1) Finally deleted my Substack account.
I could deal with the occasional political talk. It’s not as bad on there as it is on other social media sites. I could deal with the occasional trolls, too. They’re not in the vast majority like they are on Xitter (or whatever the heck Musk’s personal trolling site is called these days).
I even was able to ignore the COVID deniers, the people who started popping up and saying COVID was never a real threat, it’s just a bad cold, etc. You know the type:
“I got COVID, and it was no big deal.”
Those people. The ones who want to see a conspiracy in everything, and since they personally don’t know of any healthy people that died, it must all be propaganda.
“I mean, Grandma was gonna die anyway, amirite?”
I can ignore those idiots. I can ignore the folks that agreed with them. It was when I saw the post about Scott Adams that I couldn’t take it anymore.
You know Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert? It was funny for about five minutes, thirty years ago? Remember that strip?
It made Scott very, very rich. So rich, in fact, he was able to post that he refused to live in a neighborhood with black people because he didn’t want to be the victim of a crime.
No, he didn’t get cancelled for saying that. In fact, a lot of people agreed with him. So that should tell you what the sentiment in this country is like these days.
Anyway…
For a long time during peak COVID, Scotty was against taking the vaccine. Then, at some point, he changed his mind. He took it.
Jump ahead to the present day and shortly after Biden announced he had prostate cancer, Scott Adams announced the same thing. Then somebody posted on Substack that they wondered if the COVID vaccine maybe caused Adams’ prostate cancer.
And people commented on the post that, yes, they wondered the same thing.
Now folks, you can be an anti-vaxxer. I might ask you your reasons, and if you say, “Well, I don’t think the government should be allowed to force us to get a vaccine if we don’t want it.” I can understand that.
You can say, “I don’t trust the vaccine.” Okay, I sort of understand that, but if you get a flu shot or had a measles shot when you were a kid, I might debate the issue with you.
You might say, “I don’t trust any vaccines,” and I’ll ask, “Where does your faith in science begin and end? Do you take Tylenol? Or any over-the-counter meds? Or are you one of those holistic nutjobs who thinks ginger root is going to keep you cancer-free?”
But if you’re going to try and link two separate things and have it equal whatever conspiracy you’re trying to push… And there are people agreeing with you… I have to get far away from that.
Maybe the sane people vastly outnumber the craze-o’s on Substack (and I’m sure they do), but there’s limited patience on my end for such idiocy.
2) Last Friday, I was a guest presenter at my son’s middle school.
I spoke to two 8th Grade classes about pursuing your creative dreams, and what it’s like to be a published author in this day and age. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged the students were, and even the ones not interested in writing were attentive and asked great questions.
Two quick observations…
For 8th Graders, man, they looked young. But maybe that’s just because I’m old.
They were very interested in my writing process, which authors I enjoy reading, and which book is my favorite (they all are, of course).
I received a bunch of “thank you” notes from the students, which ranged from one sentence to a full page. Most addressed me as “Mr. Grayson,” but there was one that started off as “Dear Slade.” All were super nice, but my favorite “thank you” note said:
“Thank you for coming here to teach dyslexic people about books.”
I don’t know why, but that one made me laugh out loud. And the kid even put his name on it! But I’ll never tell on him.
3) I also made a list of books to the students who were interested in improving their writing, and/or pursuing a career in writing. This is what I suggested:
5 BOOKS TO DEVELOP YOUR WRITING
A) The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White
One of those books that I re-read every couple of years. No better writing advice out there. Will improve your writing, even if the extent of your writing is college papers.
B) Vivid and Continuous: Essays and Exercises for Writing Fiction by John McNally
McNally is a writer I like a lot. I enjoy his books, both fiction and nonfiction. He gives great advice in this book, and exercises for those who want to improve their writing.
C) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Even if you’re not a horror fan, King breaks down his writing and editing process. It’s a readable narrative and doesn’t feel like a textbook, but you’ll get plenty of info and great writing tips out of it.
D) Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by J. Michael Straczynski
Straczynski wrote, in my opinion, probably the best book on screenwriting (see list below). This book is more about the writer’s journey, rather than a book on the actual craft. As Straczynski says in the beginning (quoting Harlan Ellison), becoming a writer is easy. Staying a writer is the hard part.
E) Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel by Lawrence Block
One of the very first books I read when I was a kid and looking to get into the writing profession. Block has since updated the book for the 21st Century (since no one is writing on typewriters anymore). Really good book from a prolific author.
3 BOOKS TO DEVELOP WRITING FOR MOVIES, TV, PLAYS, COMIC BOOKS, ETC.
A) The Complete Book of Scriptwriting byJ. Michael Straczynski
Straczynski breaks it all down for potential screenwriters. He talks movie scripts, TV scripts, radio and plays… The book was originally published in the 1980’s, but Straczynski has updated and revised the book since then.
B) Comics Experience Guide to Writing Comics: Scripting Your Story Ideas from Start to Finish by Andy Schmidt
Schmidt was an editor at Marvel for a while before heading out on his own. He knows the ins and outs of comic book scripts.
C) Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
Goldman wrote some great movies, and he’s not afraid to name names when it comes to his experiences (both good and bad) working in Hollywood. Besides his many funny anecdotes, he includes a screenplay written specifically for the book, which he submits to various other screenwriters and directors for their feedback (also included). Interesting process, and you get an inside view to the thought processes of other creative people.
Goldman wrote the screenplays for BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, as well as THE PRINCESS BRIDE (both book and screenplay), as well as many other movies I could list and you’d recognize. But this isn’t an IMDB page, so do your own research. Just trust me… He knew how to write a good screenplay.
This book, though, is probably most famous for providing Goldman’s often quoted line about the how Hollywood works:
“Nobody knows anything.”
That’s your Dispatch for the week.
Slade Grayson is a writer who relies on the kindness of strangers. And readers. And sometimes strange readers. You can buy his books here, or buy him a coffee here.