On Writing

Quillette
James Baldwin and the Trouble with Protest Literature20+ min read · 2021-12-21 · “The hardest thing in the world to do,” wrote Ernest Hemingway in a 1934 article for Esquire, “is to write straight honest prose on human beings. First you have to know the subject; then you have to…
literaryreview.co.uk
Joanna Kavenna - Have You Considered Accountancy?2021-12-03 · For People Who Devour Books Subscribe Today! Sign In Register Help Friday 3rd December, 2021
freddiedeboer.substack.com
If You Want to Make It As a Writer, For God's Sakes, Be Weird~13 min read · 2021-03-30 · you're in a market, so sell something other people aren't
freddiedeboer.substack.com
It Could Be So Much Better Than This9 min read · 2021-11-26 · you get what you allow
Literary Hub
A Revolution in Creativity: On Slow Writing9 min read · 2021-10-12 · “If creativity is about power to create something from nothing, then believing in impossible things is its most critical component.” –Oli Mould, Against Creativity * I’ll invite you to read this sl…
writing
Most highlighted
Slow writing is passionate engagement, an intensified focus, a process that nurtures the creative artist.
The New Yorker
The Most Ambitious Diary in History7 min read · 2021-11-01 · Claude Fredericks, a Bennington classics professor, knew Anaïs Nin and James Merrill, and taught Donna Tartt. He kept a diary for eight decades, and persuaded many in his orbit that he was writing a…
The New Republic
The Afterlives of E.M. Forster~16 min read · 2021-09-21 · For decades, Forster could not publish his novel of gay love, “Maurice.” Its importance in his work and to the writers he nurtured is only just becoming clear.
Guardian Books
Top 10 gripes in literature5 min read · 2021-08-25 · Some distrust kvetching in print, but writers from Shakespeare to Valerie Solanas show there’s nothing wrong with constructive – and even destructive – criticism
writing
Brain Pickings
Chekhov on the Ultimate Task of Art and How (Not) to Be a Writer2 min read · 2021-09-02 · On solving problems vs. posing questions.
writing
productivity
art
Most highlighted
“Anyone who says that the artist’s sphere leaves no room for questions, but deals exclusively with answers, has never done any writing or done anything with imagery.”
Every
Chaotic Good~15 min read · 2021-07-20 · Or, how to stop hating yourself and start writing.
writing
writing tips
Most highlighted
The best way to do that is to embrace the chaos within! I swear to you, if you want to get better at self-editing, you need to get better at the chaos part first. 
Open Culture
Umberto Eco’s 36 Rules for Writing Well (in English or Italian)3 min read · 2021-06-18 · Creative Commons image by Rob Bogaerts, via the National Archives in Holland Umberto Eco knew a great many things. Indeed too many things, at least according to his critics:
writing
english
Most highlighted
Hold those quotes. Emerson aptly said, “I hate quotes. Tell me only what you know.”
Adam Thomas
Quarterly Reviewwriting
personal growth
personal development
Summary, by the author
Begin writing with something you believe in, a truth that will surprise others.
Write about something you are nervous to tell other people. Make yourself vulnerable.
Place people at the heart of your writing, even if you are working on non-fiction.
Don't worry about misquoting, or using a little poetic license.
The more structured your writing, the more risks you can take with the expansiveness of your language.
Good structure starts with a throughline.
Spend more time planning than you want to. Spend at least 50% of your time noting and outlining.
Listen to your readers. Make yourself approachable.
Read the full article  (4 min read)
Every
How to find your writing “voice.”writing
writing tips
Summary, by the author
Your nonfiction writing "voice" is your point of view and is completely unique to you.
Specific exercises can help reveal your voice to you, like high-stakes prompts, collecting inspirations, maximalist writing, and self-editing practices. 
Learning how to use tools like style, tone, and diction can help you better express your innate voice. 
When you're starting out, don't adopt a character in public writing or you'll risk getting lost in it. Let yourself be recognizable.
Practice non-doing; voice happens when you're busy writing about something more important.
Read the full article  (~12 min read)
nature
Sell yourself and your science in a compelling personal statement6 min read · 2021-04-24 · Don’t get bogged down in technical details, and balance the professional and the personal.
POLITICO
Opinion | How Substack Revealed the Real Value of Writers’ Unfiltered Thoughts8 min read · 2021-04-17 · Turns out gatekeepers aren’t so helpful if you want to make a ton of money as a journalist.
writing
Fast Company
The psychological benefits of writing by hand4 min read · 2020-11-23 · For those of us who spend most days in front of a computer, writing by hand can have refreshing benefits.
writing
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