In the summer of 2017 I had an idea: What if, to commit myself to writing regularly, to become a better writer, I started a weekly email? Each email would need three parts:
I set up a TinyLetter account and sent the first issue out August 22, 2017. A year later I moved everything over to Mailchimp. Here are some recent issues:
What readers are saying
"I have been meaning to let you know how much I appreciate this (email) for being so honest and funny and raw. You have a great talent and I’m one grateful reader who is glad you’re not hiding or keeping it to yourself any longer."
"I love Dear Crabby! Love it! Do more of that please! Maybe once a month or every two months?"
"Your emails make me happy every time they arrive in my inbox. In a week like this, I really needed that happy. Thank you."
"You have an amazing, distinct, funny, acidic, and totally individual writing voice - and I'm so glad you are letting it fly!!!"
"I've been meaning to tell you how much I enjoy receiving and reading your emails! They are well-written, thought-provoking, and a nice break from 'regular' life."
And here are links to the TinyLetter archive (#1-46) and the Mailchimp archive (#47-now).
- A story I wanted to tell.
- A list of the best/funniest/most useful things I’d found online that week.
- A question – silly or serious – to engage my audience. Something to make this feel more like a conversation. I could share answers anonymously the following week.
I set up a TinyLetter account and sent the first issue out August 22, 2017. A year later I moved everything over to Mailchimp. Here are some recent issues:
- Dear Roger. Part obit, part memoir, part tribute to Ranking Roger.
- Keyed up. My childhood key obsession and why I now wear my house key on a (fancy rhinestone) chain.
- Head, shoulders, knees and poles. Or how to make a fool out of yourself at a pole dancing studio.
- High school, alcohol, and questions I can’t answer. I went to one of Brett Kavanaugh’s sister high schools. Nothing terrible happened to me – but it could have.
- A girl can dream, right? Fantasizing out loud about a one-stop shop where you can sleep through your hair appointment, dental surgery, mammogram, and more.
- Dear Crabby. In which I flip the script and answer readers’ questions.
What readers are saying
"I have been meaning to let you know how much I appreciate this (email) for being so honest and funny and raw. You have a great talent and I’m one grateful reader who is glad you’re not hiding or keeping it to yourself any longer."
"I love Dear Crabby! Love it! Do more of that please! Maybe once a month or every two months?"
"Your emails make me happy every time they arrive in my inbox. In a week like this, I really needed that happy. Thank you."
"You have an amazing, distinct, funny, acidic, and totally individual writing voice - and I'm so glad you are letting it fly!!!"
"I've been meaning to tell you how much I enjoy receiving and reading your emails! They are well-written, thought-provoking, and a nice break from 'regular' life."
And here are links to the TinyLetter archive (#1-46) and the Mailchimp archive (#47-now).