"Lodge in your mind like a sinus infection" conveys it so well.
So much of writing is also about observing your process, as it is about the world and yourself. At first going meta felt like a limiting requirement of a job, where you have to know your process to be able to plan a project, guide a team, negotiate, optimize, etc. All this "extra workload" around writing.
Now I can see how it is freeing - you know what part of the process comes naturally, what part needs work - it aids your learning. It is nice to able to teach yourself as opposed to only writing and feeling lost when the tap stops running.
I like the idea of a "writerly metabolism." I started writing seriously two years ago and back then, I was obsessed with sticking to a weekly publishing schedule. I needed the constraint. But two years later, I'm more relaxed. I'll work on a piece till I think it's ready to publish. I'm not necessarily writing any more words or working any faster than I was back then, but I'm spending longer with ideas.
Another change I've experienced recently, which might also come under the notion of "metabolism," is using a range of writing forms to buy back time and energy. For eg, if I've just spent 3 weeks on a heavy-lift essay, I might choose to write a listicle next—something that is quick and requires less mental work, but is no less enjoyable. Maybe a writer's metabolism includes these formal ingredients as well.
Hey Michael, great piece! I was wondering if you could clarify on the metabolism bit: are you referring to ingestion / digestion (intake: research, material, interviews and output: the words on the page)? I’m also curious if you think this applies to writing fiction as well. Such good advice!
I feel like most writers have a "set point" - a pace at which they comfortably and consistently produce good work. The Internet put a premium on speed of writing—typing out takes and overnight reviews of the new Taylor Swift. My experience was that many writers had trouble adjusting to the pace, or they adjusted for a while, and then experienced burnout. That's what I meant about being sensitive to your metabolism. I have less experience with fiction writing but my sense is that it suffers from the opposite problem! It's can be hard to know when a piece of fiction is ever really finished. Could it be better? Maybe I should try a different perspective, or add a new scene. I have some further thoughts on writer metabolism that I will try to pull together soon. Thanks for reading. -M
Great stuff. Love the idea of novelists suffering from the opposite. Martin Amis called this “the age of acceleration” where novelists can no longer keep up with any sense of newness in the news cycle
"Lodge in your mind like a sinus infection" conveys it so well.
So much of writing is also about observing your process, as it is about the world and yourself. At first going meta felt like a limiting requirement of a job, where you have to know your process to be able to plan a project, guide a team, negotiate, optimize, etc. All this "extra workload" around writing.
Now I can see how it is freeing - you know what part of the process comes naturally, what part needs work - it aids your learning. It is nice to able to teach yourself as opposed to only writing and feeling lost when the tap stops running.
I like the idea of a "writerly metabolism." I started writing seriously two years ago and back then, I was obsessed with sticking to a weekly publishing schedule. I needed the constraint. But two years later, I'm more relaxed. I'll work on a piece till I think it's ready to publish. I'm not necessarily writing any more words or working any faster than I was back then, but I'm spending longer with ideas.
Another change I've experienced recently, which might also come under the notion of "metabolism," is using a range of writing forms to buy back time and energy. For eg, if I've just spent 3 weeks on a heavy-lift essay, I might choose to write a listicle next—something that is quick and requires less mental work, but is no less enjoyable. Maybe a writer's metabolism includes these formal ingredients as well.
What do ya'll think?
Hey Michael, great piece! I was wondering if you could clarify on the metabolism bit: are you referring to ingestion / digestion (intake: research, material, interviews and output: the words on the page)? I’m also curious if you think this applies to writing fiction as well. Such good advice!
I feel like most writers have a "set point" - a pace at which they comfortably and consistently produce good work. The Internet put a premium on speed of writing—typing out takes and overnight reviews of the new Taylor Swift. My experience was that many writers had trouble adjusting to the pace, or they adjusted for a while, and then experienced burnout. That's what I meant about being sensitive to your metabolism. I have less experience with fiction writing but my sense is that it suffers from the opposite problem! It's can be hard to know when a piece of fiction is ever really finished. Could it be better? Maybe I should try a different perspective, or add a new scene. I have some further thoughts on writer metabolism that I will try to pull together soon. Thanks for reading. -M
Great stuff. Love the idea of novelists suffering from the opposite. Martin Amis called this “the age of acceleration” where novelists can no longer keep up with any sense of newness in the news cycle
👌. Helpful. Thank you. 😊