This morning, I committed to working on a project that scares me. It’s a story that isn’t mine to tell. It delves into a topic I’m by no means an expert in. It makes me nervous. It would probably get me “cancelled.” I’m writing it anyway. Bad things happen when we censor ourselves as weContinue reading “write it anyway”
Category Archives: writing
one thing at a time
For a long time, I’ve suffered from a kind of creative ADHD. I think it’s caused by a variety of things: promiscuity of interest, a broad range of influences, having too many ideas all at once, and the unconscious fear of bringing something to completion. Currently, I’m tinkering with an idea for a novel (composedContinue reading “one thing at a time”
stuck
Austin Kleon recently posted a great interview with Paul Simon, where he tells Dick Cavett how he wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” There are many things at play here (art as theft, input influencing output, accessing the unconscious), but the thing that speaks to me most is the idea of being “stuck.” “Everywhere I wentContinue reading “stuck”
portals to other places
For some reason, the concept of the portal has been on my mind lately. It could be the hypotrochoid set I bought at a thrift store recently, but it was also likely brought on by this interview with Jennifer Egan, in which she says, “reading is always about finding a portal into another world.” InContinue reading “portals to other places”
inflection points
I’ve had a variety of creative pursuits: writing, drawing, music, photography. I’ve dabbled in a lot. But very few creative endeavors were much more than hobbies. It seems there’s always a roadblock when pursuing something creative, that hump that require practice to overcome. It’s the obstacle that separates the amateurs from the professionals. If you’reContinue reading “inflection points”
diving deep
Normally as I read a book, I’m thinking about how it works. I ask myself what the sentences are doing, what’s happening with the characters, how is the storyteller drawing me into the story and what are they trying to convey. I think it’s asking these questions that prevents me being fully immersed in aContinue reading “diving deep”
an itch you can’t scratch
I’ve done a lot of growing in the last year. So much so, my life doesn’t seem to fit quite like it used to. I’m sure you know the feeling: that sensation of having an itch you can’t quite scratch everywhere at once, like a snake shedding its skin. As I was talking with myContinue reading “an itch you can’t scratch”
bad ideas
Ideas are easy, but letting go of them isn’t necessarily. You have have bad ideas, but more importantly, you have to let those bad ideas go. I spent eight years trying to write book once, only to realize I knew nothing about writing a book. I scrapped the idea and started over. The next bookContinue reading “bad ideas”
walk your way into an idea
Some of my most important creative realizations have occurred while out for a walk. In college, walking around campus, often with a good record or a solid mixtape loaded on my iPod, helped ease my mind. Not only did it offer some physical exercise, it also provided a bit of exercise for the mind. IContinue reading “walk your way into an idea”
life as a two-headed monster
Almost ten years ago now, I had the chance to meet Alan Zweibel, one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. In a freeform Q&A with a circle of students, he talked about writing for television and his creative process. The thing that always stuck with me was his description writers as two-headed monsters.Continue reading “life as a two-headed monster”
