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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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It’s tough, Jessy. And I can’t imagine with all the stuff you have to do. But hopefully that makes the time you do writer ever more pleasurable -- that’s what I call making every word count. Just keep going. Do what you can. And if life gets in the way, it gets in the way. Really, it’s more important. The writing will always be there for you when the time is right. Thanks for reading and writing me. I struggle with this too, and I have way less responsibilities. It’s very relevant

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Thank you for this. "The writing will always be there for you..." Such a beautiful reminder.

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Jessy, if I might interject as an artist and mother of adult children, try to let go of expectation and self-criticism during this time in your life. Being a mom of a young child is physically and emotionally draining. And, I would add, it's especially hard on creatives. I stopped painting for a couple of years when my kids were little but in time I felt like I would explode if I didn't get back to it. If you do nothing more than write ideas in your journal, that's enough. I think Substack is great because the setup makes writing so easy. Your book will happen if it's meant to, when it's meant to. I'll be 69 next month and have had a book brewing for several years now . I don't stress about it anymore. If it doesn't happen in this lifetime, maybe it will in the next. You are making stories every day, whether you write them down and share or not. :)

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Love this ^

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Thank you, Barbara. I actually find that I'm more creative now that I have my son. It's as if he unlocked another realm that I didn't have access to before him. He's been such a gift to me. My little teacher. But you're right that I am drained in every way possible. And the writing is both fueling and exhausting, but I am a better mother if I get a chance to write so I try to do it in some capacity every day, like you say, even if it's just jotting thing down in a journal. I have a finished book that I'm trying to get an agent for, but that's a task all itself that leaves even less time for writing the second book. For me, it always comes back to time and how little of it I seem to have now and how fast it's moving. The thing is, I will always choose my son, y'know? I will choose him over everything because one day, he will be pulling out of the driveway and I will yearn for his tiny hands and belly laughs. He will know he is loved, but he will always know that art is worth fighting for. He will grow up seeing me do the thing I love. Maybe it's not writing a book, but it will be getting words onto the page in one way or another. Thank you again. I appreciate you taking the time to share.

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That's beautiful, Jessy! And I didn't mean to compare my experience with yours because we are all different with different energy levels, different creativity levels, etc. Even before my children came into my life (they were adopted as infants) I would sometimes go for months without making art and then it would hit me like a firestorm. :) I remember the day I started painting again after my daughter was a few months old and my son was four. I cleared out a room in the house and set it up as my studio. I felt my old self seeping back in. Unfortunately, when I returned to painting my body said no to oil paint and turpentine, etc. and so I had to change my whole way of painting. But, I digress. It sounds like you know yourself well, both as a mother and as a writer. Best of luck to you with your writing and with your sweet son. xo

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Oof, yeah. I can relate to going months without creating anything. I don't know if I ever quite had the "firestorm" experience, but I really love that idea. I hope you find a way of painting that fuels you and is kind to your body. And I hope you write the book that's been brewing! Thank you for sharing a piece of your story.

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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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This comment was beautiful, John! Thanks so much for reading and writing me. It's super fascinating to consider Dickens. From him we can see that, regardless, so long as you try, so long as you're consistent, improvement will come -- fast or slow. The adage practice makes perfect has never been disqualified.

Glad to know you're process. I think it can help me in a few ways. So thank you for sharing. It's generous.

Write on! Have a great day. And thanks so much for this thoughtful comment. It was a pleasure to read.

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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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Sorry for the super late reply, Luigi! I’ve been trying to get myself together here in Italy. I totally agree with what you wrote. And I think the best part is, the stuff that we make because WE like and enjoy it is usually the best, which accidentally means it’s usually the stuff others like too

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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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Sorry for the late response, Lisa. It makes me so happy to know that it might have triggered something constructive in someone! But also, if not, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up. Things happen when they’re meant to happen, and there’s nothing worse than forcing yourself when your mind and heart isn’t fully in it. Wishing you the best on your Substack and writing in general. Thanks for your comment :)

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Nov 19, 2022
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Interesting advice, Valentin! I might have to try this.

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

Enjoy!

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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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Thank you times one million, Fred. Or, as the Italianos say, "Grazie mille." I'm too many negronis deep and need to find a pizza before bedtime. I also love the image and have never seen it before. It's truly different. Talk soon. And Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you have a great time with the familia :) Ciao!

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Good thoughtful essay. Thanks.

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Sorry for the late reply, Lewis!!! I travelled to Italy this week and I’m still adjusting. I really really appreciate your comment. It encourages me -- for better or worse -- to keep going. Have a great one ✌🏼

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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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Sorry for the late reply, Amy. Traveling has screwed me up. But I 100% agree. Your tactic is super interesting. I’ve thought of this, but haven’t acted upon it. I think I should take my favorite and people’s favorite and really, really polish, like (what sounds like) you’re doing. Thanks for the encouragement and the thoughtful comment :)

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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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Love this, Barbara. (And by the way, sorry for the late reply). This concept of working even while your not “working” is so true. Often too true. I’ve found that some ideas get lost if I take to long to write them, or at least note them. Kind of a little tragedy. Thanks as always for making me think.

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Omg, YES! So many lost ideas here, too. I really should use all those blank journals I buy...:)

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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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Susan! First of all, sorry I’m so late to reply. Traveling has taken a toll on just about all of my regular habits. I very very much appreciate your kind comment. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply. Hope this week was less chaotic :) catch you later

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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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It definitely would. I have no idea how it would be done ... but the results would be ultra fascinating. Thanks for making me think, and sort of breaking my brain.

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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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Appreciate your comment, Jessie. Sorry my reply comes so late. I’ve been traveling and adjusting yada yada yada. “Sometimes” is the key word. Some stuff just flows nicely. Others, it’s a struggle to get them right. Substacks generally flow for me. Stories it’s a struggle. But at any moment, those might flip flop. Happy writing, long or short, fast or slow. And thanks for your thoughtful comment.

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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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Heyo, Dollyboll. Sorry for the super late reply. First of all, that’s freaking awesome that you write songs. I’ve tried, and I suck, and it’s very hard. Stories are hard too, but I wonder if you can transfer some of the approach. Maybe don’t “map out.” Just write some stuff with causality -- X causes Y causes Z. Then adjust it to what feels better and better and better. There’s no real rule book, as you know. But maybe that’s helpful.

Anyway, thanks for your comment. Glad to know a musician / songwriter. Music people, in my experience, are the best.

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Hey thanks for replying. Yes break it up into more manageable parts! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.

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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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First, so sorry for the late reply. Flying to Italy. Changing time zones. Having no solid plan has taken a toll.

Second, thank you for this thoughtful and true comment. It does take a toll! After hitting publish every Friday, I’m exhausted. And keeping the Friday refinement for over a year now has been often tough.

Still, it’s worth it. Exercise = practice = improvement. Or the growth of that writer’s muscle. I’m glad to be on the journey with you too, with all the ups and downs.

To more ups than downs ... or at least really good ups.

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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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Sorry for the super late reply, Heather. Getting situated in Italy has been chaotic ... largely because I hardly planned. Hello, brain twin! Thanks for your thanks. My newsletter has been fun, but not always easy -- though most of the time it flows rather well. I try to religiously stick to every Friday, which can be tough, but I do it anyway ... so, in other words, thanks for bearing with me.

When I have some slow art in really proud of, I’ll be sure to share :) thank you so much for your support. It means the world.

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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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