours.

Sponsorships support Electric Speed. Sold out for 2027.

Jane’s Electric Speed List

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

An alternative to Doodle (less pretty, but simple)

I love finding free little web apps that do the same job as a subscription service that’s become bloated and pricey. Take a look at When2meet if you wish there were a simple, bare-bones alternative to the Doodle scheduling app.

12 Axes political ideology quiz

Of all people, my personal trainer at the gym introduced me to this. There’s a short version (about 60 questions) and long version (200+ questions). We both think the short version is sufficient to know your type. Take a look.

I’m already buying advent calendars

Ever since visiting Portugal, my husband has become a fan of tinned fish, and this year Fishwife has produced a marvelously packaged 12-day advent calendar. I’m also a fan of Yawn’s hot chocolate advent calendar and will also try their Christmas tea edition. Last but not least, I’m awaiting the iOS release of the digital advent calendar from Jacquie Lawson (also available for Android and desktop), which carries a Lake District theme this year. I’m still grateful to Electric Speed readers for introducing me to the Lawson advent calendar several years ago. 🎄

I’m writing a new column on the business of being a writer for Chill Subs’ Write or Die magazine

Some of you may be familiar with Chill Subs as an online resource for researching publications and writing opportunities. This month, I’ve joined Chill Subs’ Write or Die magazine as a weekly columnist on the business of writing. My first columns discuss choosing your business partners with intention and how to think about contract negotiation. The magazine is hosted on Substack and requires a paid subscription, but they offer free content as well. Learn more.

Setting Up a Great Novel Premise with Jessica Strawser. $35 webinar ($25 early-bird price). Wednesday, October 28, 2026. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

Next online class: Setting Up a Great Novel Premise

Taught by: Jessica Strawser
Ideal for: Beginning fiction writers who have a story idea but don’t know if it translates to a whole novel
Jane says: With 25 years of experience reading pitches, plus 8 popular book club novels to her credit, Jessica can spot a marketable premise at a glance—and knows firsthand what it takes to turn a good premise into a great manuscript.
When: Wednesday, October 28, 1:00–2:30 p.m. EDT, or wait for the recording

Learn more and register ($25 early or $35 late)

Your turn: Obsidian

In the last issue, I asked writers using Obsidian about why and what it helps you accomplish. Here’s what you said.

Obsidian is a new app for me. I’m gradually moving everything out of OneNote (decades of material) and most of it is migrating to Obsidian. The linking, alone, makes Obsidian a powerful tool for thinking and making unexpected connections. I’ve been delighted and surprised by what emerges as a result, and I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else says! (And will be taking notes.) PS: P.D. Workman writes entire novels in Obsidian, and she’s not the only author to do so. —Tracy Cooper-Posey
I use Obsidian because it’s great for visualizing relationships and making a story bible. For me, it replaces Scrivener and Scapple. In a file, you can tag other files very easily and when you hover your cursor on the link, you can see the header of the linked file. Using Obsidian Canvas, you can visualize your plot and character arcs, while tagging the actual character or scene file directly. You can make it as fancy or simple as you want. Plus, if later you decide to publish the story bible on your website, it’s really easy to do. I am a mathematician and my writing, either fiction or nonfiction, has math formulas. Unlike Scrivener and Word, Obsidian supports LaTeX and Mermaid so my formulas and diagrams look great. —Antsa Pierrottet
I recently switched from the quirky CherryTree to Obsidian because it integrates with some other tools that I use and CherryTree lives in its own self-contained world. I’ve assembled an extensive database of things I found useful while figuring out how to write and publish a book (your observations feature in more than one note); CherryTree is node based, Obsidian is folder/file based. I’ve built my database by creating a node, stuffing information into it until it became unwieldy, then breaking it into sub-nodes. … A few days ago saw a plugin that added a lot of Scrivener-like functionality to Obsidian. It looks pretty powerful, but it’s not for me. —Alan Langford
I started using Obsidian about two months ago because my extensive news and report clippings in Apple Notes were unsearchable and no longer useful. I spent about a month setting up Obsidian to support my research and writing workflow efficiently. Now it helps me connect research, synthesize ideas, and easily pull together supporting points for my op-ed-style Substack essays. —Jim Walker

Next question: What service do you use to print photos or make photo books? Hit reply and let me know.

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.