I Go Back To School + Lightning-round Writing Tips + Letterloop Update

Hi everyone! Always good to see you. :) Here's what's been on my mind lately:

• A.I., A.I.,A.I.
• The lingering trauma of the pandemic
• Finding & managing contentment
• Cooking, particularly sauces
• Electric guitar is fun
• My mom is acting like a kid in her old age
• Nicki's successful "skinny" social media diet 

I'll talk about these in future newsletters. For now, let's talk about...​

i'm going back to school

Not my school, but Syosset High on Long Island, New York, to give a talk as part of an author day along with fellow authors including the likes of Adib Khorram, Nic Stone, Tiffany Jackson, and others. I really love doing these sorts of events, because in another life I think I was a teacher.

I'll be giving a talk about creativity vs. AI (which I've talked about in this newsletter) as well as How To Create A Character (scary version). I'll go over that topic in depth in a future newsletter. ​

lightning-round writing tips

Every day as I sit down to write, I go over a little checklist to keep my head screwed on straight and my creative juices flowing in the right direction. I do this because it's easy to get distracted, or disoriented, or disheartened by all the chaos the world has to offer.

• Write slowly. This isn't a race.
• Write like the money doesn't matter.
• Forget daily word count goals.
• Choose beauty over ugliness.
• Everything on social media is a lie.
• Every 20 minutes, get up and do something boring. Wash a coffee cup. Fold laundry.
• Every 2 hours, get up and do something fun. Finish a level in Mario Wonder. Practice that My Chemical Romance guitar riff.
• Write the story you want to read.
• Move around. Pacing & thinking counts as writing.
• Reading over the last few pages you've written also counts as writing.
• Leave the keyboard and write by hand on paper and whiteboards. It's more fun.
• You're most creative in the morning. 
• Save brainless admin tasks for the afternoon.
• Give yourself something to look forward to. Lunch with Nicki, beer with friends, karaoke nights with family. 
• Do something nice for someone other than yourself. It feeds the soul. It usually leads to interesting life experiences, too.
• Take showers and naps whenever possible.
• Chocolate is one of the great rewards in life.
• Share everything you know.

that letterloop thing

So me and a few readers have been goofing off on Letterloop, and it's so fun hearing from you! I especially love how low-effort and low-pressure Letterloop is. It also seems to be turning into a nice way to talk about the craft of writing (one of my favorite topics). 

Here's some excerpts from the first issue.

What's the last show or movie you watched that made you cry, or at least want to?

• Angela: Omg, my roommate likes true crime stuff. We watched Wildcrime: Blood Mountain about a serial killer who roamed a few souther national parks. I wanted to cry for the victims.
• Swathi: The Holdovers (not a full cry, just the beginnings of tears)
• Christy: The part in Barbie where Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For?” was played got me a little teared up.

What's the last book you read that stuck with you for days afterward?

• Linsdey: a murder most agreeable
• Ruth: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Bleu!!! I’ll never shut up about it.
• Nicole: Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
• Chang: The soul of the family tree by Lori Erickson

What activity feeds your soul? Why?

• Chang: Playing ice hockey. It is fast, a great workout and feels great when your team clicks and plays well together
• Christy: Cooking and attempting to play at making art.
• Linsdey: reading
• Swathi: Walking in nature

If you want to get in on the Letterloop fun, just shoot me an email and say Yes!

David Yoon is the New York Times bestselling author of City of Orange, Version Zero, and for young adults, Super Fake Love Song and Frankly In Love.

He’s also the co-founder (with wife Nicola Yoon) of the Random House imprint Joy Revolution, which publishes love stories starring people of color.