Electric Speed is a biweekly newsletter that shares resources for creative people (since 2009!), brought to you by Jane Friedman. Sign up here.​

A note from Jane

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One of my holiday traditions is baking cookies, particularly shortbread. (This is my go-to recipe, but I use others.) Every year I test out a new flavor or two, so this year I was very excited to discover Old-Fashioned Shortbread in the New York Times, flavored with bourbon, sour cherries, candied lemon peel, and almonds.

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I saved the recipe to Paprika (the place I store all my recipes), and gave it a try last weekend. The final step before rolling the dough is adding sliced almonds, and the recipe called for 170 grams. As I dumped all 170 grams into the bowl without a care, then began working it in, it was clearly too many.

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I consulted the original recipe on the Times’ site. It had been corrected to 50 grams of almonds.

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Start over from scratch, which perfectionism would dictate? Or continue and see what happens?

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After years of watching The Great British Baking Show and figuring miracles do happen, I rolled ahead (pun intended).

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The results are so perfect, most of the cookies have already been consumed before gifting. I’ll have to make another batch using the increased amount.

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Jane

P.S. Most popular post this month: What If You’re Writing Novellas?​

​Bob Eckstein​ ​

ISSUE SPONSOR

Jane’s Electric Speed List: Favorite Finds of 2024

I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.

Google Notebook LM

​I now regularly use the free Google NotebookLM to help me parse and summarize my own private documents, especially those in PDF form. Upload your notes, sources, or research, and Google can create summaries, guides, FAQs, and more to assist—all with citations included.

Verizon’s Visible wireless plan

Everyone’s needs are different and this may not work for you, but I’ve saved myself $100/month by switching from AT&T to Visible. I made the switch in less than an hour without even talking to a customer service rep and have experienced no change in quality of service, even during travel. Consult Wirecutter’s article on the best wireless plans if you believe your costs are too high.

Apple’s Journal app

Since I started using Apple’s Journal app (free), I’ve been consistent in my journaling practice—although I’m not doing conventional journal writing. Instead, if I send or receive a meaningful email, I screenshot it and add it to the journal. Same goes for text message exchanges, social media exchanges, photos, memes that make me laugh (especially current event memes) and other reminders of how I pass the time. Since most of my day is spent sitting at my desk, doing work that is largely invisible (and not really worth journaling about), this scrapbook method helps record what is in fact worth remembering in the mountain of media I generate or experience each day.

Eleven Labs: synthetic audio

ElevenLabs can generate speech in multiple languages using voices in its library and translate content with automatic dubbing—plus you can clone your own voice. The quality is outstanding. You can try it for free, but once you surpass 10 minutes of audio per month, you have to pay. Take a look. ElevenLabs pays attention to abuse and has safety protocols. It is being used by major book and magazine publishers.

Organize Your Writing Life with Allison K Williams / Jan. 15, 2025, 1–2:30 p.m. EST

You love writing, and you have powerful stories to tell. But your files are in disarray, you’re unclear on whether FINAL-final-draft-6B.doc is the most recent manuscript (it’s been a few weeks since you sat down!) and which notebook has the notes you need. Worse still, you’re lost in the murky middle of your project—you’ve got the energy to write, but you’re unsure where to apply it. In this 90-minute webinar, you’ll set (doable!) goals that matter and learn patterns to stay focused on your project despite the demands of work, family and home.

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Your turn: smartphone stands 📱

In the last issue, I asked you to share your favorite smartphone stand or tripod for desk use. Here’s a selection of what you said.

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• The model I use is Lamicall’s ‘A’ Stand. —Linda Hickman
• My Lenovo Extended Display monitor came with a padded, narrow cutout trimmed in red in its base that I, at 77, looked at for several weeks wondering if it was just an artsy design. It finally dawned on me to set my phone in it, a perfect fit right below the display screen. Why I need my phone in view while on the laptop, I don’t know. It’s not like I’m a social media maven! lol. —Charlotte Wilkins
• I have a Lamicall stand for my desk. It’s inexpensive, small, adjustable, has an openings for charging cords. The bottom has pads so it doesn’t scratch my desk. Highly recommend it. —Terry Odell
• I do love my Nulaxy phone stand. It’s comparatively heavy, but that’s why it’s so steady. I even travel with it. It’s strong enough to hold a phone or tablet, and it bends every which way, so you can even tuck one end into an airline pocket and prop your phone on the end sticking out. It folds to the size of a deck of cards. —Carol Fisher Saller
• I bought a CreaDream Cell Phone Stand. It’s made of aluminum, and I got plain silver but it comes in several colors. You can use the phone in portrait mode while it’s charging if you need to (as well as landscape). It holds the iPad at a nice angle for use with my wireless keyboard. Plus it’s $10. —Stephanie A. Cain
• Don’t laugh, but the best phone and tablet stand for my desk is a folding book stand I’ve been carrying around since seeing the vendor at a BookExpo America in the 1990s! Durable and indestructible! I bought a dozen for about $2.50 each and it looks like the price hasn’t gone up in 20 years? A must for any author or publisher who goes on the road. —Cecilia Tan

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Next question: Do you have a favorite skincare product? Tell me about it! Hit reply to this message, or head over to Discord to share.

Free resources featuring Jane

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• Video: Story Genres with Jule Kucera

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Upcoming online classes

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• ​Organize Your Writing Life with Allison K Williams, Jan. 15
• ​How to Get Published: Land a Book Deal in 2025 with Jane Friedman, Jan. 16
• ​The Art of Foreshadowing with Tiffany Yates Martin, Jan. 29
• ​Establish (or Improve) Your Email Newsletter with Jane Friedman, Feb. 6
• ​Roadmap to Yes: Plotting your Path to Publication (all about preparing submissions materials) with Jane Friedman, Feb. 22
• ​5 Secrets to Fantastic Flash with Dinty W. Moore, March 12

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Meet Jane at an event

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• ​NYU Advanced Publishing Institute (NYC), Jan. 6–10, 2025
• ​AWP Conference & Bookfair (Los Angeles), March 26–29, 2025
• ​My book launch event: Mercantile Library in Cincinnati, April 8, 2025
• ​ECPA Leadership Summit (Nashville), April 29–30, 2025
• ​Craft & Publishing Voyage (cruise ship!), Aug. 27–Sept. 3, 2025

“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan

Created by Jane Friedman I report on the publishing industry and help authors understand the business of writing. Connect on LinkedIn | Bluesky | Discord​

109 Dorsey St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
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