I have definitely used the ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about X recently…’ (not Twitter/X, I want to add), and similar to you, it’s led to some of my weakest writing. It feels lazy? Too obvious a statement? 🙄
Yes lazy imo, and it can basically always be omitted and it changes nothing. Like don’t tell me that you’ve been thinking about it, just tell me what you’ve been thinking
I’m so glad I came across your page! I’ve literally been thinking about this today, I started substack and I’ve been struggling with how to approach it because I personally have more fun exploring concepts within a story with characters. Thank u for these piece!!
“how when you talk to people and ask questions the story just reveals itself, and these grand and beautiful concepts end up shining through like light through a prism every time”
“I need STORY, SETTING, CHARACTER, CONFLICT if I ever want to write inwards to CONCEPT.”
“I really love sensation, I really love action.” Yes! I think what’s frustrating in a lot of amateur (and professional) cultural criticism is the failure to accurately assess the stakes of a concept or a piece of art. Like, not every movie or trend needs to speak to the state of the society, culture, capitalism, etc - sometimes it’s silly or something you’re thinking about!
100%. I also think everyone (me included) is kind of confused about the state of magazines and indie publishing at the moment, because audience is changing, format is changing, content is changing, etc., but we still want to be considered serious by the same standards as traditional journalists and critics who came from a media landscape that just doesn't exist anymore. So then we get these essays on topics that are remote and highly subjective written as if there was a way to approach them objectively. It just makes for a very specific type of writing, which is what's popular rn. Some of them are done really well, but personally I just don't think it's my strongest style even though I feel pushed toward it by the zeitgeist
LOLed at the gif! I spent days thinking about your elite capture piece - rooting things in reality works, especially when the internet seems to churn out content around loose concepts, again and again and again.
Tell me why I literally started writing THE SAME thing today in my substack post that I haven’t finished yet lol (okay not the same but very similar!!) love that we are on the same wavelength
I’m excited for you to have a space where you can really name names. After reading the elite capture piece i remember thinking ‘oh i wonder what it was actually like there in the office’, i’m glad you’re giving yourself space to do that, excited to read!
I have definitely used the ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about X recently…’ (not Twitter/X, I want to add), and similar to you, it’s led to some of my weakest writing. It feels lazy? Too obvious a statement? 🙄
Yes lazy imo, and it can basically always be omitted and it changes nothing. Like don’t tell me that you’ve been thinking about it, just tell me what you’ve been thinking
I’m so glad I came across your page! I’ve literally been thinking about this today, I started substack and I’ve been struggling with how to approach it because I personally have more fun exploring concepts within a story with characters. Thank u for these piece!!
“how when you talk to people and ask questions the story just reveals itself, and these grand and beautiful concepts end up shining through like light through a prism every time”
“I need STORY, SETTING, CHARACTER, CONFLICT if I ever want to write inwards to CONCEPT.”
yeah it's good to ignore the feed sometimes (most times) and just write what you want!
“I really love sensation, I really love action.” Yes! I think what’s frustrating in a lot of amateur (and professional) cultural criticism is the failure to accurately assess the stakes of a concept or a piece of art. Like, not every movie or trend needs to speak to the state of the society, culture, capitalism, etc - sometimes it’s silly or something you’re thinking about!
100%. I also think everyone (me included) is kind of confused about the state of magazines and indie publishing at the moment, because audience is changing, format is changing, content is changing, etc., but we still want to be considered serious by the same standards as traditional journalists and critics who came from a media landscape that just doesn't exist anymore. So then we get these essays on topics that are remote and highly subjective written as if there was a way to approach them objectively. It just makes for a very specific type of writing, which is what's popular rn. Some of them are done really well, but personally I just don't think it's my strongest style even though I feel pushed toward it by the zeitgeist
LOLed at the gif! I spent days thinking about your elite capture piece - rooting things in reality works, especially when the internet seems to churn out content around loose concepts, again and again and again.
wow thank you <3 and yes i keep remembering and forgetting and then remembering again that the internet is less interesting than it seems
Tell me why I literally started writing THE SAME thing today in my substack post that I haven’t finished yet lol (okay not the same but very similar!!) love that we are on the same wavelength
OMG classic us behavior, can't wait to read
I’m excited for you to have a space where you can really name names. After reading the elite capture piece i remember thinking ‘oh i wonder what it was actually like there in the office’, i’m glad you’re giving yourself space to do that, excited to read!
thank you! more to come
just wanted to say that the "me amongst a CONCEPT" gif is so relatable!! so excited for you going forward <3
eeee thank you <3
I'm using them the same way myself.