I’m sure you’ve seen it on your Facebook by now. That oh so hilarious meme comprised of visual charts depicting a range of preconceptions associated with a particular field of occupation or expertise.
In other words, the “What People Think I Do / What I Really Do” meme.
Naturally, there’s one for writers, and it was created by Jelena over at The Worldbuilders’ Journal. This is so true. So very, very true.
Hey, funny meme is funny.
Pop quiz, hotshot: say you’ve spent all your money and now can’t get your significant other a gift for Valentine’s Day. What do you do?
What do you do?
Well, if you’re copywriter Michael Beveridge, you find a way to give your lady a pretty cool Valentine’s Day gift while also completing a job for your client.
Michael created the ad at the top of the page for an “Ultimate Couples Retreat” at a five-star resort. The result?
Full page, inside front cover of 250,000+ circulation weekend newspaper. Successful man is successful.
Oh yeah, needless to say she’s neither Cleopatra or Juliet.
I’m pretty sure Michael’s gonna get lotsa lovin’ this Valentine’s Day.
The past week or so I’ve kinda slacked on writing new blog posts and I’ve been conspicuously absent from most social media platforms (except for the inimitable Instagram, which is by far my favorite anything of 2012—follow me at “jayfingers“). The reason for this is because I’ve started a new day job.
Yes, it’s true. Even soon-to-be-published authors have to find a way to supplement their income somehow. Shit, Anthony Trollope wrote forty-seven novels while working for the post office. So, ain’t no shame in my game. Give me the steady check while I pursue my dream, thank you very much.
And for those of you who were aware of my office hustles, I’m still in the same line of work only I’m in a situation that’s better for me all around—financially, professionally, and creatively.
That’s right, I’m still a fashion copywriter.
As mentioned last week, February is the Month of Letters. Though I’ve gotten a bit behind, I have written and sent out a few letters, mostly to family members and close friends.
I am open to making some new pen pals, though! Would you like a letter from your buddy Jay Fingers? if so, shoot me an email at FebLetters@becoolent.com and include your mailing address. I’d be more than happy to send you a handwritten letter.
These days, my new favorite social media platform is the photo sharing, life documenting, cool-as-hell mobile app known as Instagram. Of course I was aware of Instagram before I became a member of #TeamiPhone, but I didn’t know that it had such a rich and unique culture akin to Twitter and Tumblr. It actually reminds me of the early days of those aforementioned social networks, before the hoi polloi took over and stupidity and fuckery became the norm.
Every month, the cool Instagram kids participate in photo challenges—each day you must take a photo pertaining to that day’s theme or subject and post said photo with the appropriate hashtag. I did not participate in January as I was late to the paradise that is Instagram. I am, however, participating this month.
Today (Thursday, February 2nd), the subject was “words.” Nothing specific, just “words.” It could’ve really meant anything. What I decided to do was take a photo of words I’d written, and those words are part of my debut novel GUESTLIST. Oh, you’re sick of hearing about GUESTLIST, you say? Too bad. I’m talking about that motherfucking book all year, baby. Meanwhile, check out the photo I posted above, and if you’re curious as to what the list of challenges are for Instagram’s #FebPhotoADay, take a look below.
Bibliophile and ex-lawyer jlsathre posted a rather cute list of the 25 things she learned from opening a used bookstore. For those of us who still enjoy frequenting brick-and-mortar book selling establishments, like the above pictured Strand Bookstore, some of the items on her list will certainly ring true.
Among my favorites:
My disdain for e-books and e-readers is well known. As a writer, I recognize that this is the direction publishing is leaning toward, I get that, but I still don’t like them shits. Give me a good old fashioned paper book anytime. Word to Jonathan Franzen.
That’s why I was highly amused by this parody of Amazon Kindle commercials, which touts the benefits of actual, physical, normal books.
Guerrilla Mom is my favorite new blog—and I’m not even a parent. If you have children, or even if you don’t but you’re looking for a good laugh, you should definitely check it out.
Created by my friend Maria Guido, who describes herself as a “former free-wheeling, joke-telling, drink slinging artist” turned “obsessive compulsive mommy,” Guerrilla Mom chronicles the joys and pains of parenthood. That’s an apt description.
Be warned, this is not your typical mommy blog, with Maria gushing over every little thing her son does. No, no. It is, however, refreshingly honest and awfully funny. Covering a variety of topics, from idiot parents who want to bring their infants into bars to doctors using Google to diagnose her son’s rash, Guerrilla Mom is a riot. Here’s one of my favorite passages:
A couple of days after the birth, the obligatory congratulations started pouring in. From my friends without kids, the responses were benign enough. “Congratulations!” “Good job Momma!” “Way to go!”
The responses from my friends with kids went something like this:
“Did you ever think you could love something so much?”
“You’ll never believe this love you are experiencing will just continue to grow and grow!”
“Welcome to the most incredible ride of your life!”Huh?
Why didn’t I feel this way? What was wrong with me? Was I like one of those animals in the wild who eats their young? After years of trying to become pregnant, was I actually not maternal? Looking into Luciens’s eyes, all I saw was a little creature who I wasn’t sure liked me, who I couldn’t seem to satisfy, and who I was going to be responsible for keeping happy for a loooong time. And, he was ruining my boobs. What the hell?
This morning, when I checked my Twitter @replies, I saw that my friend, the cereal loving DJ Heat, had tweeted she was reading my debut novel GUESTLIST. Of course I was happy that she was reading my novel, but I wasn’t surprised. After all, DJ Heat lives in America’s Most Literate City.
Washington, D.C., has been named America’s most literate city for the second year in a row by Central Connecticut State University. The distinction is made thanks to an ongoing study, one which began in 2003:
Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the America’s Most Literate Cities study ranks the largest cities (population 250,000 and above) in the United States. This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.
The list of America’s top ten most literate cities are below.
It appears that Matthew Broderick is reprising his iconic Ferris Bueller character for a commercial of some sort that will air during Super Bowl XLVI. This is all speculation based on the above ten-second teaser unearthed by Vulture. As they state:
It’s not so shocking that an advertiser would bank on Broderick/Bueller’s enduring legacy as a righteous dude, but one does wonder what exactly Bueller would be up to or endorsing these days, given that he’d now be about 44.
