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[Electric Speed] It's okay if you don't read this
Published 2 months ago • 5 min read
Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here.
A note from Jane
Recently I met a speaker and writer, Paul, who has a successful email newsletter called Ripples. I loved the story he told me about how his newsletter started.
As Paul was building his business, he worked with a consultant who asked how he secured new speaking gigs. Paul didn’t know, but the consultant told him he should figure it out. So Paul went back to every person who invited him to speak and asked, “How did you find out about me?” The overwhelming answer: I already heard you speak at an event.
So the consultant told him: People appreciate what you do, they just need to be reminded of it. So Paul decided to start an email newsletter, and it had exactly the intended effect. More people started thinking of him when they had a need for a speaker.
But his newsletter isn’t about “Hire me to speak!” Ripples is a brief inspirational email with a couple quotes and questions to ponder. Easy. And now Paul is known as The Ripples Guy.
Even if no one reads every newsletter you send, sometimes it doesn’t matter as long as they’re reminded of the value you offer.
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Jane’s Electric Speed List
Here are some of the latest things I’ve discovered. (I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)
The joys of Kanopy
As a longtime Netflix user, I’ve noticed lately, when scrolling through their recommendations, I’m shown almost exclusively Netflix-owned and produced content. It’s frustrating, as it bears little relationship to what I actually want to watch. (Meanwhile: Amazon Prime Video now includes advertising unless you pay extra; I stopped paying for Prime.)
Enter Kanopy, the streaming service that you can access as part of your public library or university. I’ve always known about Kanopy because of my reporting on the publishing industry, but I never thought about using it personally. Finally, I did. I wish I hadn’t waited so long—its collection is fantastic.
If your library or university offers Kanopy access, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. (Fortunately, Cincinnati has a superlative public library system. I know not everyone is so lucky.)
Apple’s (somewhat) new journaling app
I’ve tried many different diary and journal apps over the years, but never found any so compelling that I stuck with the practice. Then I decided to take a look at Journal—the free app from Apple—and it might do the trick. Why? It collects data from other apps to suggest quick entries, along with writing prompts. Yes, please.
Paperbell: a booking system for coaches
Reader Paula Mae recently clued me into a booking system that’s new to me. She writes, “I was just making a discovery call appointment with a literary agent in NYC, and I was intrigued by the booking system she was using, Paperbell. I once did a huge writeup on booking systems, so I found Paperbell very interesting, as it is especially and only for coaching and consulting—and that made me think of you!”
Paperbell’s pricing is high compared to a basic plan with Acuity or Calendly, but Paperbell also offers a great number of features: contract signing, subscriptions, payment plans, online classes, and more.
A newsletter about the English language
English in Progress is a monthly newsletter that covers English language choice, neologisms, and world Englishes. But that’s a very formal and factual description of something that’s whimsical. Worth a look and a subscribe!
NEXT ONLINE CLASS
March 6: Secrets, Twists, and Reveals with Tiffany Yates Martin
Secrets, surprises, and twists are powerful narrative tools. Stories with dangling questions and startling reveals keep readers hooked throughout, not knowing what comes next, eagerly turning pages to find out. But pulling off a successful reveal is a tricky tightrope act between giving readers enough information to feel invested and holding back enough to keep them hooked. In this 90-minute class you’ll learn how and when to unspool hidden information in your story for maximum suspense and impact.
In the last issue, I asked you to share your best tip/hack/secret to keep indoor plants thriving. Here is a selection of what you said.
Dust your plants! And if you think that takes too long, like I do, my solution for every item I can in my home is to throw it in the shower and power wash it and let it air dry in there (trash cans! laundry baskets! welcome mats!). —Saya
Years ago a friend suggested I immediately fill my emptied milk carton or jug with water and use it to water my houseplants (now or later). This helps me remember to water regularly, and the nutrients in the “milk water” feed them. It’s a win-win if you drink milk! —Nancy Kuch
Feed houseplants with a weak solution of molasses, about a teaspoonful to a half gallon of water. My niece shared this with me, and I’m forever grateful 💚 —Michele Sharp
Pour in the left over coffee from the pot. And putting coffee grounds in the pot after use. Perks them right up! Don’t do this everyday or your plants will be too wired!! Once a week though! —Jennifer Davis
I keep humidifiers running in the two rooms where I have the most plants. It seems to keep the plants from drying out when I forget to water them. Bonus: my skin benefits from the extra moisture. —Margie Speck Ogawa
When I have to travel for a few days to a week or even more, I cover the dirt in my plants’ pots with plastic wrap after watering them so the moisture won’t evaporate. That way, nothing dries out or withers. —Ruth Zekowski
Use pure water. We have a reverse osmosis water filter that we use to create pure water for the aquarium, but also for the indoor plants, especially our fly traps. They positively thrive with it. —Matthew Goodall
After eating a banana, I soak the skins in water in the refrigerator for a few days. The water will turn black, containing nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium essential for plant growth. It’s a free fertilizer. —Antaeus Balevre
Next question: Tell me about your favorite type of bird feeder if you have one. Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share.
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Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here. A note from Jane One of the best literature classes I ever took was called Shadow Literature. It focused on texts that subtly expressed the Jungian theory of the shadow self, or the parts of ourselves that we find unacceptable (whether emotions, thoughts, or personality traits). While the shadow self isn’t inherently negative, it’s what we repress or...
Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here. A note from Jane I’ve had a trick shoulder for a decade now, the result of a pinched nerve that was never treated properly. Due to a mixture of laziness and hopelessness, I gave up on achieving normalcy. Recently, someone questioned why I wasn’t seeing a therapist for it. So I began reflecting on why I’d given up on healing. When it comes to a few...