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Oof. I wish I could say that my newsletter is my fast art. That's what it started as, or at least, what I wanted it to be. I started writing my newsletter so that I had an outlet for quick pieces and so that I could build a safe and honest place for community without Zuckerberg or Musk telling us what we can and can't do/say. I wanted my newsletter to be fast art so that my slow art could be working on my next book. But it turns out, with being a working Mom of a 16-month old, I only have the time to write the slow-art-newsletter and the book hasn't been touched in 10 months. My Substack is growing, though, so I am grateful. But I still have the pull toward working on a larger work. How do I write my newsletters faster while still keeping them good? That's what I'm trying to figure out.

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Nov 26, 2022·edited Nov 26, 2022Liked by Matt Zamudio

This was beautiful, the way you brought it home, the generations of hard physical labor to bring forth a child who can follow a path where he doesn't have to strain his back or risk his life. You, like me and many others, have the privilege to make slow, passionate art.

I too write slowly, even though I often had to write to a deadline and do all-nighters in a row with cat naps in between.

I still marvel at Dickens, who poured out stories, solid entertainments, for newspapers on a weekly basis. You can see how he matured in that style. "Oliver Twist," for instance, was his second novel and it's weak with a plot that loses confidence midway only to turn around and repeat itself like a passage in a fugue. 10 years later Dickens is turning out solid masterpieces against the same weekly deadline. "David Copperfield," "Bleak House.' And 10 years after that, "Great Expectation."

The quantity of the text, the quality of the writing, the entertaining highs of the books, the characters brought to life who still live. These were truly Dickens' gift, and his fast writing holds its own against the slow writing of many a masterpiece.

However, I found it pointless to envy fast writers. To create a book, it takes what it takes. The book I'm serializing here on substack took 13 years to write and became so large, I divided it into 4 books. I spent a lot of time in those early drafts fussing over sentences. Finally, I was amazed how little of the first-draft prose got into the final version. I learned the hard way that the purpose of the early drafts was not to be perfect or precise but to find out who everybody was and where everybody was going.

Here’s how it worked. First, you tell yourself the story in a clumsy, verbose way, then once you know who everybody is, the narrating voice, which you may have fretted over ever finding, comes to you effortlessly. Now the fun part begins. You get to be the producer, to put on a big Vegas extravaganza version of your story, with cliffhangers and tightrope walkers, flying monkeys and melting witches.

So three cheers for writers, slow and fast.

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I have songs that I wrote in a day, although they typically got edited and improved on over time. I have a composition based on Pi, that by it's inherent nature, will never be completed, although often performed. I like this statement. "So long as I do something, it doesn’t really matter if I go fast or slow." As a craft it is as much about the journey. When you are doing it for yourself and not for money, then it really doesn't matter.

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Hi Matt, I really enjoyed reading this piece tonight as it reminded me of how I tend to be go go go, in my brain anyway. I too enjoy many art forms, painting especially lately and reading a lot but have a long procrastination about starting my substack. That tiny voice has been inciting me regularly and your piece has definitely given me the motivation to begin. Thank you and I can’t wait to read your slow art masterpiece when it’s ready to emerge.

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You’re in Italy—that’s the perfect excuse, imo ;-)

Enjoy!

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Nov 22, 2022Liked by Matt Zamudio

Hi Matt, I finally gave myself a kick in the butt and started a payed membership. Ok, being able to see your writing shed might have been a little incentive. I appreciate your take on this topic very much. I had never put things into categories like that and I think it might be a useful tool, with benefits. Looking at the various (creative) things I do through this lens will help, I think, to diminish the negative chatter in my head about never finishing anything. Next step, figuring out what things deserve the title, "long art." By the way I love the Picasso image leading off your newsletter. Don't think I've see that before. Happy Thanksgiving Matt.

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Good thoughtful essay. Thanks.

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Fast art can be used to fuel slow art. One of the nice things about my Substack is I find out quickly what resonates with readers. After publishing short pieces I can edit them into longer pieces on a broader theme. And it is nice to have daily accomplishments! Thank you Matt for a well written article!

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Another wonderful post, Matt! And you are just proving my Vata assessment. :) It is the way of the Vata to need to do do do, move move move. When I was in art school many decades ago I had a studio mate who faithfully painted every day. I could go for days, weeks, without touching that blank piece of paper and then BAM! I was unstoppable and I would finish a massive painting in a day. Most of my best work in my painting world has been created fast and furiously. But, during those days/weeks when I didn't make a mark, I was still "working" - just in my head. Gathering life experiences. As a writer, I used to edit and edit a crazy amount before hitting "Publish." IDK what's happened since I came to Substack but I'm letting things out into the world without the need for perfection. Maybe things are flowing more and my muse is more attentive. Maybe I've let go of self-criticism, being older and wiser. IDK, we creatives can't help all the pondering. :)

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Matt, your voice is clear and refreshing in a world that’s felt more than a little chaotic this week. It is what I needed to hear, especially this:

“It’s life itself, that voice in the back of my head that says, Your time on Earth is short, so

Do something.

Do something.

Do something “

Thank you! Keep writing.

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It would be interesting to make a comparison to see 'on average' who takes the longest to do what...🤔

J.C.

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I appreciate this nudge. Brevity is not my strength, so short stories (or substack ramblings) are exercises in getting to the point a LITTLE more quickly (sometimes).

Jessie

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I write songs. Can usually bang them out pretty quickly. But stories elude me in that I seem to lose the thread... Somehow I can never stay on topic or map out effectively the arc of the narrative. Any tips?

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Great post. I may be one of those fast writers you're curious about. But it comes at a cost. A pile of "finished" stories destined for a VERY long, VERY slow revision process. And what I recently referred to as a pulled writer's muscle. Writing IS exercise! I have the strained neck and brain fog to prove it. 😩The Substack scene is great for putting something you made with your brain into the world regularly and often. And you're doing that! Keep it up, writer guy. Glad to be on the journey with you. 🙂

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I really enjoyed reading this. Sometimes I read what you’ve written in your newsletter and wonder how you got into my brain, lol! Thank you for whatever amount of time and energy you have put into your “fast art” on Substack. And please let me know how I can read any of your “slow art.”

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Hi Matt

Thanks for sharing this and letting your readers into your life. Your story resonates with me, as I am sure it will for others.

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