Reposted by Kieran, she/her
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 25, 2025 at 11:40 PM
If you have ever thought that my journalism or my first book were net positives for the world, understand that they probably would not exist if I did not have a spouse who paid the mortgage. If I'd been a solo earner/parent, I likely would have left criticism, journalism or book writing long ago.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
yes. if not for my husband’s health insurance/salary + some money my family gave me while i built my business, it’s unlikely i would be where i am—something for which i’m all too aware, and all too grateful. success in writing = talent + perseverance + coverage of human necessities.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 25, 2025 at 11:51 PM
yes. if not for my husband’s health insurance/salary + some money my family gave me while i built my business, it’s unlikely i would be where i am—something for which i’m all too aware, and all too grateful. success in writing = talent + perseverance + coverage of human necessities.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
I don't have children or student loans, and I bought a house with money left to me when my mother died, and I never leave those three things out of the "how did you transition into freelancing full time" conversation because otherwise it is WILDLY disingenuous to talk about how writing pays my bills
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I don't have children or student loans, and I bought a house with money left to me when my mother died, and I never leave those three things out of the "how did you transition into freelancing full time" conversation because otherwise it is WILDLY disingenuous to talk about how writing pays my bills
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
I am absolutely seeing this in real time. I get at least 3 emails a day from people I know and people I don't asking me if I have leads on work. I usually have to say I do not. The job market is NOT GOOD right now at all.
November 25, 2025 at 10:20 PM
I am absolutely seeing this in real time. I get at least 3 emails a day from people I know and people I don't asking me if I have leads on work. I usually have to say I do not. The job market is NOT GOOD right now at all.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
If you’re wondering who’s guiding our transition, it’s the best New Yorkers that money can’t buy.
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
If you’re wondering who’s guiding our transition, it’s the best New Yorkers that money can’t buy.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
Also, no one seems to talk about all the MeToo accusations leveled at Ratner anymore.
November 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Also, no one seems to talk about all the MeToo accusations leveled at Ratner anymore.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
my aunt got me this cute penzey's DEI themed advent spice calendar. we love an extremely woke brand don't we folks
November 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM
my aunt got me this cute penzey's DEI themed advent spice calendar. we love an extremely woke brand don't we folks
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
This is the context you have to keep in mind when you see these people hyperventilating about addressing this system. This is what they are demanding we preserve literally at any and every cost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/n...
November 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
This is the context you have to keep in mind when you see these people hyperventilating about addressing this system. This is what they are demanding we preserve literally at any and every cost.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/n...
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
“Moi?"
(American Red Squirrel) 🌿
(American Red Squirrel) 🌿
November 25, 2025 at 1:13 PM
“Moi?"
(American Red Squirrel) 🌿
(American Red Squirrel) 🌿
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
"Black women are disproportionately working-class. So if it was really about class, explain to me why Black women understood exactly what he [Trump] was going to do, which is make life harder for working-class people," says Kimberlé Crenshaw. newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 25, 2025 at 1:33 PM
"Black women are disproportionately working-class. So if it was really about class, explain to me why Black women understood exactly what he [Trump] was going to do, which is make life harder for working-class people," says Kimberlé Crenshaw. newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
First Secretary of Defense you could defeat by painting a tunnel on the side of a boulder.
November 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
First Secretary of Defense you could defeat by painting a tunnel on the side of a boulder.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
Angering all the right people. And Hanania running to Yglesias like a grade school kid snitching on classmates is pitch perfect.
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Angering all the right people. And Hanania running to Yglesias like a grade school kid snitching on classmates is pitch perfect.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
this is interesting in part because this is, uh, not the young guns.
Wow — Senators Van Hollen, Smith, Murphy, Sanders, Warren, Markey, Merkley, Heinrich have created an official internal "Fight Club."
They're challenging Schumer & Gillibrand's leadership, arguing the party is using an old, corporate-friendly playbook insufficient to take on Trump or win elections.
They're challenging Schumer & Gillibrand's leadership, arguing the party is using an old, corporate-friendly playbook insufficient to take on Trump or win elections.
Chuck Schumer Faces Pushback From a ‘Fight Club’ of Senate Democrats
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:11 AM
this is interesting in part because this is, uh, not the young guns.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
give this man a little house and he IMMEDIATELY turns into a "get off my lawn" guy
November 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
give this man a little house and he IMMEDIATELY turns into a "get off my lawn" guy
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
It's weird to not only have lived through an information revolution but also now living through its undoing, all within less than a generation.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
British mum detained by ICE agents in California as six-month old baby and stunned husband watch on | LBC
Katie Paul, 33, was in the process of applying for a green card when she was ambushed by immigration agents
www.lbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
“I refuse to pretend that both of us are dumber than we are” is a tour de force insult, simultaneously respectful and brutal
If Isaac Chotiner ever said this to me, I would move to the woods.
November 25, 2025 at 1:43 AM
“I refuse to pretend that both of us are dumber than we are” is a tour de force insult, simultaneously respectful and brutal
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
I think the Pope should toss some holy water of Peter Thiel just to test something
November 25, 2025 at 2:58 AM
I think the Pope should toss some holy water of Peter Thiel just to test something
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, pardoned by Donald Trump, has been accused of facilitating millions of dollars’ worth of payments to Hamas in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Zhao also financed the Trump family's entrance into the cryptocurrency market.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao accused of facilitating payments to Hamas
Crypto tycoon pardoned by Donald Trump faces US court complaint from families of victims of October 7 attack
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Reposted by Kieran, she/her
I have 99 problems right now and money would solve 98 of them.
November 24, 2025 at 11:21 PM
I have 99 problems right now and money would solve 98 of them.