the art of writing
advice from writers, and more on writing
Brie Wolfson and
the art of writing
"When I'm writing a first draft, I'm just putting sand into a bucket, so I can build the sandcastle later."
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... See more
great writing advice. one of my fave Sublime collections I keep private does just this and I call it “phrases”
The novelist Jennifer Egan says, “You can only write regularly if you’re willing to write badly. You can’t write regularly and well. One should accept bad writing as a way of priming the pump, a warm-up exercise that allows you to write well.”
essay writing is going to get weirder, less professional, more full of bad feelings, less corporate
Here’s the thing when you hang out with writers: We pay attention. We write things down. Much of what I write about are my observations. I always say I don’t have to make things up. I just need to pay attention.