Wow - I found myself nodding my head throughout this piece. I have noticed this pattern really shows up for me more in the cases of talking about other forms of creations. I always feel that internal struggle of not wanting to read a damn thing about it so I'm not influenced but simultaneously desperate to know if anyone feels the same way I do. Inevitably, this always leads to disappointment that while some people may in fact share my feelings about the creation, most do not. This almost always leads to the "killing" of a piece I planned to write. I haven't ever been able to articulate it but I think your piece just did it for me.
Thank you Jade, I’m glad other people the same! I think partly we are worried about our opinion being found contentious in this febrile cultural climate (particularly on Twitter) and tolerance for disagreement is so low that it seems never worth the hassle.... but as a result I’ve noticed over the last few years belief in my own opinions to be shakier than ever.
This really resonated with me for several reasons. I liked how you mentioned writing small paragraphs then connecting them as that's how I often did essays in college to make sure I covered whatever the required sections/questions were for the essay. I also liked how you mentioned seeing a movie and then seeing discourse about it and not having an issue (or maybe even an opinion) on something others had a lot to say about. I feel like that connects to the concept of people just talking down on literally everything that comes out. On a positive note, I always like to hear about writers heading to their notes app to jot down something whenever it hits them because I feel like that's something we all do :)
Thanks Paul :) from the replies I’ve received it seems like quite a few people are nervous to express their cultural take on entertainment these days, so maybe I will try and write that piece after all... Once I’ve thought about it a little bit more. On writing, I’m interviewing some authors soon for the newsletter, and will l be asking them all about their process so hopefully you’ll enjoy!
This really got my “noggin joggin”, as one of my favorite You Tube channels likes to say. I truly wonder if half of what we read these days is a writers deadline to get something on paper, or a well crafted, well thought out piece. Clearly, we all have instances in our past that make us cringe and wonder what we were thinking. But lately, it seems more and more in the world of sharing a story is full of holes and far too much of the writers personal agenda rather than what is truly going on with a situation. I would much rather read a short piece with well researched facts, told in a straightforward manor, over a puff piece of half truths and sensationalism just to meet a deadline. If more journalists would just sigh, delete and start over, I think more people would trust what they read in the news today. I enjoyed reading this gem in my email today and look forward to more. Thank you for sharing 🥰
Never heard ‘Noggin joggin’ until now - love it! Thanks Jennifer, I agree. And newsletters are a brilliant way to halt that cycle and write differently, but I think as soon as you turn your content paid-for, the pressures of feeding a following continue. It’s a delicate balancing act! X
After writing regularly for years, and having been on a personal journey during that time, I also sometimes look back at posts I wrote years ago, and wince, as they are in a tone of voice which was angry and polemic. It is no longer my voice, and I wouldn't write like that today. On the other hand, it is helpful to see how far I've come! On criticism, have you come across Dr Iain McGilchrist's work, he makes good criticism of what modern critics do to art, he even wrote a book about it, I think it was called "on criticism"... I would agree that being under pressure to publish would not be conducive to writing in flow [when the pieces write themselves as you said],
Hey Gary, no I haven’t come across Dr McGilchrist’s work, thank you v much for the suggestion! I will take a look and perhaps it will help me eventually write the piece I killed...
Wow - I found myself nodding my head throughout this piece. I have noticed this pattern really shows up for me more in the cases of talking about other forms of creations. I always feel that internal struggle of not wanting to read a damn thing about it so I'm not influenced but simultaneously desperate to know if anyone feels the same way I do. Inevitably, this always leads to disappointment that while some people may in fact share my feelings about the creation, most do not. This almost always leads to the "killing" of a piece I planned to write. I haven't ever been able to articulate it but I think your piece just did it for me.
Thank you Jade, I’m glad other people the same! I think partly we are worried about our opinion being found contentious in this febrile cultural climate (particularly on Twitter) and tolerance for disagreement is so low that it seems never worth the hassle.... but as a result I’ve noticed over the last few years belief in my own opinions to be shakier than ever.
This really resonated with me for several reasons. I liked how you mentioned writing small paragraphs then connecting them as that's how I often did essays in college to make sure I covered whatever the required sections/questions were for the essay. I also liked how you mentioned seeing a movie and then seeing discourse about it and not having an issue (or maybe even an opinion) on something others had a lot to say about. I feel like that connects to the concept of people just talking down on literally everything that comes out. On a positive note, I always like to hear about writers heading to their notes app to jot down something whenever it hits them because I feel like that's something we all do :)
Thanks Paul :) from the replies I’ve received it seems like quite a few people are nervous to express their cultural take on entertainment these days, so maybe I will try and write that piece after all... Once I’ve thought about it a little bit more. On writing, I’m interviewing some authors soon for the newsletter, and will l be asking them all about their process so hopefully you’ll enjoy!
This really got my “noggin joggin”, as one of my favorite You Tube channels likes to say. I truly wonder if half of what we read these days is a writers deadline to get something on paper, or a well crafted, well thought out piece. Clearly, we all have instances in our past that make us cringe and wonder what we were thinking. But lately, it seems more and more in the world of sharing a story is full of holes and far too much of the writers personal agenda rather than what is truly going on with a situation. I would much rather read a short piece with well researched facts, told in a straightforward manor, over a puff piece of half truths and sensationalism just to meet a deadline. If more journalists would just sigh, delete and start over, I think more people would trust what they read in the news today. I enjoyed reading this gem in my email today and look forward to more. Thank you for sharing 🥰
Never heard ‘Noggin joggin’ until now - love it! Thanks Jennifer, I agree. And newsletters are a brilliant way to halt that cycle and write differently, but I think as soon as you turn your content paid-for, the pressures of feeding a following continue. It’s a delicate balancing act! X
After writing regularly for years, and having been on a personal journey during that time, I also sometimes look back at posts I wrote years ago, and wince, as they are in a tone of voice which was angry and polemic. It is no longer my voice, and I wouldn't write like that today. On the other hand, it is helpful to see how far I've come! On criticism, have you come across Dr Iain McGilchrist's work, he makes good criticism of what modern critics do to art, he even wrote a book about it, I think it was called "on criticism"... I would agree that being under pressure to publish would not be conducive to writing in flow [when the pieces write themselves as you said],
Hey Gary, no I haven’t come across Dr McGilchrist’s work, thank you v much for the suggestion! I will take a look and perhaps it will help me eventually write the piece I killed...