Mysterious fatigue, perfectionism, posts that want to be books, everything-connects-to-everything-else syndrome...are you SURE you're not me and I didn't write this in a fit of eloquent delirium? Man, do I envy that Sam Kriss...pulling off those loooong, heavily researched posts with multiple tangents with such style, and somehow making everything hang together...and most importantly, hitting send on the damn things.
Anyway, great to hear you're doing better, and look forward to seeing what these new rough-edged posts look like.
I so relate to the perfectionism part. I’m serializing a utopian novel and with every chapter I feel like “now I have to figure out what the ideal government looks like” before I publish it. But now I’ve realized that I can just publish a rough draft, get comments and feedback from my subscribers, and that will make the final book so much stronger than if I tried to solve the whole world myself while I was writing it 😝 It’s like I’m crowdsourcing the editing of my book in real time!
Anyway, can’t wait to read more rough drafts!!!! And I’m glad you’re feeling better!
Hullo Julian —total n00b here. Very glad to meet your work and find its author recovering.
In spite of just making your stack’s acquaintance, I’m absolutely thrilled to find you deciding to ramp up enjoying the work and turn down the perfectionism.
If you ever need an advocate for this process, you’ve got one in me. I’ll keep my pom poms handy.
As for your quest about the Egg and the Rock: I’d like to quote E.L. Konigsburg From The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler on the subject of pawing through egregious volumes of aforementioned mixed up files, “The search often proves more profitable than the goal.”
Please continue doing this thing you’re doing. I believe in your process.
Hi Julian, the drive to connect everything to everything leading to impossibly long drafts is so recognizable! It goes hand in hand with the overediting and polishing. But while I do agree that publishing faster is good as a feedback mechanism, I also believe that sometimes a post just wants to be long and large, and there’s nothing wrong with chasing your energy to the very end.
Give it to us! The raw, the run on sentences, the maybe half baked ideas. We want it, that’s what we are here for. It gives us a ring side seat, seeing your process in motion. It feels like a privilege
I was just posting something short and silly about being doomed if you require external validation to create.
The only thing that will always keep you moving forward is something burning inside that must be released into the world, whether it's writing, art, music, or whatever you feel like you must produce or you'll burst.
I’m one of the people who started following in December, devoured everything you wrote and have been excited to hear more. I absolutely do not care about it being polished; you express concepts and ideas that feel like they have been sitting in my soul not understood, not spoken of, just wisps of a vibe, and here you are aiming to actually give them form! I am so grateful and excited that you’re even attempting it, make it as messy as you damn please!
As someone who has been largely disabled from what is being called Long Covid (for 2 years now), I have learned that inflammation is an important part of how the covid virus/proteins operate in our bodies (or moreso our bodies' reaction to them). If you aren't recovering as you'd like, I highly recommend starting an anti-inflammation diet to see if that helps in recovery!
Also, as someone who has halted all creative endeavors because nothing feels "good enough", thank you for your words! 💜 It's truly helped me process some of what I've been going through mentally.
I observed people don't put that kind of qoustions anymore, and when they do, they don't meant it. It is just the protocol.
Anyway I send this message to you directly (and not to Charlie or Emily) because it is a matter of literature.
Short story (I don't have a long one): I started writing a book. But after I read one of your earlier posts, (when you announced that you are going to make predictions) I released that a part of the introduction was (might be) a description of the Big Bang. So I rewrite that part (because it was for a fantasy novel) and translated it.
My question actually is: Can you please tell me if it is a description of the Big Bang.
I don't know what else to write.
Good for you you feel better
And... I like very much your work.
P.S.: when I wrote the introduction it really was flowing from somewhere...
I observed people don't put that kind of qoustions anymore, and when they do, they don't meant it. It is just the protocol.
Anyway I send this message to you directly (and not to Charlie or Emily) because it is a matter of literature.
Short story (I don't have a long one): I started writing a book. But after I read one of your earlier posts, (when you announced that you are going to make predictions) I released that a part of the introduction was (might be) a description of the Big Bang. So I rewrite that part (because it was for a fantasy novel) and translated it.
My question actually is: Can you please tell me if it is a description of the Big Bang.
I don't know what else to write.
Good for you you feel better
And... I like very much your work.
P.S.: when I wrote the introduction it really was flowing from somewhere...
Your words give rise to facing my own fear of “oh,could I be a writer”? I have several mind blocks one Being grammar . I think I was day dreaming in that class or maybe most of my classes.Well I digress.... second just fear of the perfection part and that is where your article caused me pause to allow myself to rethink . Still pausing but hey this IS the 1st words written here .
Hi Julian. I just now finished reading Connect, and I have to jump in here and say... Wow! wow! Wow! Brilliant, moving... I’m blown away. So thank you!
I've wrestled with the exact issues and am in my own process of overcoming the mental hurdles I've set up for myself, just so I can share my art with the world. It helps ease the process knowing other artists are fighting the same battles.
Mysterious fatigue, perfectionism, posts that want to be books, everything-connects-to-everything-else syndrome...are you SURE you're not me and I didn't write this in a fit of eloquent delirium? Man, do I envy that Sam Kriss...pulling off those loooong, heavily researched posts with multiple tangents with such style, and somehow making everything hang together...and most importantly, hitting send on the damn things.
Anyway, great to hear you're doing better, and look forward to seeing what these new rough-edged posts look like.
I so relate to the perfectionism part. I’m serializing a utopian novel and with every chapter I feel like “now I have to figure out what the ideal government looks like” before I publish it. But now I’ve realized that I can just publish a rough draft, get comments and feedback from my subscribers, and that will make the final book so much stronger than if I tried to solve the whole world myself while I was writing it 😝 It’s like I’m crowdsourcing the editing of my book in real time!
Anyway, can’t wait to read more rough drafts!!!! And I’m glad you’re feeling better!
Hullo Julian —total n00b here. Very glad to meet your work and find its author recovering.
In spite of just making your stack’s acquaintance, I’m absolutely thrilled to find you deciding to ramp up enjoying the work and turn down the perfectionism.
If you ever need an advocate for this process, you’ve got one in me. I’ll keep my pom poms handy.
As for your quest about the Egg and the Rock: I’d like to quote E.L. Konigsburg From The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler on the subject of pawing through egregious volumes of aforementioned mixed up files, “The search often proves more profitable than the goal.”
Please continue doing this thing you’re doing. I believe in your process.
Nice to hear from you. Seems you are back in your groove. Let 'er rip.
Hi Julian, the drive to connect everything to everything leading to impossibly long drafts is so recognizable! It goes hand in hand with the overediting and polishing. But while I do agree that publishing faster is good as a feedback mechanism, I also believe that sometimes a post just wants to be long and large, and there’s nothing wrong with chasing your energy to the very end.
Loved the post and Rubin quotes, thank you!
Give it to us! The raw, the run on sentences, the maybe half baked ideas. We want it, that’s what we are here for. It gives us a ring side seat, seeing your process in motion. It feels like a privilege
This is so timely!
I was just posting something short and silly about being doomed if you require external validation to create.
The only thing that will always keep you moving forward is something burning inside that must be released into the world, whether it's writing, art, music, or whatever you feel like you must produce or you'll burst.
I’m one of the people who started following in December, devoured everything you wrote and have been excited to hear more. I absolutely do not care about it being polished; you express concepts and ideas that feel like they have been sitting in my soul not understood, not spoken of, just wisps of a vibe, and here you are aiming to actually give them form! I am so grateful and excited that you’re even attempting it, make it as messy as you damn please!
As someone who has been largely disabled from what is being called Long Covid (for 2 years now), I have learned that inflammation is an important part of how the covid virus/proteins operate in our bodies (or moreso our bodies' reaction to them). If you aren't recovering as you'd like, I highly recommend starting an anti-inflammation diet to see if that helps in recovery!
Also, as someone who has halted all creative endeavors because nothing feels "good enough", thank you for your words! 💜 It's truly helped me process some of what I've been going through mentally.
Hey Julian! Another qoustion (I had one before, a few posts away) when will be the next fiction Friday? Happy you are better!
Hey Julian!
How was your day? Have you done anything nice?
I observed people don't put that kind of qoustions anymore, and when they do, they don't meant it. It is just the protocol.
Anyway I send this message to you directly (and not to Charlie or Emily) because it is a matter of literature.
Short story (I don't have a long one): I started writing a book. But after I read one of your earlier posts, (when you announced that you are going to make predictions) I released that a part of the introduction was (might be) a description of the Big Bang. So I rewrite that part (because it was for a fantasy novel) and translated it.
My question actually is: Can you please tell me if it is a description of the Big Bang.
I don't know what else to write.
Good for you you feel better
And... I like very much your work.
P.S.: when I wrote the introduction it really was flowing from somewhere...
Hey Julian!
How was your day? Have you done anything nice?
I observed people don't put that kind of qoustions anymore, and when they do, they don't meant it. It is just the protocol.
Anyway I send this message to you directly (and not to Charlie or Emily) because it is a matter of literature.
Short story (I don't have a long one): I started writing a book. But after I read one of your earlier posts, (when you announced that you are going to make predictions) I released that a part of the introduction was (might be) a description of the Big Bang. So I rewrite that part (because it was for a fantasy novel) and translated it.
My question actually is: Can you please tell me if it is a description of the Big Bang.
I don't know what else to write.
Good for you you feel better
And... I like very much your work.
P.S.: when I wrote the introduction it really was flowing from somewhere...
"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original" - Sir Ken Robinson
Embrace the mistakes. You're doing incredible work.
Good morning Julian,
Glad to know you are on the mend.
Your words give rise to facing my own fear of “oh,could I be a writer”? I have several mind blocks one Being grammar . I think I was day dreaming in that class or maybe most of my classes.Well I digress.... second just fear of the perfection part and that is where your article caused me pause to allow myself to rethink . Still pausing but hey this IS the 1st words written here .
Thank you, Mary T
Hi Julian. I just now finished reading Connect, and I have to jump in here and say... Wow! wow! Wow! Brilliant, moving... I’m blown away. So thank you!
I've wrestled with the exact issues and am in my own process of overcoming the mental hurdles I've set up for myself, just so I can share my art with the world. It helps ease the process knowing other artists are fighting the same battles.