4 ms·

IMO this article comes off a little strong. It's not all that uncommon for a topic to be difficult to write about for a variety of reasons besides dishonesty. I

IMO this article comes off a little strong. It's not all that uncommon for a topic to be difficult to write about for a variety of reasons besides dishonesty. I can think of several off hand: - Lack of experience (you're blocked because you need to go do something first in order to be able to relate first-hand about it) - Lack of knowledge (you're blocked because you don't yet fully understand your subject, or you have the head knowledge but haven't really assimilated it yet) - Lack of coherence (you're blocked because you haven't yet been able to condense your feelings on the subject into words that make sense) Is there a value in writing straight from the heart? Of course there is. But even in "lying", as the author puts it, there is value in exploring the positions of others through the writing process. This is a great way to validate what one DOES believe as well as to better understand those one might disagree with.

darkerside 5y ago
If you're trying to write something valuable, not having something to say is probably worse than lying
jszymborski 5y ago
I agree that the article comes off a bit strong and the headline even stronger, however the underlying advice I think is still helpful in this case. I have a terrible habit of trying to make my first draft my last draft by self-editing incessantly. I'm partly writing this out for my own benefit, so apologies if this sounds perscriptive. Even if you haven't anything interesting to say, you're mind is thinking something regarding the topic. One might not know the first thing about "Luminal Collapse in Early Breast Cancer", but I bet you can write a million questions. "How 'early' is early breast cancer? What exactly is collapsing and how can I see it? This luminal collapse thing sounds ominous, what exactly does it mean for outcomes? The 'collapse' part is particularly ominous sounding. If I suffered from breast cancer, that word would be pretty scary. I wonder what the relation is between scariness of medical terms and the decisions of patients to undergo treatment." Immediately, you've something on the page and some off-topic ramblings. By the time you've answered those questions and filtered out the truly off-topic material, you'll probably realise there's a better framing or some underlying truth. You've achieved an early draft and are ready for editing! tl;dr: I don't love the tone of the article but the general and common advice of writing drunk and editing sober is probably good advice.
munificent 5y ago
> IMO this article comes off a little strong. Is that not the point? The author could have tempered their words to fit into something more palatable to a wider audience. But then they'd be saying what they think would be easily received and not what they actually felt. I whole-heartedly agree with the author that much of the difficulty for many writers is having the courage to say what they mean. And it takes courage to say that that's the problem, because it risks hurting readers' feelings. But that kind of shock might be necessary to get people out of their rut. And, even if not, if it's what the author feels, I respect their honesty. I'd rather read something heartfelt that I disagree with than a pile of prose whose sharp edges have all been rounded off to the point that only a meaningless pebble remains.
- birdyrooster 5y ago
  It’s also likely that this was something they wrote to themselves and then shared it with a wider audience. It says more about their internal monologue than it does about them admonishing the reader. For me the art in this article is about their grappling with a universal struggle and how they have tried to come to terms with a solution.
- watwut 5y ago
  > The author could have tempered their words to fit into something more palatable to a wider audience. The issue is also tempering to the words to what is actually true about world and human psychology. Something being funny or insulting or strong in words does not imply it brings in deep truth. Pretty often, it creates false description of world. And the words being strong are making that lie more convincing. > But then they'd be saying what they think would be easily received and not what they actually felt. Feelings are not facts. It way more honest to write about feelings in a way that makes it clear you write about feelings. Instead, articles like this pretend to describe the world around and not feelings. > And it takes courage to say that that's the problem, because it risks hurting readers' feelings When you lie about other people mental state or make it up, them objecting is 100% valid. Their feelings are rightfully hurt. Because the actual issue is not that you was impolite, it is that you are saying untrue things about them.
- twodave 5y ago
kayodelycaon 5y ago
There is also lack of capacity. Due to any number of reasons, someone may not have the time or energy to actually write. Recognizing which one is the problem is difficult because they compound each other. Each one has a different fix. I struggle with capacity and fixing that probably requires me to make time and rearranging my life to make more energy available. If that means talking to a therapist, don’t be afraid to. :)
- twodave 5y ago
  Indeed. And as a software engineer I find there are many parallels with this to writing code.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
u385639 5y ago
I believe your 3 points are covered by dishonesty, and perhaps the writing process can be said to be a potential cure for "lack of X". Still, when one is competent and has something to say, writing is not difficult in the sense being discussed, only technically.
- twodave 5y ago
  Wanting to write about a subject you're not fully prepared to write about isn't dishonest, it's just premature. I think the difference that this has from dishonesty is dishonesty can be cured by... simply being honest. These 3 hypotheticals I've mentioned (and there are certainly many others) can all be cured instead by doing more groundwork.
mbrodersen 5y ago
The article is honest. Which makes it better than 99% of articles written nowadays. And I am pretty sure that the author would say that your excuses are just that: excuses. 5 year old kids write stories without problems. So why can’t you? You don’t have to publish it if it isn’t good enough.

darkerside 5y ago

If you're trying to write something valuable, not having something to say is probably worse than lying

jszymborski 5y ago

I agree that the article comes off a bit strong and the headline even stronger, however the underlying advice I think is still helpful in this case. I have a terrible habit of trying to make my first draft my last draft by self-editing incessantly. I'm partly writing this out for my own benefit, so apologies if this sounds perscriptive. Even if you haven't anything interesting to say, you're mind is thinking something regarding the topic. One might not know the first thing about "Luminal Collapse in Early Breast Cancer", but I bet you can write a million questions. "How 'early' is early breast cancer? What exactly is collapsing and how can I see it? This luminal collapse thing sounds ominous, what exactly does it mean for outcomes? The 'collapse' part is particularly ominous sounding. If I suffered from breast cancer, that word would be pretty scary. I wonder what the relation is between scariness of medical terms and the decisions of patients to undergo treatment." Immediately, you've something on the page and some off-topic ramblings. By the time you've answered those questions and filtered out the truly off-topic material, you'll probably realise there's a better framing or some underlying truth. You've achieved an early draft and are ready for editing! tl;dr: I don't love the tone of the article but the general and common advice of writing drunk and editing sober is probably good advice.

munificent 5y ago

> IMO this article comes off a little strong. Is that not the point? The author could have tempered their words to fit into something more palatable to a wider audience. But then they'd be saying what they think would be easily received and not what they actually felt. I whole-heartedly agree with the author that much of the difficulty for many writers is having the courage to say what they mean. And it takes courage to say that that's the problem, because it risks hurting readers' feelings. But that kind of shock might be necessary to get people out of their rut. And, even if not, if it's what the author feels, I respect their honesty. I'd rather read something heartfelt that I disagree with than a pile of prose whose sharp edges have all been rounded off to the point that only a meaningless pebble remains.

birdyrooster 5y ago
It’s also likely that this was something they wrote to themselves and then shared it with a wider audience. It says more about their internal monologue than it does about them admonishing the reader. For me the art in this article is about their grappling with a universal struggle and how they have tried to come to terms with a solution.
watwut 5y ago
> The author could have tempered their words to fit into something more palatable to a wider audience. The issue is also tempering to the words to what is actually true about world and human psychology. Something being funny or insulting or strong in words does not imply it brings in deep truth. Pretty often, it creates false description of world. And the words being strong are making that lie more convincing. > But then they'd be saying what they think would be easily received and not what they actually felt. Feelings are not facts. It way more honest to write about feelings in a way that makes it clear you write about feelings. Instead, articles like this pretend to describe the world around and not feelings. > And it takes courage to say that that's the problem, because it risks hurting readers' feelings When you lie about other people mental state or make it up, them objecting is 100% valid. Their feelings are rightfully hurt. Because the actual issue is not that you was impolite, it is that you are saying untrue things about them.
twodave 5y ago

kayodelycaon 5y ago

There is also lack of capacity. Due to any number of reasons, someone may not have the time or energy to actually write. Recognizing which one is the problem is difficult because they compound each other. Each one has a different fix. I struggle with capacity and fixing that probably requires me to make time and rearranging my life to make more energy available. If that means talking to a therapist, don’t be afraid to. :)

twodave 5y ago
Indeed. And as a software engineer I find there are many parallels with this to writing code.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

u385639 5y ago

I believe your 3 points are covered by dishonesty, and perhaps the writing process can be said to be a potential cure for "lack of X". Still, when one is competent and has something to say, writing is not difficult in the sense being discussed, only technically.

twodave 5y ago
Wanting to write about a subject you're not fully prepared to write about isn't dishonest, it's just premature. I think the difference that this has from dishonesty is dishonesty can be cured by... simply being honest. These 3 hypotheticals I've mentioned (and there are certainly many others) can all be cured instead by doing more groundwork.

mbrodersen 5y ago

The article is honest. Which makes it better than 99% of articles written nowadays. And I am pretty sure that the author would say that your excuses are just that: excuses. 5 year old kids write stories without problems. So why can’t you? You don’t have to publish it if it isn’t good enough.