Tracy Manaster

I hate the “how do you balance writing and family” question because no one *ever* asks male authors. That said, the answer is that I exclusively sign my kids up for activities that have long practices near dive bars that are particularly conductive to hunkering down to write.

@keith_rosson Do they really have little targets painted in the urinals to encourage aiming and thus reduce potential gross? I read somewhere ages ago they'd installed such in the Newark Airport and cut cleaning time by 2/3...

@V_V_G The only crime of my childhood was to steal the copy of Long Live the Queen from my 6th grade classroom library because I didn’t want to go a summer sans re-read. Sorry, Mrs. Sheppard!

@keith_rosson Nah (as other funnier people have said before me) he has to carry to term.

@keith_rosson Wise Child (and prequel Juiper) are YA and so much this vibe.

@MegStEsprit Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

Given the discourse on TikTok on how often men think about the Roman Empire, I’ve been thinking about what historic events have permanent rental space in my brain. Salem Witch Trials, probably. You?

@rebeccalehmann I assumed “Papa” was some ominous and distant priest. The whole saga just became marginally more upbeat for me.

@rebeccalehmann Wait. It’s a school not an orphanage?

@ORAmyW I might be on your kid’s side, actually. I nearly dissociated at Fred Meyer today when my twins shrugged and said we should “just get Bic or whatever.” Who ARE these children?

Back to school is fun because you get to learn that your children have sincerely-held beliefs about appropriate protractor brands.

Imagine your job is Fulton County mugshot taker. The pressure of knowing someday soon you will produce what will inevitably be one of the most circulated (and OMG most Etsy-ed) images of all time.

Sounds right.

My Barbie memory is that one time in the late eighties the neighbor kid wanted us to make Barbie and Ken fuck and I made Barbie and Ken get an HIV test first because my parents were two of the like twenty-seven people in Utah who believed in comprehensive sex education.

@LianaBrooks Chandler, wainwright, collier, alewife, any kind of monger (fish, iron, gossip, whatever).

The think piece I am waiting for is an analysis of the "Barbie bump," breaking down how much extra press Oppenheimer is getting due to its incongruous release date twin.

@rebeccalehmann If you get stuck/frustrated try something wild (a switch to first person from third, present tense from past) for a chapter or so. Yeah, you’ll wind up changing it back, but the extreme change will refocus you on the fundamentals of your voice and make you fall back in love.

@KCDavisSays @Webwight The only things worth memorizing are the times tables to 12 and the rank of hands in poker.

What is a random piece of micro-advice your parents gave you? Not advice on big or significant things, but nevertheless something you’ll never forget. My mom used to say “One dog is a pet. Two dogs is dogs.”

@rebeccalehmann Print out the whole damn thing and stand on top of it for a moment.

@manzanitafire I was that child who knew an alarming amount about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

@jacasiegel Weighted blanket substitute for the win!

@jacasiegel I know you said you’ve muted this but for anyone else reading the thread: asking to keep the lead blanket/shield thing on post X-rays helps with getting through the rest of the proceedings so damn much. Signed, my 2022 root canal and crown.

Is there a mature and professional way of saying “Please don’t judge my teeth. I have crippling anxiety and it actually took a lot of courage and tears for me to get here.” to a dental hygienist? 😫