Unpopular? Possibly, but I strongly agree with the first four in particular.
I could name a few more pieces of conventional wisdom that need to be taken with a large pinch of salt (remember the 6g daily recommended amount though).
One is ‘don’t edit as you go’. There was a question about it in one of the daily writing prompts on Mastodon and almost all the responses I saw suggested that people do it all the time. I certainly do.
As far as I can tell the greatest writers agree with you...Eg re first opinion - if you don't find writing hard, you're not trying hard enough - didn't Thomas Mann say, "A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people". And re third opinion - no writing course can teach you as much as reading - W B Yeats wrote, "Nor is there singing school but only studying / Monuments of its own magnificence". Re number two, though, not sure...I think you can choose books carefully, but once you embark on one, shouldn't you try your best to finish it...? Would you walk away from a conversation when your interlocutor is mid-sentence? There are books I sigh to think I bothered to read to the end, but also some I'm glad I stuck with or returned to after a break...
As for the final point, I do feel guilty when I don't finish books and I used to do so religiously. Perhaps I'd like to believe they will find you again when you are ready. (You may remember I didn't finish Eleanor Catton's The Rehearsal the first time I picked it up, but when I came back to it a few years later, I thought it was as close to a work of pure genius as I have ever encountered!)
I love that Thomas Mann quote. Very apt and comforting. I like the Yeats too, although the phrasing is interesting to me, because it almost makes the process of study feel self indulgent/inward looking... do you think that's how he meant it?
Thanks so much for debunking the writing routine! I can't see myself with one either. I get inspired at such random moments. I do have places to keep notes to myself, because I know myself and I've never been able to hold a routine for long.
Right? And then sometimes when I do get inspired & in the zone, it makes no sense to stick to a schedule that’s telling me to write for an hour and then move onto something new. You gotta follow impulses…
…from my own experience over many decades and having had nearly 50 novels published in the old style heritage way. They were in 2 genres as I had to think of earning a good living being a single parent and so on. Now I’m writing my ‘breakout novel’ on spec with no expectations of publication. I try not to be depressed.
It’s different! With the genre stuff it was easy to establish a routine: Monday morning second week in January at 8 am. Write until finished with pauses for food/sleep etc. by Easter it’d be ready to go off. Job done. I couldn’t wait to get to the keyboard as soon as I woke up.
With the breakout it’s really tough. Partly because nobody says they want it. It’s an opening of the lid on what it’s like to live so long every day exists under the shadow of the approaching crow, as Lewis Carroll called it.
I don’t know where it’s going. It’s a blend of part memoir/rant/crime novel satire/political wail. I don’t work every day. I’ve been hit by the ease and waste of time caused by social media and my lack of will power.
But maybe every novel has its own pace?
Going for a walk in the sunshine now then will type up next few 1.000 words from note book.
I only disagreed with some of number one. There are writers for whom it just flows. I hate them 😒 and mostly do not like reading them. Number six is really helpful. I go through the same thing on Substack. As far as paper goes, I love paper notes and lists, but as for the writing, I'm now using my voice, because my typing sucks. It's a new world, and it's really opening me up. Thanks for your thoughtful list!
No it's included with Microsoft Word. I don't know about versions but it's pretty recent, and I have OS 11. I was hesitant to use any voice stuff for a long time but it's better than I thought. Way better. No special microphone required. It does require editing as you go. You can even edit with voice commands
No, not self-indulgent…maybe inward-looking in a sense, as in requiring long meditation and disengagement from the ‘sensual music’ of the world…but in this context, all I meant was affirmation of your point that no ‘how to’ course can teach as much as attending to examples of the work itself 🙂
Unpopular? Possibly, but I strongly agree with the first four in particular.
I could name a few more pieces of conventional wisdom that need to be taken with a large pinch of salt (remember the 6g daily recommended amount though).
One is ‘don’t edit as you go’. There was a question about it in one of the daily writing prompts on Mastodon and almost all the responses I saw suggested that people do it all the time. I certainly do.
Hahaha thanks for this Jon. I edit as I go loads!! So then when people say “which draft is this?” the answer is either 1st or 52nd.
I think the number is actually fractal.
As far as I can tell the greatest writers agree with you...Eg re first opinion - if you don't find writing hard, you're not trying hard enough - didn't Thomas Mann say, "A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people". And re third opinion - no writing course can teach you as much as reading - W B Yeats wrote, "Nor is there singing school but only studying / Monuments of its own magnificence". Re number two, though, not sure...I think you can choose books carefully, but once you embark on one, shouldn't you try your best to finish it...? Would you walk away from a conversation when your interlocutor is mid-sentence? There are books I sigh to think I bothered to read to the end, but also some I'm glad I stuck with or returned to after a break...
I like your Thomas Mann remark. He seems just like that to read. But it stays with you a lifetime.
As for the final point, I do feel guilty when I don't finish books and I used to do so religiously. Perhaps I'd like to believe they will find you again when you are ready. (You may remember I didn't finish Eleanor Catton's The Rehearsal the first time I picked it up, but when I came back to it a few years later, I thought it was as close to a work of pure genius as I have ever encountered!)
I love that Thomas Mann quote. Very apt and comforting. I like the Yeats too, although the phrasing is interesting to me, because it almost makes the process of study feel self indulgent/inward looking... do you think that's how he meant it?
Thanks so much for debunking the writing routine! I can't see myself with one either. I get inspired at such random moments. I do have places to keep notes to myself, because I know myself and I've never been able to hold a routine for long.
Right? And then sometimes when I do get inspired & in the zone, it makes no sense to stick to a schedule that’s telling me to write for an hour and then move onto something new. You gotta follow impulses…
…from my own experience over many decades and having had nearly 50 novels published in the old style heritage way. They were in 2 genres as I had to think of earning a good living being a single parent and so on. Now I’m writing my ‘breakout novel’ on spec with no expectations of publication. I try not to be depressed.
Is the break out novel any easier to write or is it even harder?
It’s different! With the genre stuff it was easy to establish a routine: Monday morning second week in January at 8 am. Write until finished with pauses for food/sleep etc. by Easter it’d be ready to go off. Job done. I couldn’t wait to get to the keyboard as soon as I woke up.
With the breakout it’s really tough. Partly because nobody says they want it. It’s an opening of the lid on what it’s like to live so long every day exists under the shadow of the approaching crow, as Lewis Carroll called it.
I don’t know where it’s going. It’s a blend of part memoir/rant/crime novel satire/political wail. I don’t work every day. I’ve been hit by the ease and waste of time caused by social media and my lack of will power.
But maybe every novel has its own pace?
Going for a walk in the sunshine now then will type up next few 1.000 words from note book.
Wish me luck!
Every process is so different! That’s the most annoying truth of all. Good luck ❤️📕🏆
I really like this piece because I happen to agree with every you said. It comes
Enjoyed these hot takes, and it made me feel seen.
Thanks Monika!
I agree with so much of this, thank you
I only disagreed with some of number one. There are writers for whom it just flows. I hate them 😒 and mostly do not like reading them. Number six is really helpful. I go through the same thing on Substack. As far as paper goes, I love paper notes and lists, but as for the writing, I'm now using my voice, because my typing sucks. It's a new world, and it's really opening me up. Thanks for your thoughtful list!
That's so cool! Do you use a voice to text translation thingamijig?
No it's included with Microsoft Word. I don't know about versions but it's pretty recent, and I have OS 11. I was hesitant to use any voice stuff for a long time but it's better than I thought. Way better. No special microphone required. It does require editing as you go. You can even edit with voice commands
No, not self-indulgent…maybe inward-looking in a sense, as in requiring long meditation and disengagement from the ‘sensual music’ of the world…but in this context, all I meant was affirmation of your point that no ‘how to’ course can teach as much as attending to examples of the work itself 🙂