Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
February, 2024
February 29 An editor helps you improve a pice of writing. A writing coach uses each piece to help you improve as a writer.
February 26 Life was simpler when we didn't have the ability to make ourselves extinct.
The only consecutive numbers that sum to the next consecutive number are 1 and 2, with their sum as 3.
February 25 Here's a unique example of a euphemism, and like many euphemisms, this one is for sex: "Moondance," Van Morrison.
Examples of Dichotomies vs. Dualities
Dichotomy (the two things) :: Duality (the two things in harmony)
- Good and Evil :: Human
- Black and White :: Grey
- Day and Night :: Dawn/Dusk
- Light and Dark :: Dim
- Birth and Death :: Life
- Heaven and Hell :: Earth
- Mind and Body :: Soul
- Suicide and Blind Faith :: The Dizzying Crest
- One and Two :: Three
[[Live in the Third]]
Maybe there are two types of insecurity: social and personal (and maybe a third, existential). Think of hitchhiking.
- The personal insecurity is "I don't have a ride, and there's no guarantee I'll get where I want to go."
- The social insecurity is "What are these people thinking and saying about me as they drive by?"
- (And existential insecurity is always there: "Everything in life is fleeting and ephemeral, and someday, I will die.)
February 24 Superlative vs. Hyperbole
A superlative places the object at the top of a hierarchy. Hyperbole exaggerates an aspect of the object. Hyperbole is more effective as a rhetorical device because it's more specific and convincing. Superlatives are almost never true. They are only useful in satire, sarcasm, or humor.
Superlative: "World's Best Coffee" Hyperbole: "World-Famous Coffee"
The most common use of superlatives are as the frame for a question, whether in casual conversation or official interviews (or in high school yearbooks — "Most likely to get married"). Too often, people ask about your favorite book, favorite trip, favorite meal, or maybe your greatest accomplishment or your #1 hidden talent. All these are superlatives, and they'd be better questions if they weren't. Get specific. It makes the question easier to answer, and it leads to a more interesting, substantive answer for the audience.
Know the difference between superlatives (the best, the most, the favorite, the only, the greatest) and hyperbole (stronger than an ox, light as a feather, better than sex). Then, whenever you have a choice, opt for hyperbole over a superlative.
Note: Both superlatives and hyperbole can be negative descriptors too (worst, least or dumber than a doornail).
Birth is a leap; death is a landing. And living can either feel like falling or flying.
We long for safety because we know we're fragile and that life is fleeting. We know it every moment, even if we aren't always conscious of it. All of our decisions are colored by it.
It makes sense to value and seek safety, but where we go wrong is clinging to the idea of security. We are perpetually insecure. And the more comfortable you are with insecurity, the more you acknowledge and address it, the more capable you are of thriving in the world.
There's a difference between danger and insecurity. Avoid danger; approach insecurity, and overcome it.
February 22
Writing advice that applies in almost every case: Finish your first draft before you start revising. That's not a hard-and-fast rule, but you'll have the best results if you keep those two processes distinct. (And before computers, that was really the only option. The invention of the Delete key was the invention of mid-first-draft revisions.)
You must start with feminine chaos and end with masculine structure. You can't start with order or finish with chaos and still produce excellent writing. You need that harmony: the muse and the sculptor.
Quack This Way was written because of a book review that brought two snoots together: David Foster Wallace (DFW) and Bryan A. Garner (BAG). I read the brilliant, 60-page review in Consider the Lobster and, following DFW's glowing recommendation, hunted for my own copy of Garner's Modern American Usage (second edition) in the basement of the Strand. After learning from and referencing GMAU for a few weeks, I discovered that DFW and BAG had a friendship and that BAG had published an interview with DFW as as a booklet. I ordered it immediately. Now, holding this thin, little thing, I may be the most excited I've ever been about a book. Time to quack on with it.
One of my open questions as a writer/editor is "How can I write with the linguistic control of DFW without getting an MFA?" My working solution: Study DFW and BAG.
February 21 Don't use journal prompts. Journal about what's on your mind. If there's truly nothing interesting or pressing or heavy or challenging on your mind (almost never), don't journal.
It's important to have a sense for big moments. Not every day, not every decision has the same impact on your life. Duh — yeah, that's easy to know; it's harder to know when one of those big moments is upon you. If you can develop a sense for these, you can do the work to prepare and guarantee that the moment's effect is as positive as it could possibly be.
The truths of lucidity (as a concept):
- The world you experience is one you create.
- Self-awareness gives you the power to recreate your world.
February 20 All writing is magic realism because structure is magic. It's the invisible force that transmutes what you see and hear and experience in the world into polished, stone-etched prose. Everything written is beyond what is spoken and heard, because what is written has been revised and restructured.
This quote summarizes why I say I want to write with the perceptual layers of Joan Didion. Her words are new lenses, her paragraphs microscopes and megaphones.
"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." – Joan Didion
"Round-about language" = a useful euphemism for editors, instead of calling a section of a writer's prose "weak."
Ironically, "round-about language" is round-about language in place of a phrase like "weak language," but it's intentionally weak to soften the blow of the word "weak." Round-about language without purpose is a burden on the reader and often leads to confusion.
February 19 This 2-minute MasterClass trailer is a master class on its own. Margret Atwood drops knowledge-bombs about creative writing:
"Let's start ['Little Red Riding Hood'] a different way: 'It was dark inside the wolf.'" "Your goal is to keep your reader believing in your story, even though both of you know it's fiction." "If you really do want to write and you're trying to get started, you're afraid of something. Remember, it's only you and the page. The waste-paper basket is your friend. It was invented for you by God." "People are always coming up with new theories of the novel, but the main rule is: hold my attention." "Any form of human creativity is a process of doing it and getting better at it. You become a writer by writing. There is no other way. So, do it. Do it more. Fail. Fail better. Somewhere out there are the readers for your book."
Deliberate, then decide; don't just do one or the other. Think, think, think, until you feel whether it's the right thing to do. Then do it, or don't.
(Note: This applies to haircut- and tattoo- decisions, not to ball-cap decisions — ref: James Clear's framework. For ball-cap decisions, feel free to decide without much deliberation.)
Theory: Monotheistic religions have no more a basis than the pagan believes of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, or Aztecs, but the monotheistic metaphysics is widely adopted and enduring because it appeals more to reason. Jesus was a real person in history. God is an anthropomorphic being, but he does not control the harvest or the weather. The ethics is to love your neighbor, based on reciprocity and compassion. All of that appeals to our "higher parts," because it doesn't connect the divine to the earth (the body) but resigns Him to heaven (the mind). There is one Creator, one source of things, one arbiter of things. All that "makes sense" more than the Sun god and the Moon god and the god of the harvest or the sea.
We want to believe in a unifying narrative and give ourselves up to a higher power. We humans have a religious instinct. Monotheistic religions, Christianity especially (because of the "true" life of Jesus), are constructed so that we can "rationally" justify the same types of beliefs that pagan and polytheistic religions have had forever. The monotheistic metaphysics is adopted and endures because those who believe it feel elevated, enlightened, not outcast or blindly hopeful.
Sex is amoral, just like eating, sleeping, and shitting. Sex is sustenance on the scale of a species. The sex-related ethical issues are consent and social contracts and dignity and infidelity. If this natural, amoral thing weren't so taboo in Western culture, maybe we'd have better cultural norms for the ethical issues, because we'd spend less time sneaking about and talking around sex.
February 17 What's the difference between wanting to be elsewhere and feeling like you're not at home? Can elsewhere be an adventure, or is it always an escape?
The best growth mindset is a glacial mindset.
By nature, we are distractible. Focus doesn't come easily. And reading requires a singular focus — your eyes and mind targeted at one thing. Reading has fallen to other media not because it's less entertaining or engaging but because it requires more focus. Movies and podcasts and TV shows and audiobooks enable multitasking and don't punish a lack of focus as much as a book.
Films, no matter the genre, are dreams for the waking mind. Video games, especially those in VR, are lucid dreams for the waking mind. We revel in these forms of media because they let us slip into that ever-so-pleasurable dream state that otherwise discard and diminish. Every night, you create movies and live inside video games. Yet, because you've forgotten the power of your own mind, you reach for your phone in the morning and cleave yourself from your subconscious. Make your dreams real by recalling them, writing them down, storing them like memories.
The horizon's taller here. The morning sky is bright before you see the Sun peak through Midtown's skyscrapers. And the sunset you can only see as a reflection in the windows of the same. The only way you can even glimpse the evening sun is if you're looking down a straight, downhill street facing due west. In the city, we shield ourselves from the light.
February 16 Reverse Outlining
A reverse outline is an outline for your second draft. Or, you could think of it as a revision plan. Free-write for your first draft, and dump everything on the page. Then, take a sober look at what you have and decide what you can cut.
A reverse outline helps you identify your main ideas and put them in an order that makes sense. Here are the steps:
- Read through your first draft, maybe leaving notes to yourself as you go, like “Important” or “Cut this.” But don’t edit your writing for clarity or style. Just focus on the structure. What do you need to keep, and what should you cut?
- Open another document or grab a piece of paper, and write a draft of your Shiny Dime. What is the most specific and surprising idea from your first draft? Then, list out your main ideas, omitting any that don’t support your Shiny Dime.
- Add evidence to each of those ideas as bullet points, and arrange your ideas in an order that makes sense. Remember: Only add enough detail to give you a clear direction for your second draft.
Once you’ve finished your reverse outline, it’s time to write your second draft. Keep the best parts of your first draft, and cut the rest. Follow your reverse outline, and make sure that you’re making a clear, compelling argument for your main idea.
One of the most dangerous forms of self-delusion is a feeling of false safety. Don't strut or sprint across a tightrope. You'll fall.
A close second is a feeling of false danger (debilitating neuroticism). Don't cower and tremble on this side of the chasm if there's a sturdy bridge that you could cross to get where you want to go.
Even some very experienced writers, if they aren't also editors and English mechanics nerds, think that punctuation only serves to pace their prose. No — rather, punctuation serves to organize phrases and clauses into a hierarchy and within relationships so that the reader can effortlessly glean what your mean.
February 15 The rules of grammar mechanics serve meaning-making. When you can make meaning more easily and more clearly by breaking a rule, do it.
When you're writing anything — whether nonfiction or fiction — err on the side of specificity, while filtering out what's irrelevant to your reader (don't go too niche to make the whole subject a bore). Reveal universal truths through particulars, and ground heady concepts in concrete examples.
Every writer's style is somewhere on the spectrum from sober to psychedelic.
The writer can stay in his head. Then, the self-editor must project himself into the mind of his reader.
Chapter headings, section breaks, and H2s are all like cairns along a trail. You see it ahead and are reassured that you're headed in the right direction, and you commit to hiking at least until you reach that next checkpoint.
Mark Manson is one of the only modern, male Internet outlier-successes who seems to be completely healthy and well-adjusted and intrinsically motivated. He's not a fitness influencer who was fat and bullied and who is motivated by not devolving into the former version of himself that he hates. He's not a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who derives all his self-worth from the sum of his investment portfolio. He's not a lonely genius who's convinced that God has ordained he write for the sake of the world. Rather, he's a thoughtful guy who's contemplated life's toughest questions and sought answers in psychology and philosophy, and then he's shared what he's learned in the most entertaining way he knows how, without sacrificing accuracy. It's accessibility for the sake of impact. He's always still trying to learn, always trying to make an impact on others through his work, and he'll humbly be proven wrong and delight in addressing his flaws. Oh, and he's a savvy businessman and marketer who works hard to build a business he believes in, while doing work that he enjoys. I will never understand the hate.
Every morning you have free admission to the museum of your mind, if you recall your dreams. We blink too early into the theater of the world and forfeit what we could see from our subconscious.
Think of yourself as a god. Not as an omnipotent or omniscient being or someone worthy of worship or the creator of the world — think of yourself as an all-seeing moral judge because that's what you are, to yourself.
February 14 "Rhythm" is one of the weirdest-spelled words in the English language. There are five consonants, one vowel; and that vowel is a 'y', which barely qualifies. The second syllable is all consonants: "thm." It may be the only word in English language where "thm" comprises an entire syllable; it's at least the most common word with that characteristic. The final syllable of both "algorithm" and "logarithm" is "rithm," which includes a vowel, as you would expect from a syllable. But in "rhythm," the 'y' serves as the vowel for both syllables somehow, yet it can only belong to one.
(After writing the above, I checked with ChatGPT, which corroborates my suspicions that "rhythm" is unique: "Yes, that's a safe assumption. 'Rhythm' is likely the most common word in English that includes a syllable made up of only consonants.")
Getting lost is how you develop a sense of direction. Sitting in boredom is how you become in-distractible. Lean in to discomfort to promote growth.
Let the first draft be for you, and revise as a service to your reader.
Keep editing until everything hangs on a single thread. Shift your thesis if you have to, and if you do, cut what's not longer relevant. That's the responsibility writers have to their readers — to ruthlessly revise.
February 13 We understand that life moves in phases, fits and starts. But we treat that as a design flaw instead of a feature. We strive for perfect balance between our professional and personal lives, friends and family time, mental and physical fitness. But never at any point will both sides be at equilibrium. Balance is the wrong goal, and it's not even optimal if you could achieve it. Life is a series of seasons. Let one side of the scale dip down, let one part of you take the lead for a while. Instead of trying to achieve perfect balance, just make sure that what you're doing with your time is healthy and promotes personal growth. Go for harmony, not balance.
February 12 Computers are counter-evolutionary. Our minds and bodies are evolved to move around in 3-D space and do things in the world. At a desk, behind a computer, we sit still and move a phantom appendage in digital space. The self-reliant human-animal is now less of an animal and more of a machine, and more reliant on machines.
We have this unquestioned value of ease, comfort, and convenience. And it leads to default thoughts and decisions — like "Why would I write emails when an AI assistant can do it for me?" or "Thanks to social media, I'll never have to be bored again!". We have these values that contradict a fundamental truth: it is the things that are difficult and boring and aimless and tedious and slow that uniquely add depth and breadth to life. There's value in doing hard things, moving slowly, and being bored. These states are nothing to escape but are parts of life to embrace.
The world is not flawed but rather how we think of the world. Nature is always right.
February 11 Find harmony, not balance. Balance suggests everything in equal portions. Harmony requires, at any one time, for one aspect of you to be in the lead. And that's what's realistic. That's how you best function, by letting different aspects of you take the lead at different parts in the song.
February 10 So much just comes down to how you package and frame what you offer. You can be a polymath and do 10,000 things, but if you want to be known by anyone or be understood or stand out to anyone, you need to be okay with them only knowing you for one thing. Make that thing very clear, and deliver on it, and that will give you the freedom to pursue the 10,000 things.
You don't have to be the Drunk or the Dork. You can be the Social Soberman. This is true for everything. Don't identify with one side of the dichotomy. Live the duality.
Mechanics magic — an en dash plus a hyphen to create a phrasal noun made up of a range of numbers:
"Are you free tomorrow for a 30–45-minute meeting?"
Life is your line in the snow, and how you live is how you turn.
February 9 I don't want a slow life. I want a dynamic, spontaneous, ambitious life that rests on a practice of stillness.
David Perell got his first job with this Twitter thread in 2016. It's a microcosm of the Internet's potential for serendipity.
As you self-edit, remain aware of what you're going for. Try to project yourself into the mind of your reader, someone who doesn't know what's coming and hasn't labored over the previous and the proximate paragraphs. If you forget what you're going for and only evaluate it from your perspective, you'll end up making the thing drier and less alive than the first draft.
You want the final draft to be just as alive but less disheveled. You're performing the service of a tailor or a barber, not a surgeon.
Raise your floor with your ceiling. That'll temper how far you fall (when you inevitably do).
Between an essay and a film, these are the analogies for pacing:
- Each sentence is a shot, each period a cut
- Paragraphs are scenes
- And sections are acts.
Faith and insecurity are always playing against each other, the one always within the other. You can't have faith without insecurity because within every belief is the real chance that you're wrong. And you can't feel insecure without a nugget of faith, because any insecurity requires you to know what you're lacking and feel that your worries has some chance of being assuaged.
You need faith to overcome insecurity, and you can't be faithful without feeling insecure.
February 8 Listen to the rhythm of this sentence (from DFW in an interview with Elle magazine): "Drugs, movies where stuff blows up, loud parties — all these chase loneliness away by making me forget that my name's Dave and I live in a one-by-one box of bone no other party can penetrate or know."
In just the second half of that sentence, there's so much phonetic goodness. First, there's the rhyming: By, my, I, by. Then, there's the alliteration: making me, one-by-one box of bone, party can penetrate. And then there's the subtle wordplay: no other party can... know. Just read it aloud and dance to the meter of it. He's a word-magician.
Suffering is a fact of life, and life is how you respond to the fact.
The Duality of Passion
Love vs. hate is one of the most common illusory dichotomies. We forget that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference.
Maybe you'd never say that you hate your partner, but you sometimes resent them and don't want to be around them and wish they were different and feel like you don't love them as much anymore. But then maybe you realize something like "I only hate my partner when she reveals a part of myself that I wish were different. I only hate her when what she says reminds me of a painful truth." So even the hate you feel is borne from love; you love your partner because he/she helps you grow.
Love includes hate and hate love. They are inseparable and compose the duality of passion.
If the depths pose you no threat of drowning, then you can effectively breathe underwater.
Don't wait for the world to serve you rock-bottom. Instead, decide that rock-bottom was yesterday.
A cardinal rule of fiction: Make it inevitable but not predictable.
"Satisfied" Is *Hamilton*'s Best Song
Why did I tear up listening to "Satisfied" on my walk to work this morning? I'll tell you why. The love-triangle B-plot of Hamilton is better than the A-plot. I've seen the show twice — once in Chicago and once in New York. In both casts, the best singer (and performer) was Angelica, and "Satisfied" is the climax of her internal conflict. Her sister, Eliza, is marrying the man she loves: Alexander.
The song is a masterclass in economic storytelling (especially with the spinny stage they have for the set). It's Alexander and Eliza's wedding. Angelica is giving a toast to the groom and bride: "May you always be satisfied." But most of the song is a series of flashbacks through Angelica's love for and loss of Alexander. The flashbacks end at an a cappella bridge, where she says, "At least my dear Eliza's his wife / At least I keep his eyes in my life." Angelica knows she will never be satisfied.
Back to the toast: "To your union and the hope that you provide / May you always be satisfied."
Arguably the most interesting part about it all is that Angelica denied her self the satisfaction of being with Hamilton. Angelica took on the role assigned to her by her father and family, and she saw her sister, Eliza, as "helpless." If she had gone after what she truly wanted in life and trusted that her sister and her family would be okay without her sacrifice, she could have been satisfied.
This song is her realizing all that at once. It's full of regret and remorse and tragedy, and it's a feat of undeniable vocal greatness.
Also, Angelica is Hamilton's intellectual equal, and they both have equal weight in the overall narrative. Lin Manuel Miranda definitely intended for her to be the focus of the story. He'd probably say that the B-plot is actually the A-plot.
February 7 The male's god is a woman, the female's a man.
Make each thing you do the best it can be, for the time in life you're doing it. Then forgive your past-self for not being as talented and capable as you are today.
I'm pretty well convinced (from personal experience) that having any healthy daily habit will completely change your experience of life. I've had streaks of writing, meditating, reading, and exercising. And those have all done the trick. The too common mistake of ambitious, growth-minded people is that they try to do it all at once and burn out within a few days. Choose one thing you value, and do it every day for a week — even better if it's the first thing you do in the day. It will change you, and you'll want to do it for another week straight. When you stop doing it, choose a different thing to do every day.
There are only two options: either exceed expectations or subvert them. This applies to writing, work, and life.
Quote from Grandpa, from Paul's opinion column in the Springfield Daily Citizen:
“Most things have been said and done already, so to stand out and be memorable, you have to find a different way of saying and doing things.” – Leon Kincaid
The COVID lockdown was authoritarianism without sufficient justification (analogous to taxation without representation) — no wonder Americans' first instinct was rebellion.
I love death-loop movies and games. It seems true to me. A day is a life. And how awesome would it be to have the chance to iterate on one day and make it perfect (or save the world), as your life? These include:
- Groundhog Day
- Edge of Tomorrow
- Source Code
- And Outer Worlds (video game).
February 6 POP Writing is the antidote to boring writing. You need personal stories to relate to your reader, surprising observations that add value, and playful language to keep your reader entertained. Distinct and memorable writing combines all three pillars of POP; it's personal, observational, and playful — not boring.
How many times has the park ranger hiked and trimmed the trail he cut? Before you share what you've made with the world, walk through it yourself, and make sure you've set a clear path that others can follow.
[[Park-Ranger Revision]]
Euphemisms and Dysphemisms
Most people have heard of a euphemism, which is a more palatable word or phrase to stand in for something unpleasant, inappropriate, or uncomfortable. E.g.:
- "Passed away"
- "Put the dog down"
- "Bumpin' uglies"
- "Powder my nose"
- "Between jobs"
- "Lady of the night"
I just learned, from Bryan Garner (via Modern American Usage) about dysphemisms, which are the opposite of euphemisms. They are more raunchy or rude ("disagreeable") words or phrases substituted for otherwise mundane, neutral ones. E.g.:
- "Jock" for "athlete"
- "Bible-thumper" for Christian
- "Tree-hugger" for "environmentalist"
- "Grease monkey" for "mechanic"
- "Knocked up" for "pregnant"
- "Turd herder" for "plumber"
- Or "plumber" for "urologist"
Euphemisms elevate writing and couch spoken words in comfort. Dysphemisms you wouldn't see in any serious writing, unless it were a morally ambiguous character's dialogue in a novel.
I pity those who measure their worth by outcomes.
The musical interval of the third is the simplest possible chord — two notes separated by two steps, ringing in harmony. Emulate the third in life, by striving for simplicity and harmony.
[[Live in the Third]]
I don't live in a neighborhood. I live in an outpost of New York City.
I don't like the idea of spending time tracking how much time I'm spending on a thing. I'd rather just do the thing or do something else. The tracking only makes sense if it significantly increases the time you'd spend doing something that you really value.
The only intellectually honest position is uncertainty. Any other position is a form of self-delusion.
The Third is an interval between extremes. It is a conditional, liminal space, where questions reign and answers change. And it's the arena for everything real.
[[Live in the Third]]
February 5 Well shit, this is the best answer I've received in my very limited use of ChatGPT. I was testing it with something I know, and I likely would have failed to summarize it more concisely myself.
Prompt: "Explain what Kant means by an 'ecclesiastical faith' in his book Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason.
Answer: "In his book Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, Immanuel Kant distinguishes between two types of faith: ecclesiastical faith and moral faith.
Ecclesiastical Faith: Kant defines ecclesiastical faith as a form of religious belief that is based on doctrines and teachings provided by a specific religious institution or authority, such as a church or religious organization. This type of faith involves accepting and adhering to the dogmas, rituals, and practices prescribed by the religious community to which one belongs. Ecclesiastical faith often includes adherence to specific theological doctrines, religious ceremonies, and hierarchical structures.
Kant criticizes ecclesiastical faith for its reliance on external authority and dogmatic beliefs that are not subject to rational scrutiny or moral evaluation. He argues that ecclesiastical faith can lead to religious fanaticism, intolerance, and the suppression of individual freedom of thought and conscience.
Overall, ecclesiastical faith, in Kant's view, is characterized by adherence to religious doctrines and practices dictated by external authority, without critical examination or moral autonomy.
Moral Faith: In contrast to ecclesiastical faith, Kant proposes the concept of moral faith, which he considers to be the essence of true religious belief within the boundaries of mere reason. Moral faith is grounded in the individual's rational and moral autonomy, rather than external religious authority or dogmas. It involves a commitment to moral principles and the pursuit of moral perfection based on the dictates of practical reason.
Kant argues that moral faith centers on the individual's inner moral disposition and commitment to ethical principles such as the moral law, the categorical imperative, and the principle of autonomy. Moral faith does not require adherence to specific religious doctrines or rituals but rather emphasizes the moral autonomy and responsibility of the individual.
Kant sees moral faith as compatible with rationality and moral autonomy, providing a foundation for ethical living and the pursuit of the highest good. He considers moral faith to be the true essence of religion, transcending the limitations of ecclesiastical authority and dogmatic beliefs.
In summary, Kant distinguishes between ecclesiastical faith, based on external religious authority and dogmas, and moral faith, grounded in individual moral autonomy and commitment to ethical principles. He critiques ecclesiastical faith for its reliance on external authority and advocates for moral faith as the essence of true religion within the boundaries of mere reason."
I'm not sure whether to be reassured or concerned. Regardless, I'm impressed. (Archive of the full chat)
Learn from others. Lead yourself.
What is philosophy worth if it isn't practical? Why would I want to publish anything that didn't warrant that modifier: practical philosophy?
The Hypertrophic Mindset
- Go slowly through the hardest part.
- Put yourself in disadvantageous positions to potentiate growth.
- Pace yourself so that you have nothing left by the end.
- Give full effort to the object of your focus.
- Build a plan, and stay consistent.
(Inspired by Renaissance Periodization)
I'm way more interested in being a successful editor than I am in being a successful writer. My main goals with writing are to:
- Always write what I'm interested in and not rely on being assigned projects
- Get better with every piece and challenge myself with big projects on my way to mastery
- And never stop writing.
Editing will help me accomplish all three of those goals, because I won't have to sacrifice anything as a writer. It can be detached from what I need to make money, while the thing I do to make money (editing) helps me master the craft of writing.
Starting any writing project is like drawing up a bucket from a well of interminable depth. The bucket is heavy enough that you know it's filled with water, but you have no idea how long you'll have to work at it to bring the fruits of the spring to the surface.
It's deeply rewarding to create something deserving of italics.
My two favorite genres of film are doomed romances and psychological thrillers. (An honorable mention is m allegorical dramas, like The Truman Show and The Prestige.) Here are my favorites in each category, in no particular order.
Psychological Thrillers:
- Parasite
- Silence of the Lambs
- The Shining
- Get Out
- Se7en
- "Beyond the Sea," Black Mirror
- "USS Callister," Black Mirror
- "The Entire History of You," Black Mirror
- Severance
- The Menu
Doomed Romances
- Past Lives
- Marriage Story
- 500 Days of Summer
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- La La Land
- "Hang the DJ," Black Mirror
- "San Junipero," Black Mirror
"Everything works out" is something I believe. But it doesn't mean that every thing (read: "all of the things") works out; it means that everything, the singular thing that refers to all things, works out. On average, it all works out, even if there are many important, painful things that do not.
Is it "in the water"? Or is it just in the water where you are? Find your valley.
Liberally share your nascent ideas and your full drafts. Keep your partial drafts to yourself.
February 4 The main reason people become patrons of creators is because they want to support the artist and give thanks for their work. Exclusive content perks are just how a patron justifies his purchase. Takeaway: Only give them enough to make it feel more valuable than the price, but don't promise so much that you end up under-delivering.
Robin Hood is ethically deluded. He has convinced himself that because he is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor that his thievery is morally permissible. In his head, he truly believes that what he's doing is justified. Yet, there is a primordial part of him that knows otherwise. Surely, Robin Hood's conscience torments him for being a thief, no matter how steadfastly he believes his crimes to be good deeds.
February 3 We don't think of a puny ice-cap as the mother of the valley. We forget that it was once a mighty glacier and that it reared this land. The glacier moves in silence and doesn't seek credit, yet it shapes the world — like all good parents.
2025: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug
2024: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec
2023: Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec