elaine

humanities girl working in tech. novelist, essayist, always in revision mode. taking a break from X. find me on substack or IG: literaryelaine.

[elaine @lainewrites]

if someone likes your writing, chances are they will like a lot of the other stuff you like and share. our writing reflects our values and tastes. it's not possible to like someone's writing without being drawn to some part of their ethos.

[elaine @lainewrites]

there’s so much fear around ai in publishing, understandably. but i think there’s never been an easier time to figure out if you actually like writing without wasting years of your life

[elaine @lainewrites]

sometimes you need to hear yourself say what you think you want in order to realize you don’t actually want it. when it’s just a thought in your head, it’s easy to stay in the realm of fantasy

[elaine @lainewrites]

this line from east of eden will haunt me

[elaine @lainewrites]

sometimes you just have to say the thing in order to say the next thing. backlogs are creatively stifling.

[elaine @lainewrites]

reading east of eden, i'm fascinated by cathy ames as the male fantasy of a female villain, a projection of men's fear, desire, and idealization of women, monstrous because she rejects every role women are expected to embrace: daughter, wife, mother.

[elaine @lainewrites]

the scary thing of modern dating is how close to desire lies danger. there’s nothing wrong with going to a party in the hopes of meeting up with a guy and having a good time. it’s so ordinary, so natural, a beautiful experience that can easily tip into horror.

[elaine @lainewrites]

when you’ve lost the plot

[elaine @lainewrites]

love that all these movies are being made of old books / classics. what’s next… stoner? i who have never known men? transit of venus?

[Lauren Wilford @lauren_wilford]

reading really good nonfiction feels much more “nutrient dense” than scrolling the feed, even if your feed is really well-curated.

It’s like the difference between a really beautiful multi-course meal by a single chef, and grazing on a bunch of random little snacks

[elaine @lainewrites]

@ad_mastro 💯

[elaine @lainewrites]

have a theory that ppl who find it hard to create content on social media tend to have more filters, which involves overthinking whether they should share a thing, how to share it, when to share it, while the ppl who are good at it just post whatever comes to mind

[saguaro ghost @saguaro_ghost]

not a single human being on this entire planet wants a permanent Netflix sticker on their copy of East of Eden.

[elaine @lainewrites]

one of the most pervasive well-intentioned social impulses is to offer something you’re not prepared to give in order to avoid conflict/awkwardness or spare the person’s feelings. i like to think i’m getting better at saying what i mean

[elaine @lainewrites]

has anyone noticed that canal street has become totally unwalkable?

[elaine @lainewrites]

i no longer think anything is truly “obvious.”

surprised to realize this when a friend kept saying, “obviously…” and i kept thinking “but is it?”

[elaine @lainewrites]

helpful instructions

[elaine @lainewrites]

sometimes the attainment of a goal is both a reward and a curse

[Fahd Ananta @fahdananta]

Sometimes in life the pursuit of a goal is more fulfilling than the goal itself

[elaine @lainewrites]

i can’t get enough of other ppl’s book recommendations even though god knows i don’t need more books on my tbr. it just thrills me to hear what someone has to say about a book they loved. it’s this little window into their soul.

[elaine @lainewrites]

@books4mittenz ha yes i also associate reading cozy mysteries with autumn!

[elaine @lainewrites]

doing something for pleasure has to be the purest reason.

i’m reading agatha christie mysteries again. they’re not expanding my world view or improving my writing. i’m just in it for the thrill.