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Jane Friedman: newsletters for writers & creative people

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Illustration by Bob Eckstein of three kites in the air, as if being flown by Benjamin Franklin, one of which is shaped like a book and another shaped like a computer.
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[Electric Speed] We’re all writers now

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ documentary on Benjamin Franklin, where I learned he declined to patent his inventions. That is truly remarkable given how many things he invented that were popular at the time—not just lightning rods, but the Franklin Stove, bifocals, and glass armonica. (To be fair, the US only passed a...

Illustration by Bob Eckstein of an Odyssey-style Trojan horse whose muzzle is buried in a bucket of popcorn instead of oats.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Something happened when I turned 35, I don’t know what, but I stopped going to the movies. Once a year is now a high frequency for me. It would be easy to complain in the abstract—they don’t make good movies any more—but really, the type of movie I enjoy is not all that prevalent (or at least not on my radar). I...

Illustration by Bob Eckstein of running coach Tommy Rivers Puzey approaching a refreshment station set up for marathon participants, where a cloth draped over the table reads “LOVE” and volunteers hand him red plastic cups.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here 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...

Cartoon by Bob Eckstein of Jane Friedman, wearing a chef’s toque, retrieving a package from her mailbox.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane I have been a longtime consumer of meal-kit boxes, the kind where you’re sent the raw ingredients you need to cook dinner for two or more. It’s an absolute godsend for weeknights and healthier food choices. However, on a few occasions I’ve had to regroup after services have gone out of business or been consolidated in...

Illustration by Bob Eckstein of Stephen Morrissey of The Smiths.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane For 15+ years, I’ve had a quote appended to the top of my website’s about page: “It takes guts to be gentle and kind.” It’s a song lyric from The Smiths. When I first started using it, I didn’t have the first idea who The Smiths were because I associated the song with Jeff Buckley, who covered it. If you had asked me if...

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane One afternoon, out of the blue, my mom texted me, “While you were building your career, did you ever step outside your comfort zone, that is, were you nervous or scared about what you were doing or planning?” My immediate response was, “All the time!” But why was she asking? Apparently, she was having a conversation...

Illustration by Bob Eckstein of a clear plastic disposable water bottle standing alongside a brightly-colored can of energy drink labeled with the word “Bro!”.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane I hate giving high-fives. First, I rarely recognize when I’m being signaled to give one. So it’s embarrassing when I’m standing there with a blank expression, wondering what the person wants. Then, when I finally recognize I’m being asked for a high-five, it ends up a slippery-soft hand touch, one without the commitment...

llustration by Bob Eckstein of two mountain climbers standing quizzically behind their hired guide, who is studying a map.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane Do you assume the professionals you hire will do their job properly? I don’t, and this has become an area of disagreement between me and my husband. For the past few years, we’ve worked with a CPA that I chose myself when returning to Cincinnati. I had good memories of working with him when I was early in my freelance...

Cartoon by Bob Eckstein of two women perusing menus at a restaurant table as a robot waiter stands ready to take their order.

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane I had lunch this week with a writing colleague in San Francisco who has worked with startups for more than 15 years. On the side, she also coaches people in the tech industry who want to write and publish. Discussion inevitably turned to AI and I mentioned how it’s an emotionally charged issue among novelists and...

Illustration of cat opening the front door to a home

Electric Speed is a free newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. | View in browser | Sign up here A note from Jane I’m busy planning my first trip to Australia and New Zealand (I’m speaking in Darwin in August), and was evaluating Airbnbs when I ran across a host who breaks all the rules of posting property photos. The first two photos don’t even show the property; instead they offer a general ocean view from two angles, neither...