TKTK
and 100 days of creativity.
Hello Friends,
A while back I asked Nick to read one of my essays. I don’t usually do this, but I was pretty proud of where it was going and I just wanted him to know I was thinking about him. After he said, “It’s good, but what is TKTK?”
TK, or “to come” is a printing and journalism reference, commonly abbreviated to "TK". The abbreviation is used to signify that more information is needed.
The way I use it is when I just need to get a story out onto the page and I don’t want to interrupt my flow to check a date or flush out the back story. TK is a placeholder and I use TKTK so that it’s easier to see when editing.
I have a dozen essays and half thoughts filled with TKTK from NaNoWriMo last year.
Looking back at my writing I can see some patterns. Some are expected like a date or details on an area of town I was running in, but sometimes I can tell I used TKTK as a way to shield myself from the hard stuff, like painful conversations I had with Nick, or feelings I had when Aiden was sick. These are the not-so-rosy parts of my story that are hard to look at but are important to see.
Today marks the start of my 100 days project with Isolation Journals (by the way, I am in no way affiliated with the Isolation Journals. I’m just a huge supporter of what they do over there, and thought you all might like it too.)
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
This is where I am today. Thank you for listening.
xoxo,
Emily
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Read This Week
The Deep Deep Snow by Brain Freeman
How many "if only" moments do you have in your life? If only you went right instead of left, if only you stayed home instead of going out, if only you told the truth instead of kept a secrete... (more)
I first read Hiaasen in college for a class on detective fiction and I remember liking the light snarky tone of the author's voice. The main character, Jack Tagger, a disgruntled obit writer, is deplorable and a little pathetic but also loyal and loveable. (more)
Links to Ponder
A reminder that hard doesn’t mean wrong (Design for Mankind)
Can your cat inspire design? (Washington Post)
Ryan Gosling is wearing Hammer Pants (Amy Sedaris)
Founders of Goodreads tell their origin story (How I Built This Podcast)
250 words on the last pie grandma will ever make (River Teeth)
What if you found an address book on the street? Here are ten books about chance encounters with strangers. (Electric Lit)
Bookstore tourism (Washington Post)
I’ve never kept a daily journal, but this has me thinking maybe I should try (LitHub)
I have three of these nine audiobook services (Book Riot)
How beautiful is his essay on Contemplating Beauty in a Disabled Body (New York Times)
Your Journal Prompt for Today
What are you reading or listening to this week? What have you created that wasn’t there before? Post your response in the comments below or tag me on Instagram @emilykathleenwrites