Well, hello there. How are you?
Once again, I couldn’t send out a post last week due to unexpected busyness. I was tempted to not send a post this week either.
It’s been a brutal week. The kind of period when you feel like you’re doing too much and not enough, and none of it is the right stuff. It all relates to my current full-time job hunt, which I’ve talked about plenty in this newsletter. (See the end of this newsletter for more info on how you can help if you feel compelled.) It got so bad this week that I actually told myself that I should stop writing—stop doing the thing that brings me peace and joy in good and bad times and allows me to think and process all my thoughts and feelings so that I can function like a human being the rest of the day—and only do things that directly related to the job hunt. I finally caught myself when I almost talked myself out of taking an evening walk to enjoy the sunset because again, that’s time I could be submitting applications. I laughed out loud. You doofus! You insane person! You’re too hard on yourself! Oy.
I went ahead and took that walk. It was lovely.
What also pulled me back to writing a post this week was taking my own advice and remembering my 10 rules of writing …
… which, as you can see in the above image, are a set of rules I literally wrote out for myself.
I wrote this writing list a few years ago and keep it at my writing desk at all times. My ideal routine is that early in the morning when I boot up my laptop and wait for everything to open and load, I read these rules out loud to remind myself why I write and how to write. I had recently gotten into a habit of ignoring these rules. As soon as I snapped back into my routine, my writing mood—and then my job-hunting mood—did a 180.
Here are my 10 rules of writing:
Consume (Make) ←→ Give Back (Share)
People are not the enemy
Press play, listen, and see what happens to me
Make art < make things that I like bigger
Demons hate the fresh air
Go to work, so that I can leave work
If I want fans, be a fan
Be findable and be decent
Answering my big scary questions < Letting my questions go
Read more than I write
Some notes and context about these rules:
Rule #1 is easier to visualize as a circle instead of a linear line, like what you see in the photo. The rule is that writing and the creative process are not a straight line but a continuous cycle of “consuming” (or “making” or “breathing in”) and “giving back” (or “sharing” or “breathing out”). It’s the constant cycle of taking everything “in” and building something in my mind from that “in” and then sharing that something out of my mind and into the world. Rise and repeat. That’s why I like the flow of this newsletter: All my brainstorming, researching, and writing for OPE! is my “breathing in”—trying to make something out of nothing. Pressing “send” on Wednesday mornings is my “breathing out” to share this “thing” with y’all. It’s the cycle that gives a rhythm and reason to my life while also connecting me to other people. As much as I would like to just sit in my room and write all day, a good life is not just breathing in. You gotta breathe out too. You gotta release.
In the above photo, you might be able to read
People are Beautifulabove Rule #2. My original line for this rule is “People are beautiful, people are not the enemy.” As nice of a sentiment that sounds, I now think it’s naive and reductive to assume that all “people” are beautiful. I believe that there is beauty in all people, but I’ve moved away from assuming that people are “beautiful” which then makes me assume and think that they are in the right in the things they say and do. I’d rather take all people as they are and treat people with decency until they give me reasons otherwise. Or as my buddy says: Don’t be an asshole, first. But I have this as a writing rule because it reminds me that 99% of readers will, in fact, give me the benefit of the doubt and go on a journey with me if I write well enough. The Very Online 1% are too busy complaining about Twitter while refusing to get off Twitter; do I want those people as my readers anyway? This is a rule of trusting people to be as smart as they are.Rule #3 is my main rule when I’m reviewing music, either for an album review or preparing for an artist interview. This is a variation of how Roger Ebert described his process for reviewing films: He said that it was most important for him to show up, watch the film, and note what happened to him. His reviews were, more or less, as simple as him answering one question, “What did this movie do to me?” It’s a simple rule that produces the best kind of criticism. It’s the question I try to set out in all my music writings: What does this music do to me?
Rule #4 is simple enough. “Making art” sounds pretentious and out-of-touch. But making something that I like bigger is a nice way to remind myself that my writing and my art are in a linage that I hope to pass down to those who encounter my work. The best artists are the ones who look at the art they love and say, “Now let me try it.”
I stole Rule #5 from Austin Kleon, who stole it from Ingmar Bergman.
Rule #6 is my reminder to not wrap up my entire identity in my writing. (As much as I’d like to!) Pride is definitely my deadly sin, so I have to remember that I write to live, not the other way around.
Rule #7 is similar to Rule #4 with this twist: If I want people to follow my work, am I someone worth following? Am I someone I would want to follow?
Rule #8 is awkwardly written, but I need to remind myself again to not be a hermit and to live by my own golden rule: Decency. (If I had to sum up my personal political ideology, I really mean it when I say “Decency.”)
Rule #9 I stole from Brian Eno’s diary (a book I recommend every creative person read, by the way) when he talked about feeling washed and uninspired in the mid-’90s and feeling like he wasted his life on making art that no longer felt interesting or relevant to the world—he found that letting go of those unanswerable scary questions was the real answer all along. If Brian freaking Eno can feel insecure about his legacy and worth, then it’s OK for us to doubt ourselves too! The important thing is just to not get lost in all the doubting; articulating our doubt and pain is not the same thing as addressing it.
You’ll also notice that my paper is titled “My 9 Rules of Writing.” Rule #10 is probably the only good practical writing advice I’ve ever received, and I forgot to include it! Whoops. Easy fix though by sneaking it in on the side of the paper.
This is not a perfect list, and some of this advice might seem silly or irrelevant to your own routine. Over the years, I’ve found that these rules get the job done and help me get focused to start the day with some great writing. A great writing morning leads to a great later morning and afternoon of putting myself out in the world and looking for new work opportunities. This feels like the rule on airplanes about putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting someone next to you; my morning writing time is my metaphorical oxygen to be the kind of person more willing and able to then get out of his own head, look around, and see who else may need oxygen. These rules help me put on my own oxygen.
It’s not a perfect list. It is a good enough list.
So hey, now that I’ve reread my own rules, let’s get to the dang thing. Here are some links and tunes for the week.
LINKS
In the past few weeks, I wrote a few blog posts on my own website about some key digital concepts that every writer (and tech person) should know. Doing this to show my tech knowledge to potential hiring recruiters and personnel, since I’m mostly known as a music writer. Here are some of those blogs:
Can’t you tell that I’m all about beginner’s guides?
The banality of genius (or more reasons why Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary Get Back is still so great)
A core competence for us to be digital citizens … Critical Ignoring
When a pop star’s biggest fans become a big headache (for the artist and everyone else)
Video: Halloween (1978) kill count. (I’m a huge wuss when it comes to horror movies, but I’ve started to follow Dead Meat’s “KILL COUNT” YouTube series, which breaks down every kill in most classic horror films. The videos are fantastic and do a great job prepping you for upcoming jumpscares; it’s like you get to enjoy the film and not be scared, which is perfect for someone like me. So whenever someone wants me to watch Halloween, I’ll now be ready!)
THIS WEEK’S MIXTAPE
Listen to this week’s mix on Spotify.
(Note: Not every song is available on streaming services.)
St. Kio - “Waves”
St. Kio is the first young artist in a long time who audibly made me go, “Shit, this is great.” In an underwhelming music year, this stands out to me.
Leaving Carlisle - “Walking Bridge”
Crrrrruuuuuunnnnnccccchhhhhhyyyyyyyy rrrrrrrrriiiiiifffffffffffffs.
The Loveliness - “What Kind of Foll Would Want to Fall in Love?”
Paul Simon meets The Cardigans???
WYS - “Snowman”
If this reminds you of “lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to,” that’s because it … is from “lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to.” These songs do exist on their own! Probably the most influential YouTube video of the 2010s? It has its own Wikipedia page for goodness sake.
Sufjan Stevens - “A Running Start”
I trust and believe my friends when they say that they love Sufjan Stevens. I do respect them and Mr. Stevens. I also know he’s had a hard past couple of years. I also feel like a wimp whenever I listen to this guy. This is music for people driving past construction sites in Ubers and thinking to themselves, “Ah, labor, what a concept.”
Johnny Marr - “Somewhere”
One of my favorite recent interviews I’ve done was with Johnny Marr, who was so dang cool and chill and seemed like someone hyper-self-aware that 99% of people only care about him because of The Smiths … and still, he’s so content to focus on the solo career that seems to make him happy. That solo career is a mixed bag, but at its best, Marr reminds me that he’s one of the best melody writers ever. “Somewhere” is a nice enough tune but with a melody and top-line that reminds me of “There She Goes,” which we all know is my favorite song of all time.
Underworld - “Born Slippy (Nuxx)”
Underworld: A band I thought I didn’t know until I heard this song and went, “I know this band!”
The Bedquilt Ramblers w/ Ben Babbitt - “You’ve Got to Walk”
My annual reminder that the Kentucky Route Zero is arguably the soundtrack of the last decade. O Brother, Where Art Thou? for the post-Great Recession Internet age.
Death Cab for Cutie - “Transatlanticism”
Why yes, I did see Death Cab/Postal Service at the Hollywood Bowl. Why yes, their live take on “Transatlanticism” did catch me off guard. Why yes, maybe I did feel some feelings.
Oasis - “Don’t Look Back in Anger”
So yeah, this month was rough, but even this week, I seemed to instantly snap out of my bad mood when I listened to … you guessed it, Oasis. I heard Noel telling me to not look back in anger, and so I … stopped feeling anger. One of the many reasons why they’re my favorite band ever. You could live a good life with worse advice. Liam, hit me up for your Oasis “reunion” next year.
And that’s it!
Until a future Wednesday, as always.
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With love and all the other good things,
-b
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OPE! logo by Claire Kuang. words and cartoons by yours truly. stock photos by Substack unless credited. animations made using FlipaClip and EZGIF. all typos are intentional.