This was very interesting. I’m now second guessing every word I use and why.
Also loved this observation on non-fiction reads (it’s exactly why I tend to steer away from non fiction unless I’m heavily invested in the topic!
“As soon as I picked up how most popular non-fiction books are padded just to make them thick enough to justify their existence as book shelf plug-ins that look great in your Zoom background, I spent a lot of time not reading the book, and instead reading reviews and summaries.”
Thank you, Michaella! Please don’t second guess your word choices. I feel bad for not saying more about other kinds of writing. I’ve just been reading your latest piece this morning and you clearly “feel your way to good writing”, and most of my amateurish rambling about people not getting what I mean certainly doesn’t apply to you.
One day I hope I can, like you, craft a delicious sweet insight and wrap it in such a beautiful packaging of a narrative that makes it come across as lighthearted and unimportant, but as it melts slowly on your tastebuds leaves you with the delectable flavor of appreciation for the littlest things.
Not doubting my words but I enjoyed how your article made me think about how I write and my language processes. I’ve also never considered that we all use words to mean slightly different things and decipher enough partial accuracy to land on the meaning and remove the ambiguity. It’s interesting to think we never fully communicate with 💯 accuracy to one another. This is the exact reason why there are WhatsApp groups with friends trying to uncrack the code of their dates text messages with friends 😂)
It’s true that I do ‘feel my way’ through any piece. I tend to brain dump the majority of the article first and then shuffle around the order of the paragraphs for emphasis later. There are occasions I will double check the meanings of words that to know if I use them in a given context or if it’ll make sense. Sometimes, I will choose to use a word not intended to mean the thing it does in some sort of creative flair. I often pause and think close to the end, making sure I choose the correct words for emotive moment.
And errrrm 🥹🥹🥹that review of my writing!! Such kind words and so beautifully put. Thank you!!!! Have a wonderful Easter weekend ❤️
And here’s a random idea for a future Substack meetup (or perhaps "spin-off"): sharing our writing processes in some form. Not sure how exactly. But I suspect we all have very different approaches to end up with a few paragraphs that are somewhat coherent.
I just got a new MacBook after years of working on a very old and run-down HP. Excited to dive into this. And I LOVE this idea. I think it would be so cool to do a working writers sessions. So keen to hear more thoughts on this and for us to plan together with others!
This was very interesting. I’m now second guessing every word I use and why.
Also loved this observation on non-fiction reads (it’s exactly why I tend to steer away from non fiction unless I’m heavily invested in the topic!
“As soon as I picked up how most popular non-fiction books are padded just to make them thick enough to justify their existence as book shelf plug-ins that look great in your Zoom background, I spent a lot of time not reading the book, and instead reading reviews and summaries.”
A great read, Steffan 😊
Thank you, Michaella! Please don’t second guess your word choices. I feel bad for not saying more about other kinds of writing. I’ve just been reading your latest piece this morning and you clearly “feel your way to good writing”, and most of my amateurish rambling about people not getting what I mean certainly doesn’t apply to you.
One day I hope I can, like you, craft a delicious sweet insight and wrap it in such a beautiful packaging of a narrative that makes it come across as lighthearted and unimportant, but as it melts slowly on your tastebuds leaves you with the delectable flavor of appreciation for the littlest things.
Not doubting my words but I enjoyed how your article made me think about how I write and my language processes. I’ve also never considered that we all use words to mean slightly different things and decipher enough partial accuracy to land on the meaning and remove the ambiguity. It’s interesting to think we never fully communicate with 💯 accuracy to one another. This is the exact reason why there are WhatsApp groups with friends trying to uncrack the code of their dates text messages with friends 😂)
It’s true that I do ‘feel my way’ through any piece. I tend to brain dump the majority of the article first and then shuffle around the order of the paragraphs for emphasis later. There are occasions I will double check the meanings of words that to know if I use them in a given context or if it’ll make sense. Sometimes, I will choose to use a word not intended to mean the thing it does in some sort of creative flair. I often pause and think close to the end, making sure I choose the correct words for emotive moment.
And errrrm 🥹🥹🥹that review of my writing!! Such kind words and so beautifully put. Thank you!!!! Have a wonderful Easter weekend ❤️
By far the feature on my computer that I use the most: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchl3983326c/mac
And here’s a random idea for a future Substack meetup (or perhaps "spin-off"): sharing our writing processes in some form. Not sure how exactly. But I suspect we all have very different approaches to end up with a few paragraphs that are somewhat coherent.
I just got a new MacBook after years of working on a very old and run-down HP. Excited to dive into this. And I LOVE this idea. I think it would be so cool to do a working writers sessions. So keen to hear more thoughts on this and for us to plan together with others!