Writing is the practice of unraveling each thought, examining where it might be confusing, and figuring out where each idea connects or diverges. Thinking with greater clarity begins with your hands.
Welcome back to Write of Passage Weekly, where we help you discover your unique perspective and share it with the world.
Last week, you learned the virtue of concision and how you sometimes need to drown your kittens. Today, we’re talking about how writing is a form of thinking and how clear thinking starts with writing.
Think With Your Hands
One of the most common blocks that prevent a brilliant mind from expressing itself is the tangled mess of ideas in their head. Like pebbles in a teapot, many are unable to pour out what they wish to say, no matter how great their ideas may be.
Writing is like a dexterous hand, untangling the knots of thoughts all tangled up in your head. Each sentence is a delicate pull to separate the threads of your imagination, trying to make sense of the loops without losing your string of thought. Each word is carefully selected so that, when the strands untangle, you can weave your ideas into a beautiful tapestry of prose.
Writing is the practice of unraveling each thought, examining where it might be confusing, and figuring out where each idea connects or diverges. Thinking with greater clarity begins with your hands. What are the knots preventing your memories from becoming stories? What twisted threads are preventing your sentences from becoming statements? What loose ends are preventing you from finishing meaningful projects? Write to tease it out.
Your ability to express yourself is limited by how well you can write. Yarn is useless if it’s all tangled in knots; comb through what’s in your head by thinking with your hands.
Steven Pressfield has sold millions of books, seen his first novel become a Hollywood film…and he thinks talent is wildly overrated. In this episode, you’ll learn about fear, art, and channeling the creative muse:
Discipline beats talent when talent isn’t disciplined. Pressfield: “If you have discipline and no talent, you're way better off than if you have a lot of talent and no discipline.”
Every day you don't spend writing is a day spent putting off the work you really want to do, the things you really want to achieve, and the person you really want to become.
Pros know that you shouldn't wait to start writing until you have every idea. You find ideas by working.
To write is to subject yourself to a certain kind of torture... to endure isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.
Hesitation is the graveyard of great ideas. Pressfield: “A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.”
Ambition is precious: “Ambition is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being. To feel ambition and to act upon it is to embrace the unique calling of our souls."
Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.
The Blitzkrieg Method: During your first draft, you will be blasted by anxieties from all sides. If you slow down to deal with them, it’s over. He recommends the Blitzkrieg Method instead—if you come to an obstacle, go around it. Forward momentum is everything in a first draft. Get words onto the page.
Maarten Boudry: “The greater the number of humans on Earth, the more we can reduce our impact on the planet. To dream of a planet with fewer people is to dream of stagnation, regression, and decline.”
Thank you for reading Write of PassageWeekly. This week, if you feel like you’re out of good ideas, sit down with a blank page and see what threads you can pull from the bundle of thoughts in your head. There is an idea in your head right now that is worth sharing with the world.
Happy writing,
The Write of Passage Team
Write of Passage, 10900 Research Blvd, Ste 160C PMB 3016, Austin, TX 78759
