Hey Reader!

I sleep with David Sedaris almost every night.

He’s not in my bed with me, of course. We’ve never met.

And then he’s gay, and in a 30+ year relationship. Nonetheless, he murmurs in my ears nightly and puts me to sleep, with tales of feeding snapping turtles in North Carolina and spiders in France.

At the age of 60 I need very specific conditions in order to fall asleep and more or less stay asleep throughout the night.

Listening to audiobooks has become one of those requirements. I have a whole raft of David Sedaris books and there’s something about his voice that I find very soothing.

And it’s not a stretch to say that he’s one of my favorite authors.

So you might think that I’d have jumped at the chance to meet him in person.

One of the things that makes David (may I call you David?) so cool is that after doing a reading, he actually converses with all the people who stand in line for book signing. He stays for hours and hours, as long as it takes to interact with every person who’s willing to wait in line.

So when I went to see him talk but didn’t stick around to meet him, I said it was because I didn't want to wait in line.

That was true, but what was maybe more true is that I didn't know what on earth I’d say to him.

I mean, I could have said, Guess what? I listen to you reading your books all night long. Every night. While I’m sleeping. Hi! (Manic smile.)

Tell me you’re creepy without telling me you’re creepy. 😬

And just fangirling out did not seem super satisfying.

I did that with Shankar Vedantam and while it was thrilling to be in the same room with him it was wildly embarrassing to wait in line to talk to him only to say, Haha! You’re great! Ok, see you! Haha!

They say don't meet your heroes, and I’d classify David Sedaris as someone whose writing (and, in fact, whose entire writing career) I'm in awe of.

And who wants to appear dopey or strange in front of someone you admire?

Though maybe he would have loved to hear me gush. Maybe he would have been charmed. Or maybe I would have registered as the most boring fan of the evening. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But that's what he's there for, I guess. He's willing to show up for whatever happens, so why am I such a fraidy cat?

Honestly I could probably be learning something during those hours of slumber. Like, could I speak Italian if I listened to language lessons while sleeping? That would be cool.

But instead I'm memorizing David Sedaris's entire oeuvre. 🙃

Over time we all develop habits that help us get through life more comfortably, and for the moment this is one of mine. Arguably a strange one, but perhaps you’ve also developed an unusual habit that makes life just a little easier.

Which obviously I would like to know about so I don’t feel like such a weirdo. 😁

Except that we’re all weirdos, and learning about one another’s quirks and minor madnesses can go a long way towards feeling like we’re not alone.

But seriously, let me know your version of sleeping with David.

xo, Julia

PS - Have you downloaded my amazing guide to writing subject lines yet? No? Click here.​

VOICE LESSONS

We all have different vulnerability tolerances. Some of us (ahem) will tell you every mortification we’ve ever experienced. (John Green is particularly good at this.)

Your version of showing your soft underbelly might be telling a story that makes you look momentarily weak, or unkind, or ignorant.

Or you might revel in disclosing that you are obsessed with something deeply uncool.

Letting your audience see past a mask of perfect professionalism humanizes you, but you don’t have to recount your most embarrassing moments in order to seem, and forgive me for using the most overused word of 2025, AUTHENTIC.

In fact, instead of intentionally making a ‘vulnerable post’, maybe consider telling a human story.

One in which your humble email becomes more captivating because it displays your idiosyncrasies.

Your foibles.

Your eccentricities.

Your weirdo habits.

We all want to work with professionals who are really great at what they do.

But we also want to work with fallible humans - real people we can relate to. So be real.

Don’t disclose stuff that will then keep you up at night, stewing in regret. That's not good for anyone.

But do show a few cracks, a bruise or two, an “ooof!” moment.

Your fans will love it. And those people who require perfection in their hired professionals? They sound like nightmare clients anyway.

​Talking Heads knows we're all animals looking for a home, and so does this email. Forward it to someone who basks in their imperfections.

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