Today, instead of doomscrolling I:

Completed my Morning Pages.
Had a wobble about my writing. I ignored it and kept the pen moving across the page. This led to a fun side quest with a new character, her history and her family. I’m not sure if it helped the short story I was writing, but I enjoyed their company for the hour we spent together.
Read the latest Orbital Operations newsletter. I find Warren’s take on the world interesting and it always gives me something to think about. His piece, DO NOT EXPLAIN, chimed with the wobble I had:

“Once I’ve written something and it’s been published and released out into the world, I lose all control over how it is read and understood. It’s not mine any more, in a way - its interpretation is down to the individual reader, and I have no say over how you read and interpret any of it. I cannot and should not sit on your shoulder and tell you that you’re reading it wrong. Resist the urge to explain when asked. Don’t police the work. People are going to read all kinds of stuff into your work, because that’s just where we are now. Just remember that nobody wrote long online screeds about how Thomas Harris loves killing and eating people. If people have forgotten that creators aren’t their characters, fictional characters can have different beliefs to their authors, and that events can have multiple interpretations… that’s on them, not you. Let it go.” Orbital Operations for 21 June 2026