Hey Writer,
How’s your writing going? I’d love to hear from you about how your routine has changed since reading this newsletter. Mine has definitely been effected. I’ve been more conscious about setting aside time for writing at night before I go to bed. The result has been great progress on a short story that I’m really proud of. I’m hoping to submit it to a collection that has a word count rule of 3000. As I’m writing the story, I think I might surpass that limit. This is huge as a chronic underwriter. No matter how the story turns out, it feels good to be churning out some words.
Cormac McCarthy- Writing at the Center of Everything
Cormac McCarthy was an American author whose writing style and endless pursuit of perfection made him what Stephen King called “maybe the greatest American fiction author of [his] time”. When it comes to dedication, there are not many who built their life around writing more than this Pulitzer Prize winner.
McCarthy often wrote in long uninterrupted stretches. He would wake up at 6 in the morning, have his coffee, read for a little while, and then immerse himself in his writing. He typed on the same Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter for nearly 50 years. He would write from morning to early afternoon, avoiding distractions and rarely making himself available for interviews or self promotion. He spent all of his time writing his stories and never worked off an outline. He felt that outlining was detrimental to his process. McCarthy also revised as he went, something that might be a faux pas in today’s society where writers are often told to write first and edit later.
Even when not writing, McCarthy sought out interesting people and new concepts that would influence his stories. He spent a lot of time at the Santa Fe Institute where he spent hours discussing physics, consciousness, and human behavior. McCarthy also traveled around his home of the American Southwest which contributed to the rich atmosphere of books like All The Pretty Horses and No Country For Old Men. He did not spend his free time in the company of other writers, it was spent finding things worth writing about. Not many people can live like this, but that’s not the point. McCarthy didn’t depend on productivity hacks, he just protected his writing time and always stayed curious about the world.
Writing Prompt:
Write for one interrupted hour. After this, do something today to learn more about something you’ve always been interested in.
Writer’s Block Autopsy: The Paralysis of Reverence
Many people want to know when they can start calling themselves an author. They wonder if they can never reach the level of someone like Cormac McCarthy or our previous author spotlights, is it even worth it? We often compare our work to these authors’ finished product instead of when they were at our stage. Yes, McCarthy wrote stories that would go on to be classics, but he still started with imperfect pages.
The problem with writers today (myself included) is a lack of patience. Some days I want to be a writer, others I just want to have written. I love telling people I’m a writer but hate producing mediocre work. Instead I research way too much, watch other writers’ journey on social media for hours, and dream about the masterpieces I’ll create. Anything but write.
Cormac McCarthy spent years writing in obscurity. Blood Meridian is a novel of his that took nearly a decade to complete. He wasn’t worried about critical acclaim, just that he was telling the story he wanted to tell. Pretty ironic that I spent so much time researching his life that I’m writing this newsletter the night before it goes live. This week I plan to forget about the end product and just tell my story. I hope you do the same.
The world has an endless supply of stories, the only one missing is yours.
See you next week.
-Mike