Thinking Man

Thinking Man

Share this post

Thinking Man
Thinking Man
Looking Back on my Old Writing
Essays

Looking Back on my Old Writing

or, "6:30 P.M. on the Last Saturday of September"

Melissa Mistretta's avatar
Melissa Mistretta
Sep 30, 2023
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Thinking Man
Thinking Man
Looking Back on my Old Writing
Share

So, I’ve had a busy month. A stressful one, where my mind hasn’t really been in my writing, and sitting down to work for longer than thirty seconds has been a struggle. September 30th hit me before I knew it, and, as I usually do when I’m scrambling to meet a deadline without wanting to take the time to come up with anything new, I started clicking through some abandoned word documents, trying to see if I’d stumble upon a piece of writing that was worth salvaging.

The short answer was no. The real answer is more complicated.

I opened up a document titled “2:30 A.M. on the Second to Last Saturday Before Finals.” I assume, based on the title, that it was written during my one-year stint in law school—at 2:30 A.M. on the second to last Saturday before finals, to be exact. That would mean that I was twenty-two years old when I wrote it, and, more than most pieces I wrote at the time, it showed.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Thinking Man
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share