I’m always fascinated by the interplay of reality and fiction, and how the best fiction sometimes seems more real than reality. Reading these words by Ernest Hemingway on the subject were fascinating to me: When you first start writing stories in the first person if the stories are made so real that people believe them … Read more
Here are Henry Miller’s 11 writing commandments. He’s written these not to advise other writers, but purely for himself to remember: 1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in … Read more
I’m very afraid of being pollyannaish. I’m scared to pursue what I love because there’s no obvious way to ever monetize this. It feels foolish to do what I’m doing right now: almost like doing therapy in public. Writing out my unfinished thoughts here, and probably nobody ever reading it. And if somebody ever reads … Read more
I’m currently reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and right in the beginning of the book, she says she believes that creativity is our true nature. That resonated strongly with me. I believe it is true for me: creativity is my true nature. At least it’s a core part of me. I don’t know … Read more
That wish you carry in your heart, that impact you seek to make in the world—yes, it might be an outrageous goal. Far out of your reach. Maybe you put much more on your plate than you can eat. But that’s a good thing. That outsized goal, just go for it. It’ll propel you forward … Read more
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. — Reinhold Niebuhr Life is often overwhelming, distressing, and outright unfair. Most of what’s happening in the world is totally outside of our control. But if you focus on what you … Read more
“Is the writing process fundamentally lonely?” is a question Lex Fridman asked Steven Pressfield in an interview. I loved his answer: No, because you’re with your characters. […] My desk used to face the wall, and people would say: Don’t you want to look out the window?” But I’m in here, I’m seeing the spartans. … Read more
Can you pursue your dream when you’ve got a full-time job, a family to take care of, and other responsibilities? I personally have postponed pursuing my dream for these and similar reasons for many years, and when I heard Steven Pressfield and Marie Forleo discuss this, their take resonated strongly with me. It’s actually based … Read more
I noticed that drinking coffee later in the day always affected the quality of my sleep at night. No surprise here. What I didn’t realize is how long caffeine actually stays in our system. It was only when I watched this video where Dr Rangan Chatterjee interviewed Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep. The … Read more
I‘m currently watching episode 314 of the Lex Fridman podcast with Liv Boeree, and in it, Lex posed the question: What is beauty? Liv‘s answer was beautifully intelligent: I’m paraphrasing her answer: Something is beautiful when it can‘t be reduced down to easy metrics. Think of a tree. What is it about a big ancient … Read more