Trusting Your Gut, Finding the Right Editor, and Other Creative Tips
Writers Are Weird: Weekly Roundup #2
Hey, welcome to the second weekly roundup of Writers Are Weird!
When I started this project, I set a goal to publish five interviews and five articles a week. But with a recent trip to Salt Lake City and returning with a cold, I haven’t quite hit that mark.
Luckily, The Diplomat Season 2 just dropped, so I have some good company while I recover. Anyway, here’s a look at what I’ve shared this past week.
This Week’s Highlights
4 New Interviews with Substackers
Toni Morrison On What Makes A Good Editor
Joan Didion's thoughts on journaling
Thank you to all the substack writers who let me interview you. I’m doing my best to keep up!
If you enjoy this piece, consider sharing it with others—it makes a big difference!
4 Interviews With Other Substackers
(1)
Jake Varrone’s 500-Word Warm-Up
“I begin by writing 500 words of pure nonsense. It’s a warm-up that clears out the “mud,” so to speak, allowing me to start fresh. I think of it like flushing the pipes before the clear water can flow. Highly recommend it.”
Full Interview: Late Nights and Creative Sprints: Inside Jake Varrone’s Writing Routine
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(2)
Wilhelmina on Playlists & Mind Maps
“I toyed with creating a playlist when I wrote my first novel, and I also created a mind map of related words which I had as my laptop background to tune my mind into the mind space of my novel.”
Full Interview: From Corporate Editor to Freelance Writer: Wilhelmina’s Creative Routine
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(3)
Michael Macfadden on having Creative Hobbies
“I’ve found that these interests cross-pollinate, sparking both divergent thinking and convergent synthesis, which is invaluable to me as a creative person.”
Full Interview: Michael Macfadden’s Approach to Teaching, Parenting, and Writing
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(4)
Stephen Duffy on Trusting Your Gut
“I go with my gut a lot. Writing “rules” are great in theory, but there’s a point where they start to weigh you down. So I just write and worry about the rest later.”
Full Interview: Building Stories & Foregoing Rules: Stephen Duffy’s Writing Process
Toni Morrison On What Makes A Good Editor
“The good ones make all the difference. It is like a priest or a psychiatrist; if you get the wrong one, then you are better off alone. But there are editors so rare and so important that they are worth searching for, and you always know when you have one.”
Full Article: Toni Morrison On What Makes A Good Editor
Joan Didion's Thoughts On Journaling
“So the point of my keeping a notebook has never been, nor is it now, to have an accurate factual record of what I have been doing or thinking… In fact I have abandoned altogether that kind of pointless entry; instead I tell what some would call lies.”
Full Article: Joan Didion's Thoughts on Journaling
Who should we feature next week in Writers are Weird?
if you know someone who you think would be a great fit for this publication please comment below!
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