A note from Jane
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” —William James
Since the last issue, I’ve received an avalanche of favorite quotes in response to the reader question. The William James quote above is one of my favorites, and I was reminded of it this month when visiting Dingle, Ireland, once home to Fungie the dolphin.
Fungie was a wild dolphin who appeared in Dingle Bay in 1981 and decided to stay. Friendly and happy to socialize with humans, he soon became a major tourist attraction. A tour guide from Dingle told me the town consisted of very little prior to Fungie, just a pub and a shop or two.
Today, even though Fungie has passed, Dingle draws crowds of tourists and was voted a top foodie destination in Kerry County. It has 50+ pubs, two aquariums, and all the charm you want from a little Irish town.
A statue of Fungie stands prominently on the pier, and fond representations of him decorate the town, an ongoing reminder of how much he’s meant to the community.
Fungie was a friend who stayed put. I always remind myself that’s more than enough to make a difference to the world around you.
Jane
ISSUE SPONSOR
Get unstuck and finally plan the novel you’ve been dreaming of!
Join me, Heather Davis—book coach, editor, and podcaster—for Story Foundations Intensive, an 8-week live coaching experience with a small group of passionate writers. We’ll design a writing process that works for you, outline your novel, build your story world, and craft a powerful character arc for your protagonist so your 1st draft is unputdownable.
Sponsorships support Electric Speed. Now booking for 2026.
|
Jane’s Electric Speed List
I am not paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.
Play out your dream of running a bookstore
There’s a new video game called Tiny Bookshop that’s the talk of the bookstore community. Reader Andrea Firth writes in about it, “I’m not a video game player but I often recommend books. Might be fun, but maybe for some it might feel like work.” Here’s a review.
This VPN browser extension saved me
Before this week, I had never used a VPN (virtual private network) and don’t know much about them. But when boarding the Queen Mary 2 for a writing conference on Wednesday, I discovered I couldn’t access key websites like Mailchimp or Kit via ship wifi—they were blocked. 😳 I found and installed this free browser extension that ensured smooth sailing.
How has book publishing changed since 2015?
It’s the 10th anniversary of my other newsletter, The Bottom Line, so I wrote an article on what I think has changed about book publishing in the last 10 years. Spoiler alert: As I see it, the last 10 years haven’t been as revolutionary as the 10 years prior to that. Read for free.
The latest TV series I’m enjoying
I’m coming to this show very late, but—upon the recommendation of Tiffany Yates Martin—I started watching This Is Us. The show has a complex narrative structure—lots of flash-forwards and flashbacks—that expertly demonstrate how to use time shifting to build tension and create big payoffs.
Mastering the Art of the Synopsis with Jessica Strawser / Sept. 10, 1–2:30 p.m. EDT
It’s one of the most despised documents of all time: the synopsis. Agents and editors sometimes ask for a synopsis in addition to the query letter because they need to know—from beginning to end—what happens in your novel or memoir. Thesynopsis reassures publishing professionals (before they spend time reading your entire manuscript) that the way your story plays out lives up to your query letter’s pitch, with character actions and motivations that are realistic and make sense.
In this 90-minute live class with bestselling novelist and editor Jessica Strawser, you’ll go beyond the basics of what a synopsis should include to learn how to write a synopsis that’s lean, powerful, and engaging.
Your turn: favorite quotations 💬
In the last issue, reader Jane R. Snyder asked for your favorite quotations. Here’s a selection of what you said. Mark did fact-check these to the best of his ability, so sometimes sources have been modified from what was submitted.
- “The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” —William H. Whyte [submitted by Jim Jackson]
- “Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone.” —Jim Fiebig [submitted by Terry Odell]
- “I have regretted only those things I have not done.” —Sydney J. Harris [submitted by Amanda Le Rougetel]
- “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” —Charles Kingsley [submitted by Carol Cronin]
- “[In Africa] When an old person dies, it is a library that burns down.” —Amadou Hampâté Bâ [submitted by Rose Vines]
- A Finnish proverb: “Happiness is the place between too little and too much.” [submitted by Ann Garvin]
- “Running away from any problem only increases the distance from the solution.” —Anonymous [submitted by Cindy McDonough]
- “The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” —Alden Nowlan [submitted by Patrick Henry]
- “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.” —Mark Twain [submitted by Roy Meals and Craig Cline]
🌟 This was a popular question! Read all the responses.
Next question: I’m in the market for a new raincoat. Do you have one that you love? Hit reply and let me know.
Do you have a question you would like Jane to ask all readers? Offer up your suggestion, and she might feature it.
Free resources featuring Jane
Upcoming online classes
Meet Jane at an event
- PNWA Conference (Seattle, WA), Sept. 11–14, 2025
- New Frontiers in Writing (Amarillo, TX), Sept. 26, 2025
- Red Pencil Conference (Seattle metro area), Nov. 8, 2025
- AWP Conference (Baltimore, MD), March 4–7, 2026
- Romance Writers of Australia (Darwin, Australia), Aug. 21–23, 2026
“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan
The salad I’m always complimented on that’s super easy. 🍅 |
109 Dorsey St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Unsubscribe · Update your preferences