Surprising Writing Lessons from Natalie Goldberg
Hi, I’m Matt Tillotson, and this is Matt’s Mix Tape: essays + links on living a vibrant and creative middle life.
- Surprising writing lessons from Natalie Goldberg
- Movie Mojo
- Averaging 200,000 views on LinkedIn
- Fitness Mix (face pulls, testosterone)
- Florida photo
Surprising writing lessons from Natalie Goldberg
One of the best ways to improve our writing: study other forms.
Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down The Bones” is a book about writing poetry.
But it’s also a how-to manual on reducing creative inhibition and sidelining our inner critic—no matter what we write about.
I summarized the most surprising insights here, colored with examples of my own writing trials and travails.
Can the writer in you relate to these?
Movie mojo
Feels like movies are getting their mojo back. Here are a few I liked recently:
Spider-Man, Far From Home
Saw it twice. The first time was in the very cool, fully-restored, run-by-volunteers Lyric Theater in Harbor Springs, Michigan.
There is so much going on in this movie, and it works because every actor they brought back delivered their A-game. Especially Alfred Molina, revising his role as Doctor Octopus:
"But at the same time, it's a different director, it's a different movie, there's a freshness to it, so I didn't want to just come back and replicate what we'd done before. It was important to me to arrive as if this were the first time."
Whatever we create, we should challenge ourselves to look at it with fresh eyes.
Even 17 years later.
Sing 2
Sing 2 is funny and has great music.
But the Sing movies strike me as Muppet movies without Muppets. I end up wishing they were Muppet movies.
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
My thread on some of the themes in this film:
Matt Tillotson 🌴@matttillotsonAnyone else really like “Don’t Look Up?”
I did.
(Not just because it has 742 references to my alma mater.)
Dismissing it as woke garbage requires ignoring layers of social commentary, satire, and a deep conclusion about what matters.
A spoiler-free thread on its themes 👇3:08 PM · Jan 1, 2022
1 Repost · 16 LikesAnd why, exactly, are there roughly 742 references to Michigan State?
Adam McKay said he chose MSU because he wanted to poke fun at how Ivy League degrees are considered "status symbols," even though state institutions offer just as good educations.
He consulted with his science advisor, Dr. Amy Mainzer, who vouched for the reputation of Michigan State's astronomy program to solidify his choice.
Makes sense.
David Ho@_david_ho_Everyone who works at a public university in the U.S. knows that the struggle is real. #DontLookUp 5:36 PM · Dec 27, 2021
1.29K Reposts · 11.5K LikesDon’t Look Up is funny, scathing, and sad. Don’t watch it through the usual binary red or blue political lens. Far more going on here.
Averaging 200,000 views on LinkedIn
Tim Denning shares his top tips for crushing LinkedIn, including re-using successful posts:
What many creators don’t understand is that most of your posts are only shown to a small fraction of the LinkedIn audience. When you post refreshed content most users have never seen it before.
And the beauty is, even if the same users see the post again they won’t remember. I have published more than 5000 articles online.
Loads of useful insights in his article. (Hat tip to For The Interested.)
Fitness Mix
Adding something new to the Mix—let me know if you like it.
Face pulls
Face pulls are great for your shoulders and posture.
I’ve done them for years. Incorrectly.
Oops.
Here’s how to do face pulls correctly to avoid injury:
Sleep and testosterone
Execute the basics before you worry about supplements.
Oliver Anwar | Health & Performance Coach@roanwarOne week of sleeping 5 hours per night can reduce testosterone production by 10-15%.
Want to be high T?
Get 8 hours of sleep.7:11 AM · Jan 5, 2022
1 Repost · 24 Likes
Florida photo
Soccer at dusk. Plant City.
Hello to 23 new subscribers!
And thank you to youfor reading. Drop me a note, ask a question, or tell me I’m wrong anytime.
Matt’s Mix Tape Logo #125 re-created from a Marvel Comics panel, probably originally drawn by the legendary Steve Ditko.
Archived from Matt's newsletter.