tryhard losers united

On January 8, I sent out a newsletter setting my intention for the year 2023: I would be a tryhard loser. I wrote:

To me, being a tryhard loser means showing the work. It means being openly ambitious (but never losing yr sense of humor!!). All those think pieces that came out post-girlboss about "the end of ambition"? Can't relate. I know all about anti-hustle-culture culture, the reasons I should be meditating, prioritizing rest and "less doing, more being"...sorry, but these don't light me up.

I was inspired by a podcast I listened to during my holiday “vacation” (read: air travel through the nine circles of hell) called Shameless Acquisition Target, about unapologetic ambition, set against the backdrop of a creative industry churning out derivative content, hoping one of these derivative pieces of content will earn a gazillion dollars by being optioned for additional content. I’ll let you guess which creative industry I’m referring to.

At least one person sold her book this year and that person is Laura Mayer, creator of the podcast Shameless Acquisition Target, the inspiration for my operating instructions for the year 2023.

Congratulations, Laura!

Did you, too, try hard this year?

Let me know!

Leave a comment with your proudest tryhard moment of 2023. What did you put effort into, in your writing life this year? What can you look back on and say, “by God, at least I _______?”