There is something about embarking on a road trip through open plains and rugged mountains that compels me to contemplate... The Big Questions.
You know the ones. "Who am I?" "What is life about?" "What's the contribution that God / Universe / Higher Power wants me to make?" "Why do I
break promises to myself (and others) and how can I learn to do better?" and so on.
Also... "Should I grow out my bangs? I think my forehead is pretty nice, but who can say??"
And so forth.
The past few weeks have been filled with Big Questions and I've been trying to write my way through the confusion and into clarity. (As Joan Didion says, “I don't know what I think until I write it down.” Same here.)
So today's newsletter is devoted to... Questions.
Big questions. Little questions. Idea-sparking questions. Timeless questions. Questions for first dates. Questions for dinner table conversations. And (occasionally, when appropriate) my smidgens of advice and personal answers to questions from... you.
Peruse at your leisure.
Here we go...
- If you feel anxious that nobody will buy a ticket to your event / nobody will show up at your dinner gathering / nobody will care about your new book / etc... read this [brand new post]: Will anyone come to my party?
- If you feel like there's "something else" you are meant to be doing with your life / career, except you don't know what it is... read this [brand new post]: What if your job didn't exist?
- If you have a BIG dream— so big that it feels overwhelming and pretty much impossible— and you don't know how to move forward... read this: Start with one
room.
- If you are wondering, "How can I write better emails that people actually look forward to reading?"... read this.
- If you are wondering, "Actually, how can I just get FEWER emails so I don't have to respond to so many?"... read this.
- If you are thinking, "I could read email tips all day long! Where can I find more?"... please don't read email tips all day long because your eyes will start to hurt, however... you might enjoy this.
- If you like Q&A-style writing, you might enjoy my advice
column, Good Question. (Side note: Got a question for me? About writing, communication, creativity, or just "life" in general? Feel free to email your question to alexandra@alexandrafranzen.com and kindly put "Good Question" in your Subject line. Be sure to let me know if you'd like to be "Anonymous" or if I can use your real
name. If I answer your question in an upcoming column, I will email you to let you know. Thank you. I love questions!)
- If you are wondering, "Why did I subscribe to this newsletter? My inbox is so cluttered. Ugh."... check out Unroll.me, which could be the answer to your
prayers.
- Last but not least... if you have been wondering, "Who designed Alex's website? It's so simple and delightful!" the answer is... a man named Paul Jarvis. He is
terrific and I could not recommend him more highly.
. . .
And... I reckon that's plenty of questions for today. Phew!
I am wishing you a peaceful week filled with good ideas, good work,
and hopefully... clear answers to some questions that have been weighing heavily on your heart.
xo.
-Alex
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