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A note from Jane

I’ve watched every season of The Great British Baking Show, and without fail, two behavioral patterns repeat themselves every time:

Bakers do more than is required by the challenge
Bakers attempt to redeem themselves after a specific failure

Regarding #1, bakers add complexity hoping to impress the judges, but mostly they run out of time and can’t realize their vision. Editor David Moldawer once wrote about this phenomenon in Forged in Fire, another competition show where blacksmiths have to forge blades in a few hours. Someone always botches the job through hubris or bad priorities.

He writes, "One smith painstakingly hand-stitches a leather wrap for an axe that ends up making it impossible to swing properly. Often, in their eagerness to create some weird knife variant that will wow exactly none of the judges—‘They’ll never expect me to craft a Kukri/Kris hybrid!’—they neglect the actual requirements of the challenge, forging a blade five inches too long or one lacking the requisite serration. ... I’ll reiterate: they only have one or two requirements to meet. And yet they whiff them more often than you’d believe."

And regarding #2, it’s obvious when some bakers have little or no facility for making a particular thing (custard, short crust, puff pastry, whatever), then have a bad week when that’s the focus. Rather than putting it behind them, and focusing on their strengths moving forward, they inevitably try it again as part of another challenge, to prove they can do it. It rarely goes well.

Fortunately, reality TV is not well-suited to portraying writers sweating over their manuscripts. A lot of failure, at least until publication, remains private. However, if we saw how much even the masters fail, we might feel reassured about our own abilities.

Is there a limit to how much I can discuss AI tools before everyone unsubscribes? I hope not, because we’re about to see an avalanche of new AI writing tools and products. ChatGPT, the new AI writing chatbot, is just the tip of the iceberg. (Don’t worry; I don’t see writers being replaced any time soon. Well, maybe only writers who produce copy so generic you can’t tell them from a bot.)

Right now, I encourage you to give ChatGPT a try while it remains free and open to all. I like prompting it to write poems about family members in funny situations. You can also treat it like Google. I asked it for a bourbon cocktail recipe that uses apple cider, with excellent results.

Maybe you’ve hit a wall in your second draft and your enthusiasm is fading. How do you stride through the next draft with a clear map—and where should you be going? In this class, you’ll learn how to revise a first or early draft into a structured, powerful story with engaging characters and a strong hook. You’ll discover a step-by-step work plan to guide yourself through any creative blocks and overwhelm, while leaving plenty of room for inspiration—and set a realistic timeline to finish.

In the last issue, I asked you to tell me about a favorite piece of workout apparel/gear or gizmo. Here’s a selection of what you said:

Calf compression sleeves for after running (or fast walking) works great for reducing calf cramps. —Jim Jackson
My physical therapist and her engineer brother invented the PhysioBoard, an absolute must for a home gym for folks who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor to do stretches, PT homework, etc. I own one, it’s genius. —Karen Tintori
Walking the dog on cold days, I love my fleece-lined yoga pants by Baleaf. They’re comfy for an office that gets cold in winter, too. —Sylvie
The jog bras from Oiselle. A woman-owned company that knows its stuff. The best. Comfortable and holds the girls in. —Mary MacVean
Living in New England, lots of my outdoor time is spent in cold weather. I have Raynaud’s Syndrome and so my fingers lose blood supply and lose feeling when I am doing my favorite outdoor activities. I can’t live without my Zippo HeatBank hand warmers. You can put them in your pocket if you are walking, or shove them in a mitten and grasp them while running. —Amy Matuza
As a 50+ athlete, I live by the Tune Up Fitness yoga therapy balls and the Alpha Twins set for post-workout myofascial release. When I travel, I always find room for the smaller set. The larger alphas have been a game-changer on my glutes! —Rachel K Anderson

Next question: What was the best book or article you read in 2022? Hit reply to this email and let me know, or discuss over on Discord.

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