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Sep 8Liked by Michael Estrin, Meg Oolders

My new favorite Podcast. I’m partial to funny folk. Love the “people in the wild” who read online magazines. Haha. And yes, make up your own award! Why not? Some real ones are so obscure invent one. I made up names of plays I starred in early in my acting days to fill my resume. An actor friend came up with the name “Cashmere Feel,” based on the sales pitch of the guys selling soft scarves on NYC streets. We co-starred in that play. Hehe.

I’m surprised that you’ve met so many “published” authors, Meg. I usually meet folks who say, “I have a great idea for a book.” To which I always reply, “You should write it.”

Michael, I love that you’re the 57th funniest writer on Substack. Can I be 58?

The “premise” is true. Thank you. Perfect description of a personal essay.

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Oh man. I used to want to fudge my theater resume with made up roles, but I never had the guts. Most of my work was in independent theater where a lot of the plays were "originals," so I might as well have made them up! My bestie in college and I used to make up fake names for body spray fragrances ... most of them were dirty ... and that skill didn't have many applications outside of our dorm room. 😂 Still fun, though.

I call 59th funniest. I sense a club brewing. The 50 somethings.

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Yes! The Funniest Substacks Club.

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Thanks CK! You can be 58. But why not jump ahead of me and be the 56th funniest writer on the internet?

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56a. Hehe.

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I am patting myself on the back for taking the time to eavesdrop on this great conversation - so much fun, inspiration and useful tips (I also send emails to myself). I appreciate Michael's skill in using daily experiences to spark fiction-ish pieces, both of your thoughts on branding (in the middle of a re-hash myself), self-publishing, and Meg's reframing of "I hope to" to "I will" re publishing a new collection this Spring - and good luck!!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to us gab, Robin! I'm glad you found some useful morsels in here. Best to you on your "rebrand" which hopefully is more of a "remind" of all the great stuff you're already doing. 🙂

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