IDEAS—& EXPLORATIONS.
A creative writing project inspired by unexpected encounters and discoveries.
001.
4/22/24
Joan Didion wrote a magnificent article titled Why I write.
In the second paragraph, Didion offered some advice all creative writers should print out and tape to their wall.
“…there’s no getting around the fact that setting words on paper is the tactic of a secret bully, an invasion, an imposition of the writer’s sensibility on the reader’s most private space.”
When we write something to be consumed by an audience, especially advertising, it’s an invasion of the readers’ most private space. We’re bullying them into giving us something they’ll never get back: time.
Be brief. Eliminate the unnecessary. Trust their intelligence and imagination.
Respect your reader’s time. And they’ll reward you.
002.
4/23/24
Creative blocks hit suddenly and randomly. Like quick sand, the more I fight it, the deeper I sink. The more I panic, the longer it takes to get unstuck.
Recently, I’ve shifted my approach. Here’s what’s worked:
Discovery: Read a really good piece of prose from a writer you adore. For me, that’s Joan Didion and Anthony Bourdain.
Conversation: Call a friend (unexpectedly). A few laughs go a long way.
Audio stimulation: Fire up an old playlist and go for a walk.
Visual stimulation: Watch film clips from movies focused on sensorial arousal.
Basically…anything creative besides your work. When the well replenishes, you can return.
Otherwise you’ll simply be coasting fumes.