12 Comments

I love reading about your travels and hearing your thoughts and adventures.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Ellen! Truly, I could spend the rest of my life trying to describe the perfection of that biscuit and the butter and still fail. Amazed by the talent of the person who made that.

Expand full comment
May 13Liked by Robyn Ryle

I’m going to check out the tiny legs of Mourning Doves, look for postcards hidden on Aldi’s shelves. Even take a moment to read the chalk scribbling on the side walks.

Robyn, you give such an honest, fresh look at your writing & publishing experiences.

Plus, I am fascinated now about the diary in a ziploc bag!!! Sounds like a must read for me.

Expand full comment
author

You should definitely read A Tale for the Time Being. And then The Book of Form and Emptiness, also by Ruth Ozeki and also mind-blowing in the way it will make you re-think your relationship to all the things in your life, which you probably are right now anyway, as you try to clear out your house.

Expand full comment
May 13Liked by Robyn Ryle

I’ve requested it from the library !

Expand full comment

This post gave me gratitude for having started the self-publishing journey when I had no expectations beyond the fact that it had to be better than the traditional path. That was the benefit of doing it in 2009. I literally saw myself as taking this story that had germinated 30 years earlier, was turned into a draft 20 years earlier, and I was now putting it in the equivalent of a ziplock (this new electronic method of publishing) and wondering if it would end up on anyone's shore who might read it. So every sale, every review was so exciting! I keep trying to remind myself to get back to that point, and when I do, I can enjoy the writing again, and don't mind zipping it into a new baggie and throwing it out to let the waves take it.

Expand full comment
author

Yes, I wish I would have had some of those expectations. I think I did at first, but then, as expectations do, they got sort of out of control.

Expand full comment

Love this meandering post.

And re publishing, YES. Weariness.

Expand full comment

Thanks for this. I really appreciate your thoughts. I’ve been asking the same questions and have some forming though still nebulous conclusions. Here one : writing without an endgame is a luxury, one of the few artistic ones which, if we are able to afford in our personal configuration with the world, is precious. Sorry if this is vague, but I hope it helps. Really appreciate your newsletter and dipping into it from time to time.

Expand full comment
author

I feel very lucky that I'm not depending on writing to support myself financially. That is a precious gift. It means I can sort of do what I like. Write things with no concern for their commercial viability. Do what I want with this newsletter instead of trying to find a brand or a niche.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Expand full comment
May 16Liked by Robyn Ryle

I've also had coloring post cards that I got on a trip! But I never bought water colors on a trip, yet I do have a water color set I bought recently on Amazon... I get what you mean about those types of bookstores and everything anymore is dystopian! Omg- yes. These romance stories too but there are quite a few gems out there-- you just have to know where to look, anymore. 'The Island of Sea Women'- Lisa Ko is historical fiction but in a totally different setting than you're referring to here, but I get it. Anyways, hope you're good. First real day I get to read my newsletters this week and I'm catching up on yours now! Xoxo. 💕

Expand full comment
author

Glad to hear from you, Laura. I loved "The Island of the Sea Women," by Lisa See. I'm always interested in historical fiction from non-Western places.

I have no idea what I'm doing with the water color kit, but I'm having fun and that's all that matters to me.

Expand full comment