Empathy
We said in last week’s post that Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t. And that as soon as you and I grasp this concept, we have made a primary Artist’s Breakthrough.
We have acquired empathy.
When we understand that nobody wants to read our shit, our mind becomes powerfully concentrated. We begin to understand that writing/reading/painting is, at its most fundamental level, a transaction.
The reader or viewer donates her time and attention, which are supremely valuable commodities. In return, you and I—the writer/artist/poet/singer/dancer—must give her something worthy of her gift to you.
How do we do this?
We work to develop the skill that is indispensable to all artists and entrepreneurs—the ability to switch back and forth in our imagination from our own point of view as writer/painter/seller to the point of view of our reader/gallery-goer/customer.
We say to ourselves, “Recognizing that no one wants to read our shit, we must therefore stop at nothing until our shit is so interesting, so eye-catching, so funny/sad/sexy that the reader would have to be CRAZY not to jump at it.”
We learn to ask ourselves with every sentence and every visual image:
“Is this interesting? Is it fun or challenging or inventive? Am I giving the reader enough? Is she following where I want to lead her?”
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
As always, Steve, you’ve created an interesting post. I especially agree with switching POV from writer to reader. As you know, it’s hard for some writers to grasp fully.
Especially valuable,in this week’s post, are the questions in the last paragraph. Thank you.
And some readers want to learn something.
And some readers just want to be entertained -even some of those who say they want to learn something.
Meanwhile, actually to learn some important things takes thousands hours of hard work that involve no entertainment at all.
And so, most people choose to remain ignorant.
And that’s why the pizza and entertainment industries -bread and circuses- are perennially good for smart investors.
This is beautiful, Steve! I always hope my songs will let the listener escape for 3-4 minutes. I hope they leave my music feeling renewed, soothed, understood and/or ready to take on life’s challenges.
Good stuff, Kate.
https://youtu.be/38zSaZjgxdI
WOW!!!! Simply beautiful. Had to subscribe. Thanks for sharing you with me. Made my day.
And thanks Joe for providing the link.
I just read this!! Thank you SO much Joe & Jackie. This made my day 🙂
Kate said a lot for those of us whose writing involves the interplay of music and lyrics. This week I re-read a Rolling Stone article ( from 2011 )on Paul Simon. It was a deep dive into his persistance in trying to find the heart of the song he was involved in at any given point. What the melody needed, What unique instrument (ElCondor Pasa,Peruvian pan pipes weren’t a big splash in this country before the song came out, for example. Ladysmith Black Mambazo introduced African choral music…).So much of his music reminds me of a larger world (Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Sounds of Silence. Where can I take myself, my listeners . Big Q! Thanks, Kate for opening that up.
If you can see the world through Joe Jones eyes, you can sell Joe Jones what Joe Jones buys.
That’s the puzzle piece I’ve been looking for. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this Mr Pressfield
This is it exactly, the whole of it ,
some philosophy texts term it ‘the circle of aesthetics’
when the viewer of the painting or the reader of the story
engages, that circle is complete, (by the way the circle started
when the muse walked in) And so some of the painters I know agree with me
in that if you lay out your heart in the now, infused with love,
they will smell truth, and can’t help but read your WORK ,,,, Many thanks
nicely put, thank you.
Thank you so much dear Steve.
You say:
~
We say to ourselves, “Recognizing that no one wants to read our shit, we must therefore stop at nothing until our shit is so interesting, so eye-catching, so funny/sad/sexy that the reader would have to be CRAZY not to jump at it.”
We learn to ask ourselves with every sentence and every visual image:
“Is this interesting? Is it fun or challenging or inventive? Am I giving the reader enough? Is she following where I want to lead her?” ”
~
Ah, I am into that. I can always understand that what I write is shit. I want to scold the Muse:
“Hey lady, I wrote from my heart again today. And at night I read what I wrote and it was really shitty. AS ALWAYS. Well, I am disappointed with you, really. I mean, my heart was there, my soul was there, my self was there, and all they wrote was shit? I mean, what do you want me to do, sacrifice myself? Com’ on. I’m missing something. Don’t tell me that YOU, the virgin soul, are not the key to my creation. Don’t tell me that my creation’s key is something that will only be created by “a great book editor who knows his stuff”. Because I have noone to do such an excellent editoring for me, and no money to pay also. Not even the time. And the great writers have all the money they need, possibly. Why do you do that? Where is your help to the virgin soul?”
And the last times I could struggle a lot on my book, I could only see faults. It was awful Steve, awful. And you can’t imagine how many dozens -perhaps hundreds- of hours it took only to make 2 or 3 chapters look LIKE I WANT THEM TO. Then my whole book, given it’s peculiar form, must take 10 years to make great, especially for someone who has so many other responsibilities.
e.g.: I wanted to take advantage of the 90 last days before my 2nd son was born before 16 days. I had the goal to reread the book at last and then go forward, make it end for Gods’ shake. And then:
(1) I found out while rereading it that, oh Gods, so many chapters are NOT what I want them to be.
(2) One of the closest people of my life died, and not only that, but I also found that crows flying over their legacy. Imagine (a) the devestation of losing one of the most close ppl of the world for the first time, (b) having to deal with the crows, (c) having so many unfair difficulties at home, you wouldn’t believe me Steve.
And of course all these while I have to do the clumsy work of making some thousands of phrases look “great to my eyes as a reader”, and not heed the calling of the Muse, which I’m getting more ready to heed now by your guidance.
Why, Muse?
And ask:
Does the near universal demand in the Anglosphere “to be entertained” explain why resentful, power-obsessed, ignorant people gain power in all institutions ?
If “everything one reads/hears must be interesting”, one can never learn the important things that require effort to learn.
Bang on!