The kind we love is focused, challenging, sustained, with a pen in hand, making note of new turns of phrase and peculiar, precise words, and feeling our brains get ever-so-slightly reconfigured by the text. The kind of reading we love requires a piece of text be worked over so many times that the author probably never wants to see it again. The kin... See more

Editing is easier when you know the patterns_

When it comes to essay writing, the idea of “patterns over process,” is just as relevant.

Tootzi instilled a philosophy of “all that exists is the artifact that’s on the table.” It doesn’t matter if your ideas come from your mind, your heart, your soul, your belly button, the tops of mountains, a bottle ... See more

The key to overcoming this precondition is to make writing a multi-pass process. Visual art is multi-pass: artists start with a rough sketch that captures the general idea for their composition. Then they go through and do a more detailed sketch, turning the rough lines into recognizable features, fiddling with proportions and placement until each ... See more