The easiest thing to do, for someone struggling to write, or stuck - Write about reading and writing
1) Most writers at some point in their lives are asked to write about writing- whats your process? Whats the time you wake up? what brand coffee do you drink? Do you always write at the same table? Some of them become succesful books ( On writing , by Stephen King, for one). Some of them are blogposts that are shared a million times within writing communities. But I think most of them have information the readers already know- Show up everyday, write at your best time etc. Not to say people dont enjoy these books. But I dont think there are too many people who wanted to be writers, couldnt be and read a book to figure it out. For most people reading what they know to be true, is still helpful.
2) Compounding gets attention these days as one of the most overlooked concepts. Reinforcing doesnt get as much love. You dont change based on reading one book. For a concept to set in, it takes atleast 4 to 5 books or 4 to 5 writers telling the same concept in their style. Or it takes re-reading of one book with a concept to really drill it in. The big Eureka concepts may stick with one book, but the smaller " know it to be true but havent done it myself" concepts take multiple readings.
3) My ideal writer is John McPhee. And I havent read a single book of his. I have read the descriptions, seen the sheer range of topics he has explored and marveled at the depth of some seemingly simple ideas. Most writers find out what works, what they are really good at, and keep at the intersections. John McPhee finds out what interests him and then figures out a way to make it work. Imagine having the kind of clout that you say " I will write a book on Oranges, my previous book was on a specific tennis match" and the publisher going " Sure, here is your advance".
( I dont know if this was the order the books were written in)
4) John Mc Phee seems to have made a lasting impact as a writing teacher at Princeton. Many famous personalities now speak of that course as one of the things that made a difference to their writing and almost always mention how they sort of took it for granted that a Pulitzer winning, most interesting person would give recommendations on their essays. All of us would put in a lot more effort in our late 30s if John Mc Phee teaches us- as they say Youth is wasted on the young.
5) On the previous point- am happy that there is such a saying , because it means that I am not the only one that wasted my youth. Enough people have done it that they had to make a saying out of it! Am also happy that I got a chance to come across it- I think thats the best case for writing - even stuff thats not original- there is a small chance that it helps one person who hasnt seen it before.
6)Reticular activation of the brain is a thing. When I am immersed in a book for a long time, I do see things differently- sometimes the difference is obvious. I remember one weekend I was reading " Oaxaca Journal" by Oliver Sacks on his 10 day trip to Mexico with an intention to spot ferns. The book was full of rich descriptions of ferns and plants that I vividly remember noticing the shapes of leaves when I stepped out Monday morning.
7) When you read writers who have a distinctive style of writing- Nicola Barker stands out- you absorb some of it and it reflects in your writing. I hope so, at least. I dont know how many books of Nicola Barker I have to read to get that whimsical lyrical light-on-its feet quality to my writing. Perhaps half a million
8) Storytelling is one of those things thats really cool until becomes kind of mainstream. The most annoying phase is when its just starting to become mainstream, but all proponents believe its still niche. God.
9) Narratives are powerful persuaders. You tell yourself or others that you are a frazzled mom with no time and have to quit- and you find yourself in those situations more than you like. You tell yourself that your partner is inconsiderate and doesnt care for your opinion- you dont really notice the times they are considerate. Narratives in advertising do a very good job. The only problem is that sometimes I dont want to hear what a powerful, stereotype shattering, milestone creating woman I am. I just want a damn toothpaste.
10) If you have read this far, you have very high tolerance and discipline. No pictures, no videos just dull text and you have still managed to come this far- Well done. I dont care if they should have been split into 10 tweets for better readability. For instance, lets say the 6th one was very popular and shared widely, which lead to more people discovering the whole series- Rather than the blog, where most people might drop off by one or two.
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