There seems to be two distinct groups of writers and readers in the world.
Those that want to read/write a lot, and those that want to read/write something influential.
The former is a much larger group. And much of that group churns on advice tailored to that form of writing. Stephan King's On Writing is a good example of that, as well as the advice he's given in interviews over the years. Get the routine, get pages per day done.
"Inspiration shows up, but it has to find you working" (Picasso, but it fits).
This mentality is great if you want to be known as a writer and want to make a business of writing. There are countless YouTube channels now sharing similar advice. The story and character templates. The highlighted writing routines. I enjoyed these YouTube channels and all the advice and encouragement they shared. Until I realized something. I don't really like Stephen King books...
I have had trouble in book clubs because I think a large percentage of the reading population also falls into this former category. Much more concerned with their Goodreads 50 books in a year reading goal, than what they actually read. Personally, I'd rather read one book in a year, in a decade, that I could think about that whole time over 500 books that are a blurred soup, fading from my mind.
There can certainly be a tendency on both sides to dismiss the other. "They are elitist kill joys." vs "They are unthinking consumers." ...but we can and actually need both groups. Both help the industry and each other. They challenge and encourage each other. I'm so thankful I've found a book club that actually appreciates my dissenting opinion on books. I have been able to help people think deeper about books, and they have helped me find some gems that I wouldn't have tried because they seemed "too popular."
But I thank you for this essay. It gives voice to a quieter but no less passionate population of book people. I love the compost analogy as I feel I've had that floating in my soul without a name for a long time and you helped bring it into focus.
I feel this very much Jay and so so so damn true re readers also, haha! I think I'm as slow a reader as I am a writer... and it's not incredibly slow, but it's certainly not the kind of speed we see pushed all around us for literary pursuits these days 😬
I can really relate on both the Stephen King and the book clubs examples! I read On Writing, but never read King's other books (can't do horror). And feel a bit depressed sometimes seeing the 50-100 books per year that people read on Goodreads (sometimes 200!). Which is why I can't do book clubs too - I can't read by the schedule, and I'm a slow reader to begin with, because I analyse the writing too much (not consciously, more just randomly sitting on a paragraph, or a sentence, a bit too long, staring into the distance). Thank you for this accompanying comment to the essay.
Yeah, I don’t ‘try’ to analyze. But I certainly want to let the words sink in and effect me. I don’t really enjoy horror, but I’ve tried a couple of his horror books and a couple of his non-horror and always walking away feeling like I watched a decent movie. Entertainment, but not soul-touching. And that’s what I’ve found I want in books.
I do enjoy switching between more conscious 'analysis' (trying to see how the mechanics work) and just letting the words sink in.
Friends often recommend me to try some of Stephen King's books, and try to convince me they're not scary or that the horror is not the main point. Maybe one of these days. But there are so many other books.. Soul-touching is what I'm looking for too, in books. I have a different bar for movies or TV series and don't mind them just being entertainment.
I read Joyland and Under the Dome, both King non-horror books. They were ok I guess, but I was really frustrated with the characters in the latter and the overall plot. I just don't have time to waste on meh books.
I'd much rather re-read East of Eden or The Stranger. lol. Not to mention all the countless books on my TBR
Dammit, this is a revelation, and eerily appeared just when I was castigating myself for not wearing my writing hairshirt to the laptop every single morning! Thank you Shannan.
You can count on this, if your purpose is to make money, you will exhaust yourself chasing it. If your purpose is to do the thing you enjoy doing, you will enjoy bountiful abundance.
This is my writing style. Never force it, you’ll end up with subpar work you’ll be sad you produced. I’m constantly saving little notes of random facts, sentences or words that I know would be great in an essay or story. My favorite thing in the world is to see them appear months later in a unified form. The compost analogy is so good. Let. It. Rot!
God yes, the joy of seeing an old note suddenly click into place months later — that’s the magic. All those scraps turning into something whole. And absolutely: let it rot. That’s where the good stuff comes from anyway.
I agree with this so much. I sit on a book for years before finally writing it, and then when it happens it it just takes over my mind. I dreamed up one book in 2003. I wrote it between 2013 and 2016. Another book I started in 2009. It didn't come out until 2021. During these years breakups, marriage and divorce happened to me. They seasoned me and added to my compost pile (freaking perfect analogy). So yeah, I write when the words call and when they call there's plenty to excavate. But the truth is I can go months without writing anything at all. I don't journal. I just be. Also, thank you for calling out the 'gurus' who push people to shit out words every day. That's not how it works. Words are like cats, they come to you when they're ready.
This is gorgeous. I love the way you trust the long arc of a book... letting life season it, letting time do what it does. And yes, exactly: the words show up when they want to. Cats is the perfect comparison.
YES to all of what you wrote! Same goes for music composition and many other art forms. Works for me. I haven't had the same schedule day to day for decades, and with so much variability in work and family life I couldn't possibly write every day or at the same time. But everyday I do go outside, observe, listen, use all my senses, read, and sometimes take notes to use whenever I do have writing time. I think of it as collecting material for a collage, but composting is good too!
Like many of the comments below, I too needed-- needed!! to see, to read your wisdom and joy today.
Starting to be a comfort to just know there are people like you, Shannan, and your followers.
The only way to write a 'Soul-speaking' story or poem is to find my way back IN... to true self. ... instead of deleting emails from all the writer/publisher workshops 'out there.'
This is so kind, Janet... thank you! And yes, finding your way back in, back to yourself, feels like the only real place the work can come from. I’m glad this met you today.
I’m so grateful I found your post today, Shannan! I feel like I fall into the murky middle of these two extremes - writing daily does help my high anxiety and also I go through intense periods of rot when the well’s run dry on a project. The way you gift us all permission to let it rot and ferment is definitely a practice I’m trying to dance with now. My happy medium is oscillating between different projects at once so things can rot when they get stuck and my anxiety gets a daily activity as well turning its wheels on something else. I hope to reach the point where I can truly rest. We shall see 🥰 thank you so much for this post, it’s full of wisdom I’ll certainly return to again and again ✨
I really resonate with that murky middle too... Rotting on one project while playing with another makes so much sense, especially with anxiety in the mix. I’m glad this post was enjoyable/helpful for you, truly. And I hope you get that real rest too.
I agree and disagree? I write everyday, not out of some myth of productivity, certainly not because I'm trying to serve capitalism, and I think also not because of anxiety, but because it works for me. At least at this point it does. I come from a background of being an athlete, and that's a thing where consistency owns standout performances if you want to improve.
But yeah, I certainly don't expect that to work for everyone and wouldn't advocate for it. It just works for my practice.
I completely agree with the compost analogy, that's a good one. If I overdo it one day I'm lacking the next.
This makes total sense — I love how clear you are about what works for you without trying to make it a rule for anyone else. And yeah, the “overdo it one day, empty the next” thing is real.
There seems to be two distinct groups of writers and readers in the world.
Those that want to read/write a lot, and those that want to read/write something influential.
The former is a much larger group. And much of that group churns on advice tailored to that form of writing. Stephan King's On Writing is a good example of that, as well as the advice he's given in interviews over the years. Get the routine, get pages per day done.
"Inspiration shows up, but it has to find you working" (Picasso, but it fits).
This mentality is great if you want to be known as a writer and want to make a business of writing. There are countless YouTube channels now sharing similar advice. The story and character templates. The highlighted writing routines. I enjoyed these YouTube channels and all the advice and encouragement they shared. Until I realized something. I don't really like Stephen King books...
I have had trouble in book clubs because I think a large percentage of the reading population also falls into this former category. Much more concerned with their Goodreads 50 books in a year reading goal, than what they actually read. Personally, I'd rather read one book in a year, in a decade, that I could think about that whole time over 500 books that are a blurred soup, fading from my mind.
There can certainly be a tendency on both sides to dismiss the other. "They are elitist kill joys." vs "They are unthinking consumers." ...but we can and actually need both groups. Both help the industry and each other. They challenge and encourage each other. I'm so thankful I've found a book club that actually appreciates my dissenting opinion on books. I have been able to help people think deeper about books, and they have helped me find some gems that I wouldn't have tried because they seemed "too popular."
But I thank you for this essay. It gives voice to a quieter but no less passionate population of book people. I love the compost analogy as I feel I've had that floating in my soul without a name for a long time and you helped bring it into focus.
I feel this very much Jay and so so so damn true re readers also, haha! I think I'm as slow a reader as I am a writer... and it's not incredibly slow, but it's certainly not the kind of speed we see pushed all around us for literary pursuits these days 😬
I can really relate on both the Stephen King and the book clubs examples! I read On Writing, but never read King's other books (can't do horror). And feel a bit depressed sometimes seeing the 50-100 books per year that people read on Goodreads (sometimes 200!). Which is why I can't do book clubs too - I can't read by the schedule, and I'm a slow reader to begin with, because I analyse the writing too much (not consciously, more just randomly sitting on a paragraph, or a sentence, a bit too long, staring into the distance). Thank you for this accompanying comment to the essay.
I cannot imagine reading 100 books in a year...i mean...I WISH I COULD DON'T GET ME WRONG! but...wow
Yeah, I don’t ‘try’ to analyze. But I certainly want to let the words sink in and effect me. I don’t really enjoy horror, but I’ve tried a couple of his horror books and a couple of his non-horror and always walking away feeling like I watched a decent movie. Entertainment, but not soul-touching. And that’s what I’ve found I want in books.
I do enjoy switching between more conscious 'analysis' (trying to see how the mechanics work) and just letting the words sink in.
Friends often recommend me to try some of Stephen King's books, and try to convince me they're not scary or that the horror is not the main point. Maybe one of these days. But there are so many other books.. Soul-touching is what I'm looking for too, in books. I have a different bar for movies or TV series and don't mind them just being entertainment.
I read Joyland and Under the Dome, both King non-horror books. They were ok I guess, but I was really frustrated with the characters in the latter and the overall plot. I just don't have time to waste on meh books.
I'd much rather re-read East of Eden or The Stranger. lol. Not to mention all the countless books on my TBR
Beautifully worded and well argued
Dammit, this is a revelation, and eerily appeared just when I was castigating myself for not wearing my writing hairshirt to the laptop every single morning! Thank you Shannan.
haha I'm glad it helped Jay! 💙
You can count on this, if your purpose is to make money, you will exhaust yourself chasing it. If your purpose is to do the thing you enjoy doing, you will enjoy bountiful abundance.
amen to that Joe!
This is so real. Creativity needs down time to coalesce
love the word coalesce and yes!
Bravo: I needed this. Thank you.
So did I!!!
I'm glad you liked it, Elizabeth!
Thank you for reading, William 💙
This is my writing style. Never force it, you’ll end up with subpar work you’ll be sad you produced. I’m constantly saving little notes of random facts, sentences or words that I know would be great in an essay or story. My favorite thing in the world is to see them appear months later in a unified form. The compost analogy is so good. Let. It. Rot!
God yes, the joy of seeing an old note suddenly click into place months later — that’s the magic. All those scraps turning into something whole. And absolutely: let it rot. That’s where the good stuff comes from anyway.
I agree with this so much. I sit on a book for years before finally writing it, and then when it happens it it just takes over my mind. I dreamed up one book in 2003. I wrote it between 2013 and 2016. Another book I started in 2009. It didn't come out until 2021. During these years breakups, marriage and divorce happened to me. They seasoned me and added to my compost pile (freaking perfect analogy). So yeah, I write when the words call and when they call there's plenty to excavate. But the truth is I can go months without writing anything at all. I don't journal. I just be. Also, thank you for calling out the 'gurus' who push people to shit out words every day. That's not how it works. Words are like cats, they come to you when they're ready.
This is gorgeous. I love the way you trust the long arc of a book... letting life season it, letting time do what it does. And yes, exactly: the words show up when they want to. Cats is the perfect comparison.
One of your best, Shannon!
Thank you! 💙
YES to all of what you wrote! Same goes for music composition and many other art forms. Works for me. I haven't had the same schedule day to day for decades, and with so much variability in work and family life I couldn't possibly write every day or at the same time. But everyday I do go outside, observe, listen, use all my senses, read, and sometimes take notes to use whenever I do have writing time. I think of it as collecting material for a collage, but composting is good too!
Thank you Meg! & the way you move through your days already feels like writing to me. Collage, compost, whatever we call it — it’s gorgeous.
thank you so much i can’t even tell u how bad i needed this rn
so happy it was of help rhea! 💙
The only way to find the words and wring out the rot, is to muck about quite a bit and get lost in your thoughts.
absolutely, Derek!
Same. I need periods of time where I do nothing.
I did force myself to write daily for a while and I got so mentally tired I couldn't come up with even one sentence.
Yes this happened to me also!
Like many of the comments below, I too needed-- needed!! to see, to read your wisdom and joy today.
Starting to be a comfort to just know there are people like you, Shannan, and your followers.
The only way to write a 'Soul-speaking' story or poem is to find my way back IN... to true self. ... instead of deleting emails from all the writer/publisher workshops 'out there.'
This is so kind, Janet... thank you! And yes, finding your way back in, back to yourself, feels like the only real place the work can come from. I’m glad this met you today.
I’m so grateful I found your post today, Shannan! I feel like I fall into the murky middle of these two extremes - writing daily does help my high anxiety and also I go through intense periods of rot when the well’s run dry on a project. The way you gift us all permission to let it rot and ferment is definitely a practice I’m trying to dance with now. My happy medium is oscillating between different projects at once so things can rot when they get stuck and my anxiety gets a daily activity as well turning its wheels on something else. I hope to reach the point where I can truly rest. We shall see 🥰 thank you so much for this post, it’s full of wisdom I’ll certainly return to again and again ✨
I really resonate with that murky middle too... Rotting on one project while playing with another makes so much sense, especially with anxiety in the mix. I’m glad this post was enjoyable/helpful for you, truly. And I hope you get that real rest too.
I agree and disagree? I write everyday, not out of some myth of productivity, certainly not because I'm trying to serve capitalism, and I think also not because of anxiety, but because it works for me. At least at this point it does. I come from a background of being an athlete, and that's a thing where consistency owns standout performances if you want to improve.
But yeah, I certainly don't expect that to work for everyone and wouldn't advocate for it. It just works for my practice.
I completely agree with the compost analogy, that's a good one. If I overdo it one day I'm lacking the next.
This makes total sense — I love how clear you are about what works for you without trying to make it a rule for anyone else. And yeah, the “overdo it one day, empty the next” thing is real.
❤️ this! The composting metaphor is such an accurate description of my creative process!
happy you liked it Ryn! 💙