On Worry
Metadata
Highlights
- There was a pause and then Stuart said, “Well, how about we don’t shoot it that way?”This is a profound notion: if we turn to our fears with all our creative energy, there is less chance they will come true. That is: worry can be a form of esthetic preparation.
- So: we admit a fear (and that feels good, and honest) and then resolve to face that fear. Facing that fear is exactly equal to craft. And this then clears the way for some specific, technical work. Our worry is no longer psychological or abstract
- The mantra becomes, “We’ll figure it out, by trusting the process.”
- If you accept (even partially) this idea that our real power as writers is located in the split-second decisions we make, and in the way these accumulate in a story over many passes through it, then you’ll see that the beauty of a piece of writing doesn’t depend on what we have decided about it in advance, but in the accumulating quality of those split-second decisions (i.e., how in touch we are with our good instincts) and our willingness to go through it again and again.
- “All I have to do is show up every day and do what feels right. and, even if I am, in fact, messing the story up in that moment, that, too, is part of the long, heroic journey called ‘writing this story.’ Even if I am writing by exactly the wrong method, the process will eventually tell me this. All I have to do is: bring my energy to the process, every day.”
- So, here’s a thought: “craft” might just consist in cobbling together an approach that allows us efficient access to our sub-conscious mind, i.e., an approach that works for us, and therefore doesn’t need to be justified or defended. If we state one “truth” about writing (“Don’t worry, work”) and then state its opposite (“Don’t work, worry”) our approach is going to consist in some accommodation of those two truths — or, like, a mixing of those two approaches, a turning of the dial to find the right setting for us.
- So: when someone gives a bit of writing advice (“Don’t worry, WORK,” or “Show don’t tell,” or “Always be escalating”) we should think, “Yes, I’ll try this, to some extent, until it feels wrong. I will remember to always assess that advice per actual conditions, i.e., this particular story, and in light of my particular inclinations and talent.”
title: “On Worry”
author: “georgesaunders.substack.com”
url: ”https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/on-worry”
date: 2023-12-19
source: hypothesis
tags: media/articles
On Worry
Metadata
Highlights
- There was a pause and then Stuart said, “Well, how about we don’t shoot it that way?”This is a profound notion: if we turn to our fears with all our creative energy, there is less chance they will come true. That is: worry can be a form of esthetic preparation.
- So: we admit a fear (and that feels good, and honest) and then resolve to face that fear. Facing that fear is exactly equal to craft. And this then clears the way for some specific, technical work. Our worry is no longer psychological or abstract
- The mantra becomes, “We’ll figure it out, by trusting the process.”
- If you accept (even partially) this idea that our real power as writers is located in the split-second decisions we make, and in the way these accumulate in a story over many passes through it, then you’ll see that the beauty of a piece of writing doesn’t depend on what we have decided about it in advance, but in the accumulating quality of those split-second decisions (i.e., how in touch we are with our good instincts) and our willingness to go through it again and again.
- “All I have to do is show up every day and do what feels right. and, even if I am, in fact, messing the story up in that moment, that, too, is part of the long, heroic journey called ‘writing this story.’ Even if I am writing by exactly the wrong method, the process will eventually tell me this. All I have to do is: bring my energy to the process, every day.”
- So, here’s a thought: “craft” might just consist in cobbling together an approach that allows us efficient access to our sub-conscious mind, i.e., an approach that works for us, and therefore doesn’t need to be justified or defended. If we state one “truth” about writing (“Don’t worry, work”) and then state its opposite (“Don’t work, worry”) our approach is going to consist in some accommodation of those two truths — or, like, a mixing of those two approaches, a turning of the dial to find the right setting for us.
- So: when someone gives a bit of writing advice (“Don’t worry, WORK,” or “Show don’t tell,” or “Always be escalating”) we should think, “Yes, I’ll try this, to some extent, until it feels wrong. I will remember to always assess that advice per actual conditions, i.e., this particular story, and in light of my particular inclinations and talent.”