Look at my fancy keyboard

Hello there

I think the midlife crisis might have begun. I bought a mechanical keyboard.

First and foremost, I find it very physically attractive. Second, author and regular reader of this very newsletter, Harry Marks has one too because I saw a picture of it on Instagram. He influenced me. I was influenced upon.

But third and most importantly, about five years ago, after a decade of typing on super-thin Apple keyboards, I found myself in a job with a bog-standard Dell PC. It came with a bog-standard Dell mechanical keyboard. And it was an absolute joy to type on.

I feel very strongly that this vital change will be the key to finishing my second novel.

So what the hell is it? It's a Keychron K8 with a UK layout and blue switches, which means it's clickier than a gospel choir whose drummer hasn't turned up.

More things if you're interested:

• kbdfans is a good source of info
• podcast professional Myke Hurley is now a keyboard king
• save your wallet and do not follow #mechanicalkeyboard on Instagram

Enjoy the links below and know I care for you very much.

Iain

Links of the week

Every issue I collect and share the best advice, apps and other shenanigans that I find on my internet travels. Find something useful? Subscribe for free.

Write Every Day

Here is another app that encourages you to write every day. If that's your jive – and it's a good jive to have if you can do it – then you may find this helpful. Quick note though. You do not have to write every day. You just have to not stop altogether. I say this from experience.

How To Get More True Fans

I've probably shared this with you before, but as I think about this new world we live in I think the points Josh Spector makes here are important. I'm currently interested in number six.

Five everyday writing tips for any writer

Some nice practical stuff in here from author, Vahni Capildeo. I can get on board with the idea of presenting your own work back to yourself in different ways. Reading it out loud works a treat.

How to grow your audience without selling your soul

Cracking post by Jessica Abel about something that I think about a lot as an author. We need to get over the idea it's all a bit icky to talk about our writing. But you also have to feel good about how you do it – how you stay true to yourself and the work.

How to get a book deal

Just follow these steps and wahooo bingo! Not really. But this is a good primer on how book deals work and the process you go through as an author. So that's helpful.

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Tweets of the week

Tweets are but those little stinky white balls in a sore and very infected throat. But some of them are quite good. You can follow @iainbroome and @unslush on Twitter.

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Unslush is an email newsletter written and published by Iain Broome, freelance writer and author of the novel, A is for Angelica.

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