Inspiring read, thanks. I've been thinking of shifting into science writing/creative sometime. A much needed bit of optimism here, and lots of refs to great pieces of art.
Great piece! Thanks a lot for sharing. As an aspiring writer (with some previous experience) I found it very helpful. I can definitely second about the conversational tone. This has definitely helped for my most popular post so far. I realize there's a lot to study about different story types though, and should be helpful to be more conscious about that, at least for me personally.
Think long, think wrong. Most of my best writing are pieces that more or less wrote themselves-they commandeered my writing hand and set themselves on paper. Kind of a "flow" "in the zone" kind of thing.
But on the other hand, many of my pieces take days to complete. I often go to bed trying to think of solutions to going forward with some intricate philosophy.. The solutions usually pop into awareness eventually at unexpected times!
Hi, I liked this post and agree with a lot of your ideas. I especially love your advice to read something, and have a real substantive conversation with a human being, every day. It reminds me of Neil Gaiman's metaphor for the origin of ideas as a "compost heap" where ideas and images mysteriously mix and transmute, unseen. And the way to keep an everlasting supply of compost is to read and experience life.
Getting that balance between reading, living, working, and taking care of oneself feels like the work of a lifetime, though. Have you figured out any ways to make it work?.
Specifically, how do you work reading and discussing for inspiration into your routine without letting them take over your day?
When I let myself read, I go down rabbit holes, then get inspired and write an essay in 2 hours until I'm stiff from sitting and shaky with hunger and thirst. When I let myself have a good conversation, I can continue for hours, or even stay up all night.
It does feel like the work of a lifetime! I keep all of my tasks on Asana with daily, recurring items (e.g. Read from 11-to-midnight, work on personal writing from 6-9pm, spend time with family and exercise somewhere in the midst of all that, email one new person). Most days, I don't stick to my daily plan. I think I've set impossible goals for myself.
If I enjoy a long conversation, I generally don't feel guilty about investing the time. But when I get stuck in a conversation that is uninteresting or feels like a waste of my time (e.g. a meeting to have a meeting), I've gotten much better at escaping early.
My best conversations do typically go late into the night, but I always go to sleep with new ideas in my head. I think that's worth it! Actually writing the piece is just one small part of the writing process.
Thank you for this inspiring list, and especially the advice to talk and to listen. Writing can feel like such a solitary practice, so I love tying it in to the craft of storytelling in person. I write in order to be in conversation with interesting people. I just began my newsletter this year and have already convinced myself I should return to a wormhole under the earth and stop writing! There are a hundred reasons in here to not do that. Thank you.
Gathering the courage to start sharing my pieces with the outside world - your essay has made me feel more comfortable with the trial, error, and potential failure of it all thank you!!
Thank you for sharing these tips! Writing has never been easy to me. I always thought that I am uncomfortable about writing because English is not my native language but I grew to realize that my fear was actually for the "thinking" part of it. Once I realized it, writing becomes fun to me because I can think as long as I give myself enough time. My goal is to continue writing and become good at it. Your post is very helpful and right on time! THANK YOU!
Inspiring read, thanks. I've been thinking of shifting into science writing/creative sometime. A much needed bit of optimism here, and lots of refs to great pieces of art.
I appreciate the hyperlinked sources and inspiring words. Thanks for writing Niko!
Congrats on 3 years! It was a great reflection, Niko. Took a lot of notes to apply to my own writing.
Thanks Niko for this wonderful piece.
Started following from Day xx of biology and it's been a thrilling ride since.
And thank you for this piece, as an aspiring writer with focus on AI in drug design, its very handy
Great piece! Thanks a lot for sharing. As an aspiring writer (with some previous experience) I found it very helpful. I can definitely second about the conversational tone. This has definitely helped for my most popular post so far. I realize there's a lot to study about different story types though, and should be helpful to be more conscious about that, at least for me personally.
Think long, think wrong. Most of my best writing are pieces that more or less wrote themselves-they commandeered my writing hand and set themselves on paper. Kind of a "flow" "in the zone" kind of thing.
But on the other hand, many of my pieces take days to complete. I often go to bed trying to think of solutions to going forward with some intricate philosophy.. The solutions usually pop into awareness eventually at unexpected times!
Hi, I liked this post and agree with a lot of your ideas. I especially love your advice to read something, and have a real substantive conversation with a human being, every day. It reminds me of Neil Gaiman's metaphor for the origin of ideas as a "compost heap" where ideas and images mysteriously mix and transmute, unseen. And the way to keep an everlasting supply of compost is to read and experience life.
Getting that balance between reading, living, working, and taking care of oneself feels like the work of a lifetime, though. Have you figured out any ways to make it work?.
Specifically, how do you work reading and discussing for inspiration into your routine without letting them take over your day?
When I let myself read, I go down rabbit holes, then get inspired and write an essay in 2 hours until I'm stiff from sitting and shaky with hunger and thirst. When I let myself have a good conversation, I can continue for hours, or even stay up all night.
Cheers!
It does feel like the work of a lifetime! I keep all of my tasks on Asana with daily, recurring items (e.g. Read from 11-to-midnight, work on personal writing from 6-9pm, spend time with family and exercise somewhere in the midst of all that, email one new person). Most days, I don't stick to my daily plan. I think I've set impossible goals for myself.
If I enjoy a long conversation, I generally don't feel guilty about investing the time. But when I get stuck in a conversation that is uninteresting or feels like a waste of my time (e.g. a meeting to have a meeting), I've gotten much better at escaping early.
My best conversations do typically go late into the night, but I always go to sleep with new ideas in my head. I think that's worth it! Actually writing the piece is just one small part of the writing process.
Thank you for this inspiring list, and especially the advice to talk and to listen. Writing can feel like such a solitary practice, so I love tying it in to the craft of storytelling in person. I write in order to be in conversation with interesting people. I just began my newsletter this year and have already convinced myself I should return to a wormhole under the earth and stop writing! There are a hundred reasons in here to not do that. Thank you.
Gathering the courage to start sharing my pieces with the outside world - your essay has made me feel more comfortable with the trial, error, and potential failure of it all thank you!!
Thank you for sharing these tips! Writing has never been easy to me. I always thought that I am uncomfortable about writing because English is not my native language but I grew to realize that my fear was actually for the "thinking" part of it. Once I realized it, writing becomes fun to me because I can think as long as I give myself enough time. My goal is to continue writing and become good at it. Your post is very helpful and right on time! THANK YOU!