on writing
One of the best pieces of writing advice I've ever read came from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who said she always tries to give a character three things to juggle in any given scene.
For example: they’re trying to order a sandwich, the deli is unbearably hot, and they’re trying very hard not to let on that they plan to rob... See more
Tarrynsubstack.comMy strategy is loose, then tight. I write the first draft of an essay fast, trying out all kinds of ideas. Then I spend days rewriting it very carefully.
Matter
Sometimes writers sit down and it's all pouring out of them. Each word - exactly the right one - is just sitting there, juicy and bursting with potential, easily within reach on a nearby branch. Every idea flows naturally from the last and in an order which provides a neat crystalline structure to the whole endeavour.
