HeyJaredLeft Some Crumbs
A fortnightly newsletter from Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies and Disappoint Me.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 5
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- Sep 14, 2026
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- Jul 9, 2026
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How cruel should a writer be? (opens the original)
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In my roster of guests at my fantasy dinner party, Rachel Cusk does not make the list. My first introduction to her, the brilliant Outline trilogy, put me on the defensive, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be masochistic or confident enough to endure her powers of observation. Her latest novel, Life of M, has been the subject of overwhelming scrutiny, largely because of its portrayal of ‘M’, who shares a biography with Natalie Portman, an acquaintance of Cusk’s in Paris. At the start, an unnamed write
Dance floor epiphanies and standing on one leg (opens the original)
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Over the weekend, I went to the first festival I’d been to in three years after a long and possibly mistaken hiatus. The time before was Glastonbury, where an ex-boyfriend walked a good five metres ahead of me for most of it, argued with me as we cooked shakshouka over a portable stove, and then left me crying during Kelis’ set. As I wiped my tears during Milkshake (a song no girl should cry to), I realised we had reached the end. A festival epiphany is not original or unfamiliar. Around ten yea
Who holds the pen? (opens the original)
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We are all sick of AI book news, but (sorry) I do want to talk a little bit about a recent story of a publisher withdrawing a seven-figure offer because of AI detection software. Of course, this software detects patterns in AI writing, which as my friend Ela Lee has explained, is based on patterns in human writing. The author in question, Jerry Falade, was able to produce time-stamped drafts, as well as other evidence as to the novelR
Take me seriously - please? (opens the original)
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I recently re-read Bellies for a current project, the first time since the final copy-edit four years ago. Until now, I hadn’t feel the need because I thought I remembered most of it, and the idea of doing so made me feel sick. Everybody wants to experience growth, but nobody wants to be reminded of what they’ve grown from. My line of thinking has been: it’s in the past and nothing could be changed (why does Tom become a model, exactly, and why is Ming such a potty mouth?).An avoidance of one’s
Running from pain and then running into it (opens the original)
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Three years ago, in the throes of an emotional crisis, I did the dullest thing a person can do: run a half-marathon. The only interesting thing about it was that it took place in Marseilles, with the first ten kilometres up a large hill and the second ten down.On the way to the race, I stood with two friends in a crammed metro carriage filled with other runners. An older man was behind me, and as the train departed, I began to feel wandering fingers on my bum, caressing and then lightly squeezin
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