Death is Eternal #333

Sunday. January 29, 2023. 2,572 words.

I’ve been developing a routine of waking up at 7:30 a.m. PT, brewing coffee and coming straight to the office. And you know what? I’ve been thoroughly enjoying that. At first, I always thought I needed at least half an hour to wake up and produce something. This week has proven me wrong. Or maybe not. After all, I don’t read my work. So perhaps when you read this Death is Eternal, you’ll notice more typos than usual and a worst-than-usual newsletter. If so, please tell me I’m wrong about my assumptions; my job may be on the line.

Contents

1. Independence or death (intro)

2. Independence or death

3. Writing: The blank page

4. Poll: Publication time

5. Following orders

6. Sentence case

7. Marketing myself

8. Last week (from January 23 to 29, 2023)

9. This week (from January 30 to February 5, 2023)

10. Death is Eternal review ##173: Batman: Gotham Noir by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Dave Stewart, and Bill Oakley

11. Death is Eternal review #174: Make something up: Stories you can’t unread by Chuck Palahniuk

12. The end

1. Independence or death (intro)

This is a fictional story about Brazil’s independence from Portugal. Usually, when a colony declares itself independent, there’s a war because the metropole doesn’t want to lose the colony and whatnot. But, in a very Brazilian fashion, that didn’t happen there. So much so that even after becoming independent, the Emperor retained the title of Prince of Portugal and became the King after his father died. With this short story, I tried to show how crazy the process was. Hopefully, you’ll learn something about Brazil. As always, please be kind since this is a first draft.

The dates are all: DD/MM/YYYY. It makes sense to do it this way because it’s how Brazilians write dates.

2. Independence or death

João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael

Dom João VI, King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves

13/08/1822

Beloved father,

I am leaving tomorrow for São Paulo to try to assess the situation. I fear it may be too late to stop the independence; quite frankly, I do not want to stop it.

The Cortes are holding us hostages. They demanded your return to Portugal, and now they are trying to keep Brazil on its knees. You elevated the country to an equal, and now the members of the Cortes want to turn the country back into a mere colony. I cannot... no, I will not accept this.

In São Paulo, I will do my best to mitigate any independentist clamour, but if the last year's events on Pernambuco offer us a hint of how things will go, I am sure I will fail.

If I fail, I will do as you advised me. I will declare independence to maintain order in Brazil. As you said before leaving for Portugal, "rather you, that will respect me, than some adventurer."

Father, I must confess that the perspective of cutting ties with Portugal scares me. However, having my wife, Leopoldina, at my side and see how much she loves Brazil brings me some peace. I also feel peace knowing that I can always rely on you even though Portugal and Brazil will be two countries. And I hope you know that you can always depend on me too.

I would ask for luck, but I know that the events will have already happened when you receive this letter.

So, I am sending this letter to reassure you that I will always be faithful to you no matter what happens. Father, you neither need to fear me nor my actions.

Please, father, never doubt my love and my loyalty to you.

Forever humble, lovely and yours

Pedro de Alcântara Francisco Antônio João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim de Bragança e Bourbon

Pedro I, prince regent of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves

The end

3. Writing: The blank page

One of the most common fears of a writer is the blank page. How many times in movies did you see a writer not being able to write, and just the line on Word, Pages... blinking and standing still, meaning that the writer isn’t writing?

Well, I don’t have that fear. I never experienced not being able to write. Granted, some days are easier than others, but when I’m writing, I always manage to produce my daily goal. And I’m not saying all of this to make you think I’m better than others and you should offer me a contract because I assure you I can write two or three books per year—although, if you are a publisher and this has piqued your interest, get in touch.

No, I’m saying all that because I want to highlight a less-known fear of writers: the non-blank page. You see, I like a blank page; I admire a blank page. A blank page means that everything is possible. A blank page tells me, as a writer, that I can produce the next great piece of literature. However, the non-blank page represents all my failures. If the page is no longer blank, I have written something. And no matter how proud I am, how good I feel about myself and my work, there’s always a little voice saying, “You ruined everything. You have a great idea, it sounded superb in your mind, but somehow, you ruined it!” And that’s deeply troubling.

In movies, when the typing begins, the character gets happy, and everything seems perfect. To me, that’s quite the opposite. The problems begin when I start to type. Well, I guess movies unquestionably are only fiction. Who could’ve told?

Anyway, despite knowing I ruined everything, I still publish my work. Why? Well, I learned the worst thing I can do is listen to myself. I’m not reliable, and, you know what? Many writers will have the same opinion about themselves. Done is better than perfect, and when it comes to writing, “perfect” is an illusion. Go ahead, ignore yourself and write whatever you want.

4. Poll: Publication time

I’ve been publishing the newsletter at 5 p.m. PT for a while now because I used to post on Friday, and the rationale behind the decision was, “You’ll start the weekend reading Death is Eternal, and so your weekend will be awesome!”

But now, I don”t publish it on Fridays anymore. And so, I’m wondering if 5 p.m. still is the way to go. That’s why I want your help. Would you rather receive Death is Eternal in the morning, afternoon, or evening? (All Pacific Time.)

I’ll keep publishing on Mondays because it makes no sense to read about how I think my week will be on Friday or any other day after I begin the week.

I appreciate your help!