Reading about Writing and then Thinking

Procrastination and/or a life update.

A few months ago, I finished reading Anne Lamott’s ‘craft-book’ on writing called Bird by Bird, which was first published in 1994. It told me a lot of things that I needed to hear, but most importantly, it ascertained that the centuries old psychological barriers that comes in any writing process are historically existing human conditions, and not something that is purely born out of overconsumption of social media (maybe except the attention span?) Starting at a black page has always been scary for writers; it’s not only a Google Docs scare moment.

After reading Lamott’s book, I went through Ray Bradbury’s (the author of Fahrenheit 451) craft-book called Zen in the Art of Writing. And I felt similarly again - that writing has always been a difficult task, even for those considered the greatest.

Then, I read Rick Rubin’s book The Creative Act. Rubin’s book, while filled with abstract maxims that are barely rooted in examples, did echo some of the point that Lamott and Bradbury made. It did feel like making art is an arduous task that requires letting go of financial thinking and engrossing in the self to the point of one’s own psychic destruction (if that even makes any sense). I’ve been watching too many Pokemon card unboxing videos on YouTube, forgive me.

But most importantly, what I am convinced of are a few things:

1. Creating something simple: it’s better to start with something simple and iterate later rather than get lost in convoluted thoughts.

2. Editing, at least once: I hate editing but I have started to slowly come back to my older pieces to have a look at them with a fresh set of eyes and a more deluded brain.

3. No blank page policy: A blank page is worse than one word written. Simple.

4. Old drafts can always be new. New drafts can always be old. Your work does not need to be completed now. Maybe it’s time to revisit something old?

5. Share your art with the world, please. Just. Do. It. Without. Thinking. Because when you’re drunk out of your mind, you do show your stupid dance moves in front of thousands of strangers, without using a single tiny braincell. Why worry about posting something that you are really good at?

I’m not trying to be a guru but I guess sometimes you just can’t help it. Mostly, I’m trying to be a guru to myself. When I revisit this piece after a few months or weeks or years or postmortem, and if I feel like I’ve not been walking my own talk, then I will curse at myself then. Nothing to worry about now. Write on, friends, write on!