A monthly letter from Gotham’s president, Alexander Steele (writing advice and other musings)
It’s kind of post-apocalyptic around here. NYC. Where I live.
That picture was shot recently by Josh, from the Gotham staff. You see a deserted sidewalk in Astoria, Queens, adorned with a blown-open brochure. Happens to be a Gotham brochure, showing words that relate to our slogan: “Stories. Everywhere.”
A brand-new virus (COVID-19) knocks the whole world sideways.
How dare they call it a “novel” virus, when novels are wonders we hold so dear. Right?
Everyone here at Gotham wishes you the best. And we’re keeping our doors open. Proverbial doors. We’re all working from home and we’re not holding any in-person classes.
So, how can we help?
Last month I wrote about winning, how it applies to life and stories. But now let’s talk about the flip side of winning: losing. Perhaps it’s more important because most (all?) of us spend more time losing at things than winning.
One of my favorite stories about losing is the film The Cooler. The protagonist is Unlucky Bernie Lootz, and he’s as sad as the name sounds. A real nowhere man. He works as a “cooler” in a casino, which means he’s so unlucky he infects everyone around with him bad luck, so he is paid to wander the casino floor making those around him lose their money.