So, I’ve been working on a new project.
It’s called Do What You Love and Die Trying: a short, punchy tract for late teens and twenty-somethings who want to build an unconventional and adventurous life.
Last week, I printed 25 copies to bring to Patagonia as part of my workshops for 16- to 19-year-olds. Here’s a sneak peek of the cover and contents:
It’s 64 pages. Some of the content (such as the title essay) you’ll recognize from Notes on Adventure. The majority is brand-new, written between September - December 2022. I also commissioned a few original illustrations:
This is very much a draft, and it will evolve—but it’s ready to see some light of day. That’s where you come in.
From March 1-23, I’m seeking feedback from readers familiar with my work. To participate, please complete this form.
Here’s the plan:
On March 1st, I’ll send you a private link to the digital manuscript
You’ll have until March 23rd to offer comments
Then I’ll combine your thoughts with feedback from my Patagonia Retreat…
and I’ll hop back on the revision train in April 🚂✍️
Reader feedback was essential for my previous books, and I deeply appreciate your time and attention. Below are a few FAQs to help you decide whether to get involved.
Q: What kind of feedback are you looking for?
A: I’m seeking content feedback. Do the ideas and arguments make sense? How might I better communicate or strengthen them? What are my blind spots? What should be cut/reduced? What should be expanded/elaborated? Does the style and voice work for you? Do I ever come off as a complete asshole?
Q: Who is the ideal offerer-of-feedback?
A: I’d love to hear from anyone who considers themselves familiar with my writing. I’m especially interested in feedback from my imagined audience of 16- to 29-year-olds—and I’m open to the possibility that I’ve misidentified my audience.
Q: How long will this take?
A: The manuscript is 12,500 words, or about 1 hour of average reading time. But many parts are dense and intended to be read slowly. Budget 3+ hours for the feedback process.
Q: Will this become your next book?
A: Maybe! Honestly, I’m a bit terrified. I’m entering new territory here, writing for a wider audience, and venturing beyond my historic scope. It may not become a normal, public-facing book. Maybe I’ll make it freely available or Kickstart a limited-edition print run. Maybe it will lend itself more to audio or visual rendering. Maybe your feedback will be so cutting that I’ll crumple into a ball on the floor and burn it all down. So, no promises—but lots of fun possibility.
That’s it! Thanks for considering.
❤️ Blake
Contents
AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION
Do not wake up sick to your stomach about where you have to go today
Ask regularly, “If I die tomorrow, did I use my time well?”
Seek purpose beyond god, money, family, bread, and circus
Redistribute retirement
Mind the four jailers
Unschool as an adult
Become the dirtbag of your dreams, thru-hiking life
Fill life with frequent connection and joyous solitude
Pay attention, assume nothing, ask good questions
Have a goddamn love affair with books
Become a transnational friend slut
Enter the wild to leave the wild
SALLY
Join a few life-affirming cults
Flirt with fundamentalists, then walk away
Fuck Instagram and motherfuck the Joneses
Be in a primary relationship with yourself and an orgy with the universe
Move like your life depends on it
Stop measuring speed and start measuring state of mind
Air-drop yourself into manageably uncomfortable situations
Travel, even when you don’t
Be the decrepit tanguero on the dance floor at midnight
EUROPEAN BIKE TRIP
Get good, be good
Delight in delighting others
Earn $50/hour on your own terms
Stop pouring money into the gaping chasm of loneliness
Realize you are already living in a fully automated luxury communist future
Sleep in your car, joyfully
Acknowledge your privilege and redistribute it globally
Make a dirtbag exit plan
Wander, die, rot, and be forgotten
DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND DIE TRYING
Acknowledgements