Your vulnerable writing style is truly inspiring. To put yourself out there, where judgement and opinions are the rule, not the exception, is such an inspiration.
I appreciate that you don’t gloss over the hard stuff, and even more so, that you’re willing to deep-dive into the real-life struggles of marriage, family, and parenting. It names, and brings a voice to, issues so many others deal with every day.
Also, your podcast is gold!! I’m amazed that not only are you willing to go deep into fights with Sam, but you’re willing to do it WITH him. Opening yourself up and being vulnerable in the biggest way is something I wish everyone could achieve.
You guys are hilarious, and I love the banter, and I love even more that a listener can truly hear how much you two love, and more importantly, respect each other.
Even though you write under a pseudonym, I feel you’re more real than almost every other author out there. And I appreciate the respect you give us readers by being this way.
Lastly--I’ve tried your cookie recipe twice now, and it’s a hit! It was my first time ever baking, and my wife, kids, and neighbors devoured them.
^^ I haven’t found a way to seamlessly throw this out there, so I figured I’d do it today 😂
Bradley!! Oh my gosh, so many nice things. Can I use some of this in a testimonial on my website??
Sam will be thrilled to hear there was a comment about him on my Substack haha.
Thank you for reading, thank you for listening, and that is AMAZING you've made the cookies. They are quite an undertaking, especially for the first thing you've ever baked!! But so worth it!
Also, I misspelled your name in my original comment (I remember my first day on the internet) 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️. Fake name or not, that was rude of me, and I apologize.
And, to reference one of your podcast episodes: I too worry about whether I use too many exclamation points in emails and messages (including my first comment) 😂
Lastly--is it rational to worry about using too many semicolons? My Bachelor’s was in journalism (not a humble-brag at all. Just background info 😂😂), and I enjoy using them, but sometimes I feel like I overuse them. I may have, once, googled whether you can use two semicolons in the same sentence 🤦🏻♂️; the gist of the answer (I think) is no 😂.
Lastly for real--is Sam’s fund public? I don’t know much about investing, and he sounds really intelligent when he discusses finance-related topics, so I’d be interested in checking it out, if it is public.
^^ and that’s where you say “yah, he’s smart, he married me” (well, that’s what I tell my wife anyway 😂)
I appreciate the reply back. You two seem like good, GOOD people to your core, and I take immense delight reading/hearing updates of your life (your kiddos, marriage, nut milk machines, etc.).
Brad, everyone spells my name wrong. You're forgiven.
Exclamation points in comments, texts, and friendly emails are okay by me! That is the place for them. It's only in something I actually publish that I have my hard rules around using them.
Hey, maybe semicolons are your thing. Maybe they're what make you you.
Charlie -- this story hit me. I read it this morning and was like "I hate cities, thank god I live where I do." Then later, out of the blue I thought to myself, "screw Nancy. what the hell."
Great storytelling. And I'm stoked for you that you figured out the outline to your book. Can't wait to hear all about it
Screw Nancy hahahaha. Thanks, Latham! I don't do outlines. Even the word makes me cringe. What I have is a beginning, Part 1, Part 2, and a sort of ending. ...I suppose one could call that an outline. I like to call it a loose structure.
All I could think was... why the hell is she going ballistic over taking a shower while someone was there? What's the big deal? I agree with your mom. She sounded like a nutcase.
Oh man, so many relatable points from my first move overseas (at 24).
Big cities and everyone in them move way faster than we’re accustomed to and the job offer one day and pulled the next dynamic is too real. One of my roommates got a phone call from a recruiter as she was *walking into* what she thought was her new office saying the recruiter had mixed up her CV and they had hired someone else.
I couldn’t believe how quickly people were hired and fired in London like it was nothing — and I’m talking professional roles/office jobs. My first manager flat out said to me “You probably think I’m a huge bitch letting her go but putting her on a performance improvement plan would just drag out the process,” when she fired a middle aged colleague who’d been there 5 years with no warning. I was so shocked I didn’t even know what to say.
And 100% you always encounter at *least* one proper nut job who makes you question your actions and has you in tears over it, until someone sane points out they’re deranged.
P.S. NYC sounds a lot like London, many people use closets as bedrooms. My friends and I converted our living room into a 4th bedroom just to cut down rent.
I love this, Charlie. It’s is such a well-told story. Every scene is essential and contributes to the overall narrative, and somehow you manage to flesh out five or six characters in such a short piece.
Now I want to read about your time in Hoboken! I lived there during college and recently moved out.
Garrett! Thank you. The writing in this was heavily inspired by Jeannette Walls' memoir: The Glass Castle. She rarely wrote ANY thoughts or feelings, of herself or of other characters. She only included quotes and action. And her book was extremely compelling. (I'll be talking about this in my first deep dive! :)
Thank you for the prompt to write about Hoboken! Lol. I was an absolute mess when I lived there. I'm sure it was a fun place for you to live during college.
I’m impressed by how studious you are. Everyone knows the advice to read within your genre, but you’re reading, analyzing, imitating, and podcasting about other memoirists — seems like you’ll be an expert in the genre before you even finish your manuscript. It’s awesome.
Ms. Bleeker,
Your vulnerable writing style is truly inspiring. To put yourself out there, where judgement and opinions are the rule, not the exception, is such an inspiration.
I appreciate that you don’t gloss over the hard stuff, and even more so, that you’re willing to deep-dive into the real-life struggles of marriage, family, and parenting. It names, and brings a voice to, issues so many others deal with every day.
Also, your podcast is gold!! I’m amazed that not only are you willing to go deep into fights with Sam, but you’re willing to do it WITH him. Opening yourself up and being vulnerable in the biggest way is something I wish everyone could achieve.
You guys are hilarious, and I love the banter, and I love even more that a listener can truly hear how much you two love, and more importantly, respect each other.
Even though you write under a pseudonym, I feel you’re more real than almost every other author out there. And I appreciate the respect you give us readers by being this way.
Lastly--I’ve tried your cookie recipe twice now, and it’s a hit! It was my first time ever baking, and my wife, kids, and neighbors devoured them.
^^ I haven’t found a way to seamlessly throw this out there, so I figured I’d do it today 😂
Bradley!! Oh my gosh, so many nice things. Can I use some of this in a testimonial on my website??
Sam will be thrilled to hear there was a comment about him on my Substack haha.
Thank you for reading, thank you for listening, and that is AMAZING you've made the cookies. They are quite an undertaking, especially for the first thing you've ever baked!! But so worth it!
Ms. Bleecker,
A few thoughts:
ABSOLUTELY; I’d be honored!
Also, I misspelled your name in my original comment (I remember my first day on the internet) 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️. Fake name or not, that was rude of me, and I apologize.
And, to reference one of your podcast episodes: I too worry about whether I use too many exclamation points in emails and messages (including my first comment) 😂
Lastly--is it rational to worry about using too many semicolons? My Bachelor’s was in journalism (not a humble-brag at all. Just background info 😂😂), and I enjoy using them, but sometimes I feel like I overuse them. I may have, once, googled whether you can use two semicolons in the same sentence 🤦🏻♂️; the gist of the answer (I think) is no 😂.
Lastly for real--is Sam’s fund public? I don’t know much about investing, and he sounds really intelligent when he discusses finance-related topics, so I’d be interested in checking it out, if it is public.
^^ and that’s where you say “yah, he’s smart, he married me” (well, that’s what I tell my wife anyway 😂)
I appreciate the reply back. You two seem like good, GOOD people to your core, and I take immense delight reading/hearing updates of your life (your kiddos, marriage, nut milk machines, etc.).
Brad, everyone spells my name wrong. You're forgiven.
Exclamation points in comments, texts, and friendly emails are okay by me! That is the place for them. It's only in something I actually publish that I have my hard rules around using them.
Hey, maybe semicolons are your thing. Maybe they're what make you you.
Sam's fund is a private hedge fund.
Haha nut milk machines!!
What an interesting ‘give away’ experience of your life.Life is not a bed of roses.You’re indeed a gem letting us know that which you went through.👍👏
Thank you, Olufunmi!
Charlie -- this story hit me. I read it this morning and was like "I hate cities, thank god I live where I do." Then later, out of the blue I thought to myself, "screw Nancy. what the hell."
Great storytelling. And I'm stoked for you that you figured out the outline to your book. Can't wait to hear all about it
Screw Nancy hahahaha. Thanks, Latham! I don't do outlines. Even the word makes me cringe. What I have is a beginning, Part 1, Part 2, and a sort of ending. ...I suppose one could call that an outline. I like to call it a loose structure.
All I could think was... why the hell is she going ballistic over taking a shower while someone was there? What's the big deal? I agree with your mom. She sounded like a nutcase.
Haha!
Oh man, so many relatable points from my first move overseas (at 24).
Big cities and everyone in them move way faster than we’re accustomed to and the job offer one day and pulled the next dynamic is too real. One of my roommates got a phone call from a recruiter as she was *walking into* what she thought was her new office saying the recruiter had mixed up her CV and they had hired someone else.
I couldn’t believe how quickly people were hired and fired in London like it was nothing — and I’m talking professional roles/office jobs. My first manager flat out said to me “You probably think I’m a huge bitch letting her go but putting her on a performance improvement plan would just drag out the process,” when she fired a middle aged colleague who’d been there 5 years with no warning. I was so shocked I didn’t even know what to say.
And 100% you always encounter at *least* one proper nut job who makes you question your actions and has you in tears over it, until someone sane points out they’re deranged.
P.S. NYC sounds a lot like London, many people use closets as bedrooms. My friends and I converted our living room into a 4th bedroom just to cut down rent.
I had no idea the whole job being offered and then pulled was a thing. Bonkers!
"At least one proper nut job" ....lol!
Sounds like you have a lot of your own stories about city living. :)
I love this, Charlie. It’s is such a well-told story. Every scene is essential and contributes to the overall narrative, and somehow you manage to flesh out five or six characters in such a short piece.
Now I want to read about your time in Hoboken! I lived there during college and recently moved out.
Garrett! Thank you. The writing in this was heavily inspired by Jeannette Walls' memoir: The Glass Castle. She rarely wrote ANY thoughts or feelings, of herself or of other characters. She only included quotes and action. And her book was extremely compelling. (I'll be talking about this in my first deep dive! :)
Thank you for the prompt to write about Hoboken! Lol. I was an absolute mess when I lived there. I'm sure it was a fun place for you to live during college.
Wooo, looking forward to your Deep Dive!
I’m impressed by how studious you are. Everyone knows the advice to read within your genre, but you’re reading, analyzing, imitating, and podcasting about other memoirists — seems like you’ll be an expert in the genre before you even finish your manuscript. It’s awesome.
YASSSSSS!