On writing and life.
I have read what would probably amounts to a reasonably embarrassing number of books on how to write fiction. There are two fundamentals I have taken from this corpus of writing on writing which are relevant not only to an ardent scribe but also to what I think of as broader life lessons.
The first one, which is subject to every motivational YouTube video ever, is “do the work”. You cannot become slimmer, happier, more engaged in life, a better writer, etc, unless you commit yourself to a goal and stick to it like a stamp; it’s not done until it’s delivered.
This gem of advice is sneezed out in different forms and contexts, for example; The 10,000 hour rule (by Gladwell), where; the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing, albeit in the correct way, for at least 10 000 hours. This is doing the work.
Books on writing tell the same story; practice your writing. I’m going to be honest with you, but you probably already know it; this is exactly why I’m sitting here bashing my keyboard. I’m interested in getting better at something. But not just that, no, not at all. I’m here because of the second leg, which keeps you upright and moving;
The person, humanity, and the journey of the soul from one place to another, which wraps the reader around the little finger of the writer and points them at the page to read on.
Most of us have probably already come to this conclusion, again, outside the biosphere of writing and in the more general context of life. People are the most interesting thing the world has to offer.
It’s tempting, especially in the internet era, to think of people as brightly coloured images or snapshots of life shot through the lens of someone else. But this voyeuristic gloss is a short-lived visceral high, and what really interests us is their lives, the challenges and changes of this or that person as a result of their experiences.
In a less abstract way, perhaps the most enjoyable part of going to the office, or lumber mill or wherever you work is the people who exist in this space. We are hardwired to want to know others and their stories.
Of course, I know this simple principle from my own life, but like many things, it’s hard to take something so basic and relate it in its simplistic form to something else, in this case, writing.
For me, I needed to read; The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better (by Will Storr). An elegant examination of how to write something people will want to read; I can measure my success at this very principle by the fact that you have or have not made it all the way down here in my post.
So, writing a good story is about the characters, their journey and how this changes them—the arc of the character.
In life, the most common cure to unhappiness or rather the most cited sage advice about maintaining a cheerful outlook throughout your existence is to spend as much time with your friends and family as possible. Or, put another way, people are the wholesome vegetables on the plate of life.
Eat healthy, friends, and once again, thank you for taking the time to read; it’s been a pleasure to have you here. Until next time.