Chapter 23

“But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.” ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Light out for the Territory. Practical advice for writers who are drowning in the internet. The internet is a glitterball of distraction. You know how much you like shiny things. It’s a wonder you ever get any work done. Unplug. Disappear. Turn off the news. Come off social media.

“We’re all just space-monkeys, really.” — James Garside Ultra short off-the-cuff review of an obscure recording about a legendary occultist. I enjoyed it way more than I let on at the time. It’s a little more about Hyatt than Regardie but still worth your time. What to expect? Aliens, magick, the Golden Dawn. You know. The usual. It might help if you know who Israel Regardie is. But if you don’t know then listen anyway. Then you will know. You see how this works. Nobody.

“I’ve got sand in my dreamcatcher.” — James Garside This is a short review of a book that I didn’t like very much. Barely a few lines and an insult. I feel bad about it. But not enough to read the book again or write a longer review. To be honest I wasn’t sure whether to bother reading it out. But I’ve committed to reading everything out loud at least once so here we are. Am I being unfair? Is the book any good? Read it and make up your own mind. I’m not your mom. Nobody.

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit. STRANGE GAME. THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS NOT TO PLAY. HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF… CHESS? “Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ― Anaïs Nin I accidentally said “I love you” to someone when I didn’t mean to. But that’s enough about my relationships. Just kidding. It was a bus driver. Sorry, wrong meeting. This is the not-so-secret post that goes out to subscribers on the 23rd of every month.

“The worst thing to do is put your whole life into one drawing.” — Dave McKean Dave McKean is a legend. Illustrator, photographer, filmmaker, musician, and artist. He’s also responsible for the album art for a suspiciously large number of bands that I loved as a teen. Here’s a handful of quotes from him that lived in my notebook for many years. That’s it. That’s the post. He doesn’t believe in talent so much as hand-eye coordination, hard work, and showing up. He worked nights in the middle of nowhere.

“If I hear one more person who brags about their trips with Terence McKenna or Timothy Leary I might become what people refer to as evil.” — Rachel Haywire In the early noughties I read Generation Hex: New Voices from Outside Reality. It was a magick antholocy edited by Jason Louv and published by Disinformation. Back when I was still young, beautiful, and hopeful. Well, at least one of those things. I mean kinda. This is where I first encountered James Curcio and Rachel Haywire.

“Words are like sweets.” — Jane Oakshott Notes from a presentation skills workshop I took with the wonderful Jane Oakshott. Taken years ago when public speaking used to give me full-blown panic attacks. Now I never speak to anyone. Problem solved. Hold for laugh. Thank you, I’ll be here all week. This workshop included the most useful advice I’d ever received about public speaking. Practical advice on breathing, posture, and voice. How to stop fear from eating you alive in front of an audience.

This was the closest I ever came to writing a mission statement. It was a long time ago, I promise! What do you write? Why do you write? There are questions no writer wants to answer. File next to: “Where do you get your ideas from?” “Have you written anything I’ve heard of?” And “Do you like Harry Potter?” I want to show the world its own dreams. That’s the phrase I came up with when forced to explain why I write. I know how it sounds. But I said what I said.

Hi! Welcome to Chapter 23. Become evil. Rule the world. Maybe drink tea first and sit down for a bit. Used to be a tree. Could have been a contender. Today I’m 49 and poetry is hard. “I often want to cry. That is the only advantage women have over men — at least they can cry.” ― Jean Rhys Hail Satan! Say it with me. Hail Satan! One more time. Hail Satan! Can I get an Amen?That was a trick question. Sorry, wrong meeting. This is the not-so-secret post that goes out to subscribers on the 23rd of every month.

“A non-writing writer is, in fact, a monster courting insanity.” — Franz Kafka There’s a specific misery of wanting to write and not writing. What that does to a writer. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you will. Kafka said it better than I ever could. I only quoted him so that you’d keep reading. This is a handful of fragments. Post-it notes from inside my head. It isn’t a polished piece. That’s sort of the point. What do you mean lazy? I’m not lazy. I’m efficient. There’s also a monkey.