The Riff

Hi, and happy Strawberry Moon,

I’ll never forget one of the great writing lessons I ever received.

It was from Good Ol’ Pete, my great friend from middle school, high school, and today (read that last bit like your classic radio station, “Music from the 80s, 90s, and today!).

Anyway … greatest lesson …

Back when I was MFAing and trying to sound like Capital-W-writer, while trying to sound “artful,” while trying to sound “writerly,” I’d share drafts with Good Ol’ Pete and he’d say they were fine. He was my ideal reader, still is.

Around the same time, I sent an email to a group of friends called the “Bizz Up Newsletter.” Without getting into the guts of that, it was a roundup of our playing beer die, a drinking game involving the throwing of a die into a cup (a plunk), or if it bounced off the end of the table, you had to catch it. For some reason, you could never say the number “five,” you had to say “bizz.”

The rules of the game are unimportant.

I’d write these emails in an irreverent voice, a voice that was cutting and incisive and funny. I didn’t think too hard. I was writing for three or four dudes.

Good Ol’ Pete either called me one day or wrote me an email and said something to the effect of, “B.O., I know your ‘book writing’ is trying to be all artful and stuff, and I don’t want to insult you, but this bizz up newsletter? That’s the best writing you’ve ever done.”

Thing is … I wasn’t insulted and I knew he was correct. It was voicey, it had edge, it was funny (for us), but above all it was me.

And that’s the lesson to all this BS: Writing needs to be singular, especially now, especially as AI tries to pancake us.

Sometimes good writing is getting out of the way. Someone who reads this newsletter and who has helped me with book drafts has on more than one occasion said to me, “Don’t get writerly on me, Brendan.”

Sometimes good writing is telling it straight. The best writing is often when you don’t notice it at all.

While I was MFAing, I was trying so damn hard.

The subject matter often dictates the tone, but I’ve always remembered that piece of advice, that when I “let it rip” and appealed to a small audience, and write the thing that only I could write, there was a big lesson there that years of schooling never taught me.

The Books

Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, The FBI, and a Secret History of Eco Sabotage by Matthew Wolfe. If you’re in Eugene, come to Hodgepodge on July 2, 7 p.m. for a live podcast recording between Matt and I!

Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast by Pamela Colloff. One of the most brilliant investigative reporters of our time has a book out and it’s a ripping yarn. Pod TK.

In Trees: An Exploration by Robert Moor. Can’t wait to rip this one open. Pod TK.

The Cactus League by Emily Nemens. Started this novel over the weekend and I’m loving how Emily pulls you right into the story. Her new novel is Clutch, about female friendship, so there’s a double rec for you. Maybe a Pod TK? Because she had an essay on running come out in The Common, so there’s the on ramp, friend.

The Other Stuff

A very important riff about publishing from Seth Godin.

Never seen the Dune movies. Haven’t read the book, or books. But the algorithm fed me DUNE Ambience for Work and Study and I’m here for it. Pro tip: If you “hide” your tab, no ads will play; and by “hide,” I mean have another tab open with the YouTube one “tucked away.” Then the music just plays. This “Zelda” playlist is great too.

I love the “Anatomy of a Scene” videos of directors narrating their thinking. Steven Spielberg breaks down a scene of his new movie Disclosure Day, with a wink toward his 1971 film Duel.

Oh, Asher, you crazy son of a bitch!

RIP Mark Singer, the brilliant New Yorker writer. His profile on Ricky Jay is a chronic re-read for me. Might as well watch this card trick by Ricky Jay and be blown away.

Tim Ferriss wondering if AI has effectively killed prescriptive nonfiction.

The legendary lead guitarist Marty Friedman on developing his own style. Great writing advice here.

New Pitch Club is coming out July 1 with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner and how he pitched Lin-Manuel Miranda to be his biographer, but until then, check out the breakdown of my book proposal overview.

Platform is currency, so if you’re interested in how to sell stories, join the club.

I’m not only the president and CEO of Pitch Club … I’m also a client.

Denouement (Oh, we speak French now?)

I hope you dug this Blue Moon issue of RATA. To support what it is I do, you can:

• Buy copies of The Front Runner wherever.

• Subscribe to Pitch Club,

• Leave kind reviews for the podcast on Apple Podcast and/or leave kind reviews for The Front Runner on Amazon and Goodreads. THESE ARE HUGE!

As my pal Kim says, buying a book or leaving a review is a vote for the next book; it makes us just a tad more attractive to publishers. And, boy, these days, I’m busted, man.

If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you may check out Patreon.com/cnfpod.

Otherwise, stay wild, nose to the wind, rage,

b.r.o.