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Excursions

Expressions & Revelations via Style

“I write lustily and humorously. It isn’t calculated; it’s the way I think. I’ve invented a writing style that expresses who I am.” - Erica Jong

I fully concur with that last sentiment from Jong; every writer has, irrespective of what she writes, a unique style. I believe if you have read from a writer enough, doesn’t matter if it is in the form of books, essays or blogs, you can identify who words them.

This issue features a few brilliant essays from some well-known voices on the importance and effectiveness of writing styles.

Hemingway’s Mysterious, Thrilling Style →

Joan Didion wrote an earnest essay in 1998 in The New Yorker featuring some words that Hemingway wrote — and also those that he didn’t. It is an insightful read about a writer who, in Joan’s view, “had in his time made the English language new, changed the rhythms of the way both his own and the next few generations would speak and write and think”.

In September of 1954, Hemingway wrote to Bernard Berenson from Cuba about the adverse effect of air-conditioning on this thing he was doing: “You get the writing done but it’s as false as though it were done in the reverse of a greenhouse. Probably I will throw it all away, but maybe when the mornings are alive again I can use the skeleton of what I have written and fill it in with the smells and the early noises of the birds and all the lovely things of this finca which are in the cold months very much like Africa.”

The Act of Writing →

Paulo Coelho is known for a style of writing which is distinctly spiritual. He, however, does not consider his writing to be about spirituality, “I am free to do something different every time”. It is his apt belief that “every human being on this planet has at least one good story to tell his neighbor” that I firmly associate with.

In this essay, he reflects “on some important items in the process of creating a text”.

Above all else, the writer has to be a good reader. The kind that sticks to academic texts and does not read what others write (and here I’m not just talking about books but also blogs, newspaper columns and so on) will never know his own qualities and defects.
So, before starting anything, look for people who are interested in sharing their experience through words. I’m not saying: “look for other writers”. What I say is: find people with different skills, because writing is no different from any other activity that is done with enthusiasm.

How to Write with Style →

Here’s Kurt Vonnegut again with a few more advice on writing style from his vast treasure trove of published and spoken words. His advice, just as his books, is eternal.

Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you’re writing. If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your readers will surely feel that you care nothing about them. They will mark you down as an egomaniac or a chowderhead or, worse, they will stop reading you. The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not.

I have been reading Matt since, back when he used to write mostly about technology. Since then, he has gone on to publish some thrilling novels. Matt has a clear mind and an astute way of putting complex thoughts into words. Besides, he has a long list of some profound essays reflecting on his life and some advice on writing & productivity. Here’s an excerpt from one of his essays where he talks about confidence.

Confidence is a little trickier to muster when you’re pre-judged due to the incidental fact of being female, or when your viewpoint can be dismissed as down to uncontrolled emotion, or timidity, or hormones. When perceptions of your physical power become an albatross around your neck, and when the default compliment is not about your abilities, but rather your appearance.

A short, simple app that intends to be “a spellchecker, but for style”. You may decide not to agree with all the suggestions it provides. Nonetheless, it is an extremely valuable editing tool.

Too often, our words are like our thoughts — innumerable and disorganized. Almost any bit of writing could use some cutting.

It is always useful to run your prose through someone who can tell you as a reader which parts are unnecessarily difficult to understand. You can then consciously decide if it is intentional on your part. If so, leave it there. If not, listen to Hemingway. Make it easier for the reader.

One Final Inspiration...

Postscript

Have any recommendations or feedback for me? I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply, or you can even email me.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

-Amit

Each human being has been granted two qualities: power and gift. Power drives a person to meet his/her destiny, his gift obliges that person to share with others which is good in him/her. A human being must know when to use power, and when to use compassion.

Paulo Coelho

I have unsubscribed from most (all?) of the daily newsletters about news. I am already bombarded with news that's mostly about world's burning. I do not want even my inbox to welcome me all the crazy updates from the world, but especially US. Most newsletters cover that and it's the same news repeated in all. Same essays, editorials from same sources. The Atlantic. NYTimes.

I had already done a similar exercise with tech newsletters. And podcasts. Again, it's same stories that I have already seen someplace else. Why read them again in the inbox? It just fills my newsletter to-read list.

I want to feel relaxed, open to read some meaningful words. Some essays that mean, matter for those who wrote them. Not a quick rewrite of what's already been told zillion times.

I'm being very selective with what I subscibe to now. I want to read something that's heartfelt. Not something that's link log of trite news updates. Most daily newsletters deliver the later.

Proposed Captcha for the AI Age

I recently read this brilliant comic by Zach Weinersmith at SMBC. And the first thought I had was this "has to be the most foolproof way there exists to prove yourself human"

Seriously, I am tired of proving to Google that I'm human by selecting grids with zebra crossings in them. This task has to be a lot easier for bots than it is for me because I suck at it every time.

I think, maybe, just maybe we need some other ways to test if users online are humans. Just test us for what we suck at.

  1. Keep showing us optical illusions and check how we freak out. Our eyes keep making a fool of our minds and we let them. Of course, we are already being crazies by training computers to fall for optical illusions. Why, why?
  2. Show us a street full of people coughing and sneezing around openly and ask a single question "what's the risk that you will get coronavirus if you walk out on this street without a mask?" Apparently, no human will say 100%.
  3. Show the departure time of the flight. Show us the distance to the airport, the traffic en route. Ask us then when should we leave the house. Bots will always make us reach in time. Humans, on the other hand, will be either too early or too late, even when provided with all the data.
  4. Show us a video of people playing basketball and make us count the passes. Then just make us randomly predict when will the pandemic end. If a user selects "before August starts", has to be Human. Yeah, and also show us next the walking, chest-thumping gorilla that we missed in the video.
  5. Just put a simple multiple-choice question, "What will you name some random street?" with one of the options as "I don't know… name it whatever the fuck man". Majority humans apparently will select that.

You get the idea. Don't judge us by our smartness. If there's anything that the last few months have proven, it is that we ain't an intelligent species. It is our dumbness, our frailties that make us humans now.

Don’t Let Micro-Stresses Burn You Out

The problem is that most of us have come to accept micro-stresses as just a normal part of a day. We hardly acknowledge them, but cumulatively they are wearing us down. And what’s worse is that the sources of these micro-stresses are often the people — in and out of work — with whom we are closest.

The point is that these micro-stresses are all routinely part of our day and we hardly stop to consider how they are affecting us, but they add up. They may arise as momentary challenges, but the impact of dealing with them can linger for hours or days.

Harward Business Review

I know the burn out caused by the micro-stresses. It is pretty common especially with enterprise roles. However when you look at the possible relationships that can lead to such frictions, it is only natural that the causes can be, many a times, way closer to home.

A really insightful look at the problem and possible ways to mitigate them.

The third issue of Slanting Nib & A Keyboard newsletter is out today. It features thoughts from a few brilliant minds on what makes writing natural. Be it in a notebook to be relished privately. Or be it published to be critiqued openly. Again, am pretty satisfied with how even this issue has come out. The featured writings are inspiring for me.

These past few weeks have been a great learning experience. When I had started planning for this newsletter around a month back, I gave myself a small target - publish 3 issues. Don't think about subscribers. Don't think about the future or the tone or the structure. Just make sure 3 issues are consistently delivered over 3 weeks and what is included in every issue excites me. I feel I have managed that.

With the first checkpoint reached, I don't intend to stop yet. I want to continue towards the next goal - set the tone.

On Notebooks, Words & Language

“We never sit anything out. We are cups, quietly and constantly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” - Ray Bradbury

This short quote captures my process of writing so perfectly. I find that the words flow most freely when I let my heart spill the thoughts, the stories on to a paper without holding back. Being afraid that the words you pen would be read, would be judged binds them. Shackles them within one’s heart. I believe they get trampled there.

This issue features thoughts from some brilliant minds on what makes writing natural. Be it in a notebook to be relished privately. Or be it published to be critiqued openly.

On Keeping a Notebook →

In this short essay from the 1968 anthology Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion describes why she writes in her notebook. It provides a nice insight into what compels and inspires us to record our lives, in notebooks or even online in public in today’s hyper-connected world.

“It is a good idea, then, to keep in touch, and I suppose that keeping in touch is what notebooks are all about. And we are all on our own when it comes to keeping those lines open to ourselves: your notebook will never help me, nor mine you.”

Kurt Vonnegut's Greatest Writing Advice →

Kurt Vonnegut was very open to share his thoughts on writing – and very generous in providing his advice on how to and especially how not to write. I shared one of his original lectures on The Shapes of Stories in the second issue. However, it is always welcome to revisit the abundance of advice that he has left behind as part of his multiple public appearances.

“I don’t praise plots as accurate representations of life, but as ways to keep readers reading. When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away—even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.”

Reflections on Writing by Henry Miller →

I always find it fascinating to read about what keeps writers motivated to write. What makes them come back to their desks every day and pour all their thoughts and stories out on to a paper. Continuing the theme of the second issue, here’s another brilliant essay from Henry Miller (and its insightful interpretation by brainpickings) where he dwells on how creating literature can affect a writer’s life.

“I do not believe in words, no matter if strung together by the most skillful man: I believe in language, which is something beyond words, something which words give only an adequate illusion of. Words do not exist separately, except in the minds of scholars, etymologists, philologists, etc. Words divorced from language are dead things, and yield no secrets.”

Very few writers can blend multiple genres while writing fiction. For Jennifer, it seems to come naturally. The moment I read Jennifer detail the plot for her latest fiction in tweet-length, I was instantly engaged. It managed to weave the genres of history and science fiction so effortlessly that I had to get reading. She has a natural ability to keep the reader enthralled by her writing. You can also read some fine short stories on her website.

Nothing works better for the focus than some ambient noise in the background (this is backed by research). For writers, there is no ambient noise better than that of a café hustle (this must be backed by some research too). Coffitivity lessens the pain in those times when you are stuck at home by providing some of the best natural ambient café sounds. So, wherever you physically are, you can write away amidst the right “noise” that works for you.

One Final Inspiration

Postscript

Have any recommendations or feedback for me? I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply, or you can even email me.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

-Amit

One of my dad's closest friend passed away today. Understandably, my dad was very sombre for the whole day. He told me he had spoken to his friend just yesterday when he was all fine.

Just last week, my aunt too had lost her father. She also told me she had spoken to her dad just a day before and even he was all fine.

They both died due to heart failure. They both shared one more truth, though. They both already had a weak heart and both said that all the news around COVID and the resultant lockdown were making them lonelier. They felt burdened -- even though they had their close family and friends always around them for support.

Will we also add these deaths to the this pandemic's toll? Because, of course, these aren't isolated cases. The psychological fallout is far-reaching than immediately noticeable symptoms.

We should. It has curtailed many more lives than those that get reported.

I'm not subscribing to HEY

I have finally made my mind. I am not going to pay for HEY. It is a wonderful service, no doubt. I love it. I just don't need it.

I have been using HEY for almost two weeks now and since last few days, I have hardly acted on any emails the way the team wants me to. Most emails have been filtered out. Tells me an email as a communication medium is already pretty worthless for me. I can't pay so much for something that's worth so little. Here's my state from yesterday as I responded to an ongoing conversation.

HEY makes my email even more worthless than it already is for me. I hardly see any emails getting filtered through to me. I'm yet to decide if it's a good thing or a bad one.

I have always been a user of the free Gmail service until now. I have evaluated many email services over the years, but haven't paid for any. I do not run my livelihood over my personal email. Neither do I receive so many emails that managing them becomes a hassle of any sort. I could just sit down for a few minutes and handle all of them together. I hardly have to triage them -- snooze or reply later are all nice features. But I rarely need them.

If all the other emails services failed to pique any interest in me earlier, why did HEY even come so close? Well, because I do see how all the features they tout as game-changing can actually solve the problems many people face with their email. No wonder then that even I want to use all the features. But my current lifestyle just doesn't have any need for any of those.

But the screening and the feed and the paper trail?

Well, I spent the last couple of hours on Gmail to clean my filters -- and with that, I have now got a pretty similar workflow in place with the help of filters and customized priority inbox. Here's how my inbox looks.

Will I be able to maintain it? No idea. I have managed to sail through for so long. I had no clue about the sheer amount of emails even my current system was already "screening" out. So, I believe I would be fine.

Won't I love if a system did that for me? Well, sure I would love that. But you see Hey doesn't want to be that system. Here's an excerpt from their manifesto.

Email’s better with a human at the helm. That’s you. You’re better at deciding where things go, what your intentions are, and how you want things set up. The machines have a lot of learning to do before they'll be able to second-guess whether you actually wanted to see that email, whether it was a receipt or a newsletter, and even what you should be writing someone. At HEY, it's human intelligence over artificial intelligence.

The whole workflow in HEY begins with me screening the first time senders before they arrive at my inbox. Well, nice. However, am ok to take the same decision after it has reached my inbox -- I will create a filter. That's ugly, manual work sure. But it doesn't cost me $99/year worth of my time.

I have already created labels for feeds and paper trail. And many more. Because you see, my emails don't just fit in these two categories. I have a lot many more filters. And I have pretty simple rules for each.

  • I need this mail in my inbox, unread.
  • I need this to skip my inbox, but stay unread. I will get to it.
  • I need this to skip my inbox and get marked as read.
  • I need this to be deleted.

That's it. All my filters do just this. I will continue to do so manually. (I do wish though that the Gmail's Android app allowed creating simple filters in their app.)

And am ok to lose the email address I want?

Well, I've currently shared my Gmail address everywhere. Even if I shift to HEY, I have to change the email address registered with many of the services. I think if I am ever to go through all this trouble, it would be for one with my custom domain. In which case, it won't matter what email address I get on the service.

All in all, HEY is a brilliant service with a fresh perspective towards the way we use our emails. It can potentially enliven the email offerings from all the players, just the away Gmail did back in 2004. But I don't face the problem it is trying to solve; I have no use for all its groundbreaking features. So, I can in no way justify paying the price it asks for it.