That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Trust; Next-Up Ambition; Publishing in TPYL!
What is this thing called That Place You Love?
That Place You Love aims to satisfy a need for first-person, true stories without fluff or excuses. Weekly posts are 3-minute “flash” essays on a theme followed by a prompt to write & share. There’s no pay or pledge wall. No crosstalk or analysis. It’s easy to go back and read, reflect & respond on earlier posts.
Scroll down for the recap of this week’s theme: TRUST.
All content on TPYL is written by flesh & blood human beings…
Everyone has a story to tell. Come write about truth, lies, and the difference between them, flex your writing muscles and refine your BS radar with a new prompt every Monday.
Up next… AMBITION.
16 writers regularly take part with 300+ subscribers in 9 countries.
Lsat Friday I mentioned a plan to start a formal digital Zine (writing & visual art). A what? A non–commercial publication, like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference is zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add other, often unheard voices into the mix.
Want to publish in TPYL Zines’s Anthology series?
The Zine will live on its own website (URL) separate from Substack. There are no submission or reading fees. The only prerequisite is active participation in the TPYL Substack community in the 4-month period before the publication month (January, May, September). The first edition will launch in May 2023.
More info in the Forum!
TPYL had an earnest turnout for the seventh Episode: Trust
I wrote about the core distinction between a magic trick and a con, exposing some of my own grifter tendencies along the way.
Carol M wrote about her 92-year-old mother’s savvy for recognizing a scam, even as her only connection with the world was held for ransom.
Zig shared her mother’s ambivalence for a dating scam because it involved a little taste of romance at no one’s expense.
Intact Animal wrote about the implicit trust and respect for a Basque bar that counts the customer’s toothpicks to ring up the tab.
Lisa H shared her complicity in knowing trust is earned and is also another’s privilege to enjoy, even as lies seep into every crevice of intimacy.
New contributor Tabitha B recalled the first time she was publicly labeled untrustworthy by a teacher. It would never be repeated again.
Melissa wrote about trusting local lore and her own instincts to share holiday cookies and her home address with the village shouter.
Carole D wrote about to-the-death trust animals put in their humans, with a memorable use of Princess Di’s “chin down, eyes up” expression as a bonus.
Amelia shared her experience of giving birth and the innate trust a baby has in finding and connecting with its first food source and life partner.
Wynn Tu shared a perilous story of driving through the jungle with her father and brother, wondering why her mother trusted him to take his children on this dangerous journey.
READ & HEART these writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Next Up: Ambition
On Monday, I’ll write about AMBITION through the lens of truth and see what I come up with as a prompt. I’ve found ambition to be a double-edged sword, bringing bad luck as much as success.
Is Ambition in your arsenal, something you’ve discarded, something you long for, something that makes your red flags go up? How has Ambition helped and/or hindered you?
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle