Jun 3, 2023·edited Jun 3, 2023Liked by Mr. Troy Ford
Your posts carry such energy, Troy. I love them. Even if you're not a fan of olives. You should continue your great search for not-olive olives. Perhaps Italy has better not-olives? I'm not suggesting you move, just venture in search of the greatest not-olives you can find and write more about that journey.
(Side note: I never enjoyed olives as a kid. They were things that mum liked. Adult foods. Then, probably via pizza, I began to notice olives. A little sly glance occasionally in the supermarket, a wink from a glass jar. Probably many a trip around Europe receiving that little dish and questioning whether it would be on the bill at the end as an included cost or genuinely a gift from the restaurant. All these things pushed me towards a now-undying love of olives. But having sampled so many, there are good olives and there are so-so olives and there are OMG THESE ARE WHAT EVEN ARE THESE INCREDIBLE DELIGHTS? olives.)
Oh, and big yes to that green recomposing. Funnily enough, I was made more aware of this via @Taegan MacLean 's latest post, where there was some discussion around cremation.
edit: I meant to also say bravo on continuing the push for publication. Foolish editors not yet recognising your prowess. Still, there's 140 submissions to go. One of those will bite, I'm certain.
Hell is a giant Bermuda grass lawn where there’s nothing to eat but pepper and Christmas music plays nonstop. I see no olives in that scenario. Olives are your friends! 😊
Loved this, Troy. Thanks so much for giving me a shoutout! Katrina and Recompose seem really, really great, and I truly hope that their thoughts/mission/message can spread far and wide.
A few other thoughts I had while reading:
1) I HATED olives when I was a kid, but started really loving them in the last few years. Well, one kind, really. Castelvetrano. Yum. The others I've tried are fine. But it has become a thing I feel I need to have in the fridge at almost all times now.
2) The Power of Maybe -- 100%. We've been pretty determined to pass this thinking along to our kiddo, particularly with food, always framing it as, "What if you never tried ice cream? You'd never know that you love it," and also let her know that, "hey, it's okay if you don't like something; you definitely don't have to eat all of it; but I'd really like you to try it." So far... so good? I'll cross my fingers that applying it to all facets of life will be something we can handle as time goes on haha.
3) Wow. 200 rejections. I'm so happy that Pothier was able to find a home for his novel through that. And I love that it can serve as inspiration to keep going and to keep believing in your work. Which can be so incredibly hard to do when it's you--and oftentimes you alone--who serve as both its engine and its cheerleader. There have been a few times where following a batch of rejections I've gotten down on myself and have thought, "I'm the one missing something here, clearly." In a particularly bad stretch, I was very close to quitting writing altogether. Definitely want to work toward shifting away from feeling like that, because really, when you zoom out it all just feels like a lottery of sorts haha, with so many variables outside of your control (i.e. maybe the agent just had a really shitty morning before reading your query/submission and was in no mood to read). Kind of like, "gotta keep trying because one day you might just win." Wishing you luck with querying, my friend!
Olives are waaaay better than anchovies. First off, they don't have eyeballs. And I definitely understand the allure of "the book deal," but depending on your genre, don't count self-publishing out...
Funny, my husband hated olives too, now he rather likes them! I know I won't ever like mushrooms though, you can't change my mind, I'll gag! lol Also, keep reaching for the stars, my friend, you will get your book deal someday! Have you ever tried submitting to Clash Books?
Your posts carry such energy, Troy. I love them. Even if you're not a fan of olives. You should continue your great search for not-olive olives. Perhaps Italy has better not-olives? I'm not suggesting you move, just venture in search of the greatest not-olives you can find and write more about that journey.
(Side note: I never enjoyed olives as a kid. They were things that mum liked. Adult foods. Then, probably via pizza, I began to notice olives. A little sly glance occasionally in the supermarket, a wink from a glass jar. Probably many a trip around Europe receiving that little dish and questioning whether it would be on the bill at the end as an included cost or genuinely a gift from the restaurant. All these things pushed me towards a now-undying love of olives. But having sampled so many, there are good olives and there are so-so olives and there are OMG THESE ARE WHAT EVEN ARE THESE INCREDIBLE DELIGHTS? olives.)
Oh, and big yes to that green recomposing. Funnily enough, I was made more aware of this via @Taegan MacLean 's latest post, where there was some discussion around cremation.
edit: I meant to also say bravo on continuing the push for publication. Foolish editors not yet recognising your prowess. Still, there's 140 submissions to go. One of those will bite, I'm certain.
True about LF. You will find your deal!
Hell is a giant Bermuda grass lawn where there’s nothing to eat but pepper and Christmas music plays nonstop. I see no olives in that scenario. Olives are your friends! 😊
I would like to be composted with a cherry tree planted on top of me.
Loved this, Troy. Thanks so much for giving me a shoutout! Katrina and Recompose seem really, really great, and I truly hope that their thoughts/mission/message can spread far and wide.
A few other thoughts I had while reading:
1) I HATED olives when I was a kid, but started really loving them in the last few years. Well, one kind, really. Castelvetrano. Yum. The others I've tried are fine. But it has become a thing I feel I need to have in the fridge at almost all times now.
2) The Power of Maybe -- 100%. We've been pretty determined to pass this thinking along to our kiddo, particularly with food, always framing it as, "What if you never tried ice cream? You'd never know that you love it," and also let her know that, "hey, it's okay if you don't like something; you definitely don't have to eat all of it; but I'd really like you to try it." So far... so good? I'll cross my fingers that applying it to all facets of life will be something we can handle as time goes on haha.
3) Wow. 200 rejections. I'm so happy that Pothier was able to find a home for his novel through that. And I love that it can serve as inspiration to keep going and to keep believing in your work. Which can be so incredibly hard to do when it's you--and oftentimes you alone--who serve as both its engine and its cheerleader. There have been a few times where following a batch of rejections I've gotten down on myself and have thought, "I'm the one missing something here, clearly." In a particularly bad stretch, I was very close to quitting writing altogether. Definitely want to work toward shifting away from feeling like that, because really, when you zoom out it all just feels like a lottery of sorts haha, with so many variables outside of your control (i.e. maybe the agent just had a really shitty morning before reading your query/submission and was in no mood to read). Kind of like, "gotta keep trying because one day you might just win." Wishing you luck with querying, my friend!
Roll me up and plant me when I die! 🌱
Olives are waaaay better than anchovies. First off, they don't have eyeballs. And I definitely understand the allure of "the book deal," but depending on your genre, don't count self-publishing out...
Loved every bit of this ... especially the composting. I think it’s a great idea.
Funny, my husband hated olives too, now he rather likes them! I know I won't ever like mushrooms though, you can't change my mind, I'll gag! lol Also, keep reaching for the stars, my friend, you will get your book deal someday! Have you ever tried submitting to Clash Books?