Matt’s Mix Tape, Vol. 135
Hi, I’m Matt Tillotson, and this is Matt’s Mix Tape: essays + links on living a healthy and creative middle life.
This week’s Mix:
A simple writing power-up: transitions
Permanent Daylight Saving Time is (probably) coming. But is that best for our sleep?
Embrace your Yirah
This week’s Florida photo
A simple writing power-up: transitions
Transitions: where we take the reader from one feeling, one idea, one scene, to another. Transitions are relatively simple and high-leverage. They add polish without a ton of effort.
Here are two powerful ways to build transitions into your essays.
Transition technique one: subheadlines
A good subheadline is a clear and simple promise. It says, “We’re moving on, and there’s something interesting for you just ahead.”
In addition to improving the reader’s experience and comprehension, subheadlines:
Give your writing momentum.
Improve the structure of your essay
Quick example:
I wrote an essay called “When the binge becomes cringe” about killing off my weekend beer habit.
After introducing the problem and moving into a solution, it was time to take the reader through the outcomes of my beer-murdering, good and bad.
The sub-headline for that section reads, “The ups and downs of going binge-free”
It’s short. It plays off the initial headline. And it promises to share some triumphs and travails as the reader moves into the section ahead.
Transition technique two: A closing hook
A closing hook is a sentence or two at the end of a section to tease the next section. To get good at these, read fiction and learn from novelists.
Jack Carr writes the James Reece thrillers and he’s good with using foreshadowing hook. In “The Terminal List,” Carr closes chapter one with:
“Reece’s eyes began to mist over for the second time that night. He had no idea how bad things were about to get.”
Simple, right?
Close the previous scene. Build intrigue for what’s next.
Focus on transitions and you’ll end up with a more structured and engaging essay.
(It now occurs to me: I don’t have a pithy transition to insert here.)
Permanent Daylight Saving Time is (probably) coming. Is that best for our sleep?
Rejoice, America: our bi-annual clock flip-flop dance may end in 2023.
The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. beginning in 2023. The so-called Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 was approved by unanimous consent, but would still require House approval and President Biden's signature to become law.
First: It’s amazing anything can pass unanimously in this day and age.
Second: I don’t care if it’s saving or standard time. Pick a damn horse and ride it.
Third: Government being government, they picked the wrong horse. At least as it pertains to our health.
Getting light in the morning is the most important regulator of our circadian rhythm and with DST, we get less morning light and more evening light, which can exacerbate circadian misalignment that is all-too prevalent in society.
The American Academy of Sleep supports ending time changes, but strongly advocates for Standard Time over Saving time.
Ok. It’s not a complete dub. But it’s still a dub.
Embrace your Yirah
Dustin Spencer, on how Yirah caused him to walk away from a lucrative job:
Rabbi Alan Lew delineates them by describing yirah as: "The fear that overcomes us when we suddenly find ourselves in possession of considerably more energy than we are used to, inhabiting a larger space than we are used to inhabiting."
Embracing self-imposed shortcomings can be more comfortable than understanding the transcending power we have been given.
Limits can generate both sorrow and comfort. But when the limits are removed …
That can be downright terrifying.
Yirah is a gift, not a curse. It is the fear of the Lord, creating energy inside us and bringing frightening clarity to how much we truly have to offer.
Good for Dustin for using Yirah to propel him forward.
We all have deeper gifts—and a greater ability to deliver on those gifts—than we realize. Or maybe want to realize.
This week’s Florida photo
It’s baby Sand Hill Crane season in Florida.
Hello to 32 new subscribers!
Thank you for reading.
And whatever you’re working on or working through: keep showing up.