24 Comments
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Ken McGoogan's avatar

Buddy is back! Thank god! I missed him and didn't know it. Also, your insights and turns of phrase. The goods on the family bads, indeed. Keep em coming!

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Ha! Thanks Ken. And you know Buddy likes to make sure his fans are happy! Missed you at residency--look forward to next year.

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Renee Sylvestre-Williams's avatar

This is pretty much me. I have a lot of professional jealously so I use it to achieve a new goal. Thanks Kim for writing this.

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Cindy Littlefair's avatar

Kept a candle burning. Good to see you again.

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Thanks Cindy!

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Dolina's avatar

Hey Kim. How fun! Very motivating! I do my best writing when annoyed so this is perfect! Haha. 😍✏️

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Glad you enjoyed it Doley!

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Michele Midori Fillion's avatar

Thank you for this Kim. For me, a much needed kick in the many places that needed one.

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Glad it was helpful, Michele!

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Ann Douglas's avatar

A week or two ago, I went through my Substack subscriptions, unsubscribing from publications that had gone dormant or that I was no longer reading. Needless to say, I decided to stay subscribed to yours, in the hope that you'd be back. And now you are! Hurray!

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Oh Ann, how lovely! Thank you and it's great to reconnect here. I am almost completely Twitter-absent these days, and while I don't miss the toxicity, I do miss seeing and hearing from smart people like you! I hope all's well.

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Ann Douglas's avatar

Things are going really well, all things considered.* I have spent the past year-and-a-half trying to teach myself how to write a novel. While I'm still very much in the kindergarten class of fiction writing (despite having studied with Rebecca Makkai for the past year), I'm learning a ton and, more important than that, I'm having an amazing time learning a ton. (Current mood: creative joy.) In other news: we moved to the Ottawa Valley and are now living in a beautiful, quiet, rural area. Our closest neighbours are birds and deer. This is such a treat, given that we were living in AirBnB party central until late last year. (I will never take peace and quiet for granted again, after that experience.) Anyway, I'm really looking forward to being part of an ongoing conversation with you about books, writing, and the writing life.

* If you ignore the state of the world.

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Yes, "all things considered." Congrats on your move. I've made some changes in the last year that have also created more room for creativity and am reconnecting with that creative joy as well. I feel very lucky!

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David Hayes's avatar

Haha. This was a wonderful read & utterly true. I'm glad you're back, Kim!

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Thanks David!

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Lola Augustine Brown's avatar

Brilliant. So glad to see this in my inbox.

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Thanks Lola!

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Peggy Walt's avatar

Been missing your writing in my In-box (and pics of Buddy!) Now debating do I make a dartboard or a voodoo doll...

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Hmmm... hard choice. Dartboards are quicker, but there's something satisfying about crafting a doll.

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Peggy Walt's avatar

are you making baskets still?

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Rona Maynard's avatar

What I’ve often thought, crisply expressed in one piece to motivate writers at all levels. Glad you’re back.

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Thank you Rona!

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

yes, still playing with warn and raffia and other stuff!

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Kim Pittaway's avatar

Yarn not warn!!

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