Notes On… or Things I Wish I Wrote
While I didn’t write any of these, an important part of being a great writer is being able to realize that there will always be someone a little better than you that you can learn from.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge: Writer and Star of Fleabag.
Notes On… A Perfect Season of Television:
While the first season was funny and complex, season 2 of Fleabag is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. I can only hope to write about human vulnerability in such a poetic, moving and hysterical way.
“Love is awful. It’s awful. It’s painful. It’s frightening. It makes you doubt yourself, judge yourself, distance yourself from the other people in your life. It makes you selfish. It makes you creepy, makes you obsessed with your hair, makes you cruel, makes you say and do things you never thought you would do. It’s all any of us want, and it’s hell when we get there. So no wonder it’s something we don’t want to do on our own. I was taught if we’re born with love then life is about choosing the right place to put it. People talk about that a lot, feeling right, when it feels right it’s easy. But I’m not sure that’s true. It takes strength to know what’s right. And love isn’t something that weak people do. Being a romantic takes a hell of a lot of hope. I think what they mean is, when you find somebody that you love, it feels like hope.” - The Priest, Fleabag
Notes on… ‘women arent funny’, once and for all:
There is a lot to love about The Marvelous Miss Maisel: Whip-smart dialogue, gorgeous costumes, amazing sets. And while Midge and Suzie get themselves into many of humorous situation, the true heart of the show always comes through in Midge’s monologues. A boss actually gave me my first improv class as a christmas gift because he said the character reminded him so much of me. What an honor.
“Comedy is fueled by oppression, by the lack of power, by sadness and disappointment, by abandonment and humiliation. Now, who the hell does that describe more than women? Judging by those standards, only women should be funny.” – Midge Maisel, The Marvelous Miss Maisel
Notes on when journalism becomes art:
This is one of my favorite books because it is written so masterfully as a non-fiction book that reads like a thriller. While McNamara tragically passed away before she could see the killer caught, she wrote the closing passage imagining when the day would come.
The doorbell rings.
No side gates are left open. You’re long past leaping over a fence. Take one of your hyper, gulping breaths. Clench your teeth. Inch timidly toward the insistent bell.
This is how it ends for you.
“You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark,” you threatened a victim once.
Open the door. Show us your face.
Walk into the light.”
- Michelle McNama, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
Notes on My favorite comedian, Bo Burnham:
Well, as someone who has struggled with mental illness, the entirety of Inside is an indisputable masterpiece. It’s my favorite type of comedy, the kind that makes you laugh but also think about the bigger picture.