Brilliant once again, Matt. Being fully engaged in life is what surfaces the most interesting prose. Because it is real. Because it comes with that indescribable sensation of truth that drips from the external world onto our paper.
Oct 29, 2022·edited Oct 29, 2022Liked by Matt Zamudio
I've heard this seeming disconnect is essential to being highly creative. Speaking from my world, good scientific research is as much a work of creativity than just analytical thinking. My confirmation came from my chat with Dr. Michael Kosterlitz (He won the 2016 Nobel prize in Physics). Turns out, he was famous in the mountaineering world. The title tells you all.
More than half his lecture was about his legendary exploits in the Alps, and the rest about his Nobel winning research. And when I asked for advise, he didn't miss a beat: "You have to have something outside of science that you are truly passionate about. Else you won't have the creativity to progress". So not just passive hobbies, but active efforts in getting better at it. So you're on the right track I guess...
Nice, Matt. Have you read the compilation of White’s essays? And you know he was editor of the New Yorker for decades. Always outside farting around on his farm in Maine or tromping around the streets of New York City. The faucet of inspiration was always on, in other words. The man - writing or not - was fully engaged in the material world.
Bravo, this is a wonderful post that really sung out to me! I'm often hesitant to tell people about my writing and I must ask myself, why? What am I really afraid of? And, when I went into technology and finance about fifteen years back, I felt I had to give up creativity in some way. Again, why did I feel that way? Why did I act on it? Glad I've rebounded from that way of thinking. Both-and is a better way of thinking than either-or.
So good and so true!, Matt. I used to feel like a lazy artist until I realized that it was usually during the living of my life, the mundane, doing dishes, walking, riding my bike, that my greatest inspiration happened. Not standing in front of a blank piece of paper. It's true for me with writing, as well. I once went a whole year without posting on my blog. I don't like deadlines and avoid them like the plague. Someone during this week's Writer's Office Hours quoted someone else who said "A writer is someone who writes." How true is that? Thanks for sharing E.B. White's thoughts. Charlotte's Web is a gem.
Freakin brilliant. Beautiful! I love this, not only because I embody the same dichotomy--love of the outdoors and intellectual/artistic aspirations but also and especially because it's just so much fun to ride along on your investigations. This one, of course is near and dear to my heart, hence all the more meaningful. Most precious of all? The unexpected, bust out guffaws of delight in stumbling upon the parts that really ring a chord in me. Really love this one Matt. Grab a shotgun and your dog and go find some wild rabbits!!! Ok, not a real shotgun or real rabbits, maybe some ice fishing . . . no better sanctuary than the natural world, no better Zen, no better nest for contemplation, no better home for the mind's imaginings.
I needed this today... I’m doing a creative writing course at the moment with the OU and been studying hard, my back is aching. Probably because of my lack of movement for the past week or so. After reading this I am taking myself out a walk and then doing some yoga, realising this is what my body has been missing. I can study later... ❤️
I love reading about writers, so I especially enjoyed this post! It's funny: I've always associated writing with athleticism. I think that's partially because a lot of authors in the 19th century (which is the period I study) were vigorous walkers (Dickens, Coleridge, Wordsworth). And even now, Murakami's _What I talk about when I talk about running_ is a favorite of mine.
As I write, I'm realizing that I've just latched onto authorial personas that match the life I want to live. Hemingway's drunken escapades never appealed to me.
“Delay is natural to a writer. He is like a surfer — he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in. Delay is instinctive with him. He waits for the surge (of emotion? of strength? of courage?) that will carry him along.”
Oh thank god!
Haha m! That said, I too am competitive, either by nature or from playing sports as a kid. Actually I think it was my grandma not letting me cheat-win at Sorry when I was a kid 🤔
The point is, competition is what drives me to write better, or at least attempt to, with every new story!
Awesome read. This definitely helps with finding some serenity when battling with writer's block, writer's add, and with deciding whether writing 'must' be done 'right away' or done later. Thanks.
Brilliant once again, Matt. Being fully engaged in life is what surfaces the most interesting prose. Because it is real. Because it comes with that indescribable sensation of truth that drips from the external world onto our paper.
I've heard this seeming disconnect is essential to being highly creative. Speaking from my world, good scientific research is as much a work of creativity than just analytical thinking. My confirmation came from my chat with Dr. Michael Kosterlitz (He won the 2016 Nobel prize in Physics). Turns out, he was famous in the mountaineering world. The title tells you all.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2016/10/british_climber_michael_kosterlitz_awarded_nobel_prize_in_physics-70719
More than half his lecture was about his legendary exploits in the Alps, and the rest about his Nobel winning research. And when I asked for advise, he didn't miss a beat: "You have to have something outside of science that you are truly passionate about. Else you won't have the creativity to progress". So not just passive hobbies, but active efforts in getting better at it. So you're on the right track I guess...
Nice, Matt. Have you read the compilation of White’s essays? And you know he was editor of the New Yorker for decades. Always outside farting around on his farm in Maine or tromping around the streets of New York City. The faucet of inspiration was always on, in other words. The man - writing or not - was fully engaged in the material world.
Thanks Matt! The piece really resonates for me and parts of it I can definitely relate to!
Bravo, this is a wonderful post that really sung out to me! I'm often hesitant to tell people about my writing and I must ask myself, why? What am I really afraid of? And, when I went into technology and finance about fifteen years back, I felt I had to give up creativity in some way. Again, why did I feel that way? Why did I act on it? Glad I've rebounded from that way of thinking. Both-and is a better way of thinking than either-or.
So good and so true!, Matt. I used to feel like a lazy artist until I realized that it was usually during the living of my life, the mundane, doing dishes, walking, riding my bike, that my greatest inspiration happened. Not standing in front of a blank piece of paper. It's true for me with writing, as well. I once went a whole year without posting on my blog. I don't like deadlines and avoid them like the plague. Someone during this week's Writer's Office Hours quoted someone else who said "A writer is someone who writes." How true is that? Thanks for sharing E.B. White's thoughts. Charlotte's Web is a gem.
Freakin brilliant. Beautiful! I love this, not only because I embody the same dichotomy--love of the outdoors and intellectual/artistic aspirations but also and especially because it's just so much fun to ride along on your investigations. This one, of course is near and dear to my heart, hence all the more meaningful. Most precious of all? The unexpected, bust out guffaws of delight in stumbling upon the parts that really ring a chord in me. Really love this one Matt. Grab a shotgun and your dog and go find some wild rabbits!!! Ok, not a real shotgun or real rabbits, maybe some ice fishing . . . no better sanctuary than the natural world, no better Zen, no better nest for contemplation, no better home for the mind's imaginings.
I needed this today... I’m doing a creative writing course at the moment with the OU and been studying hard, my back is aching. Probably because of my lack of movement for the past week or so. After reading this I am taking myself out a walk and then doing some yoga, realising this is what my body has been missing. I can study later... ❤️
I love reading about writers, so I especially enjoyed this post! It's funny: I've always associated writing with athleticism. I think that's partially because a lot of authors in the 19th century (which is the period I study) were vigorous walkers (Dickens, Coleridge, Wordsworth). And even now, Murakami's _What I talk about when I talk about running_ is a favorite of mine.
As I write, I'm realizing that I've just latched onto authorial personas that match the life I want to live. Hemingway's drunken escapades never appealed to me.
Nice Piece, Nick!
“Delay is natural to a writer. He is like a surfer — he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in. Delay is instinctive with him. He waits for the surge (of emotion? of strength? of courage?) that will carry him along.”
Oh thank god!
Haha m! That said, I too am competitive, either by nature or from playing sports as a kid. Actually I think it was my grandma not letting me cheat-win at Sorry when I was a kid 🤔
The point is, competition is what drives me to write better, or at least attempt to, with every new story!
Loved this essay. Thank you.
Thanks for this yummy piece. It literally "moved" me. ☺️
Here's the anthology of his essays, the one I read anyway: https://www.amazon.com/Essays-B-White-Perennial-Classics/dp/0060932236
This really helped me, having a life will make me a better writer, who knew?
Awesome read. This definitely helps with finding some serenity when battling with writer's block, writer's add, and with deciding whether writing 'must' be done 'right away' or done later. Thanks.