I bought the Rooney book from your suggestion. Will let you know my thought. Thanks so much for sharing, I loved this new format. Loved the comment about Drake’s aging. I’m offline but saw a picture of him on The Times the other day and thought I was the only one. Lol Proud of you, fam! Excited to listen to the pods.
Thank you, G! I appreciate this, and so glad to hear your feedback re: the new format. My best to you always man. Let me know how you like Rooney. I was a skeptic, but homegirl can write for real for real.
Pay attention to the stiffness and take a step back! Yes! But why is it so hardddd? lol I guess the hard part has been being honest with myself about when that's happening, because if I admit something isn't working, it feels like it was all a "waste" of time/energy. It becomes less of a waste when we catch it early and think about it as part of the process, though. I think that whole feeling that I wasted time if I end up cutting a bunch of words or putting the novel in a drawer is an outcome-driven mentality anyway, like if I'm there in my mind then that means I'm thinking too hard about publishing/validation/recognition and not hard enough about the quality of the work itself. I loved this letter, thank you! P.S. yes Sally Rooney is so good -- my fav is Conversations with Friends, which is maybe not her best work but was so enjoyable to read. P.P.S. I love the "when are you gonna grow tf up" take on Drake haha you're so right but I'm like maybe being a childhood actor stunted him?? that's my soft spot for degrassi talking tho
Thank you for reading, Lindsay! And yes I feel you on the idea that you’re “wasting” time. I used to feel like that all the time in the 10 years it took me to draft Victim. Then I realized I was actually wasting more time by sticking with something that wasn’t working simply because I’d already invested so much time into it. Learning how to get rid of expectations helped a lot, too. But it’s easier said than done.
"I know the sorts of characters I want in it, but I’m in search of the vehicle to put them all into" If by vehicle you mean plot you should have no problem Andrew. The characters, chiefly your protagonist, will tell you the plot. If not give them time. They will become sharp, your word. If not, there's where your work is. When a novel presents problems for the writer, it's not the plot. It's the characters.
Great stuff, thank you! What little I know about the Beef, I get from my 2 young adult children :) Thank you for the book recommendation. I discovered Victim (which I loved) courtesy of an Alex Perez interview or article (can’t remember which)
I need to catch up on the Kendrick vs. Drake feud, though I was definitely Team Kendrick and never doubted he'd come out on top. I've actually never listened to Drake -- his face makes me angry and to me his whole vibe always screamed "wack."
Interesting to hear about your false starts on the second novel. I tend to latch onto a big plot hook then wing the day-to-day writing. My least favorite advice is to "write X number of words per day," because I think it's too reductive and forces the issue. Reading comic books or going for a bike ride while letting my brain work in the background counts as "writing" in my book. I absolutely agree when the process feels tedious, and I'm not having fun, I don't produce my best work.
Great first post in the new format! Looking forward to more.
Thank you brother, Amran! And yeah dude, I've slowly come to learn that taking a break counts as work, too. Helps when the pressure of the first book is off of your shoulders.
Great piece man, and congrats on the outstanding success of your book! I agree wholeheartedly about Kendrick. I think he's easily one of our greatest living artists, across any medium, which is why I was slightly dismayed by the Drake beef, not because I didn't think he would win (never any doubt) but I think his music transcends all that - it's got such literary depth. But I guess all the heavyhitters in hip hop have to get around to the beef sooner or later. Def one of the greatest.
Thank you, Michael, I appreciate that man. And I agree, Kendrick is top-tier. Beef is part of hip-hop's DNA, but man, I think he put on a master class at how to execute it. As a long time rap fan, it was something incredible to watch.
Good takes all around, but especially on the Drake v Kendrick battle (which Kendrick definitely won). I've ways been KL over Drake, and this battle, if nothing else, really highlighted exactly what you pint out here: Kendrick is dealing with real life issues, and that comes out in his music, whereas Drake does feel like a man-child, desperately clinging to a brand that still has some sway but is in danger of the natural obsolescence that comes for artists who refuse to evolve.
I bought the Rooney book from your suggestion. Will let you know my thought. Thanks so much for sharing, I loved this new format. Loved the comment about Drake’s aging. I’m offline but saw a picture of him on The Times the other day and thought I was the only one. Lol Proud of you, fam! Excited to listen to the pods.
Thank you, G! I appreciate this, and so glad to hear your feedback re: the new format. My best to you always man. Let me know how you like Rooney. I was a skeptic, but homegirl can write for real for real.
Just listened to Rigamortus the other day. When those drums come in…geyat damn!
Pay attention to the stiffness and take a step back! Yes! But why is it so hardddd? lol I guess the hard part has been being honest with myself about when that's happening, because if I admit something isn't working, it feels like it was all a "waste" of time/energy. It becomes less of a waste when we catch it early and think about it as part of the process, though. I think that whole feeling that I wasted time if I end up cutting a bunch of words or putting the novel in a drawer is an outcome-driven mentality anyway, like if I'm there in my mind then that means I'm thinking too hard about publishing/validation/recognition and not hard enough about the quality of the work itself. I loved this letter, thank you! P.S. yes Sally Rooney is so good -- my fav is Conversations with Friends, which is maybe not her best work but was so enjoyable to read. P.P.S. I love the "when are you gonna grow tf up" take on Drake haha you're so right but I'm like maybe being a childhood actor stunted him?? that's my soft spot for degrassi talking tho
Thank you for reading, Lindsay! And yes I feel you on the idea that you’re “wasting” time. I used to feel like that all the time in the 10 years it took me to draft Victim. Then I realized I was actually wasting more time by sticking with something that wasn’t working simply because I’d already invested so much time into it. Learning how to get rid of expectations helped a lot, too. But it’s easier said than done.
"I know the sorts of characters I want in it, but I’m in search of the vehicle to put them all into" If by vehicle you mean plot you should have no problem Andrew. The characters, chiefly your protagonist, will tell you the plot. If not give them time. They will become sharp, your word. If not, there's where your work is. When a novel presents problems for the writer, it's not the plot. It's the characters.
Thank you, Richard! I will take this to heart as I continue drafting forward. Appreciate you reading
Great stuff, thank you! What little I know about the Beef, I get from my 2 young adult children :) Thank you for the book recommendation. I discovered Victim (which I loved) courtesy of an Alex Perez interview or article (can’t remember which)
Thanks, Chris! Glad to hear you enjoyed the novel. Appreciate you reading this, too.
I need to catch up on the Kendrick vs. Drake feud, though I was definitely Team Kendrick and never doubted he'd come out on top. I've actually never listened to Drake -- his face makes me angry and to me his whole vibe always screamed "wack."
Interesting to hear about your false starts on the second novel. I tend to latch onto a big plot hook then wing the day-to-day writing. My least favorite advice is to "write X number of words per day," because I think it's too reductive and forces the issue. Reading comic books or going for a bike ride while letting my brain work in the background counts as "writing" in my book. I absolutely agree when the process feels tedious, and I'm not having fun, I don't produce my best work.
Great first post in the new format! Looking forward to more.
Thank you brother, Amran! And yeah dude, I've slowly come to learn that taking a break counts as work, too. Helps when the pressure of the first book is off of your shoulders.
Great piece man, and congrats on the outstanding success of your book! I agree wholeheartedly about Kendrick. I think he's easily one of our greatest living artists, across any medium, which is why I was slightly dismayed by the Drake beef, not because I didn't think he would win (never any doubt) but I think his music transcends all that - it's got such literary depth. But I guess all the heavyhitters in hip hop have to get around to the beef sooner or later. Def one of the greatest.
Thank you, Michael, I appreciate that man. And I agree, Kendrick is top-tier. Beef is part of hip-hop's DNA, but man, I think he put on a master class at how to execute it. As a long time rap fan, it was something incredible to watch.
I'll admit, "Not Like Us" shut it down. :)
Good takes all around, but especially on the Drake v Kendrick battle (which Kendrick definitely won). I've ways been KL over Drake, and this battle, if nothing else, really highlighted exactly what you pint out here: Kendrick is dealing with real life issues, and that comes out in his music, whereas Drake does feel like a man-child, desperately clinging to a brand that still has some sway but is in danger of the natural obsolescence that comes for artists who refuse to evolve.
Thank you, Evan! I do wonder if Drake has it in him to rap about some real life stuff. Part of me wonders how that would sound.