If the online hustlers had it their way, you'd be chained to the throne of discipline; Holy Emperor of absolute certainty sending every ounce of treacherous doubt to the guillotine. In their world self-certainty is God. There's no time for pondering or wondering, no time for confusion or doubt. “Time
I am wondering what comes after "Take up your sword and cut your own path." Having slain doubt, I see that the thicket of the self is incredibly dense and intertwined with other people, living and dead. I can only show a fraction of myself and do not want to wound others who accidentally become part of my personal story (and yet I cannot tell the story without them). Compare the content from the photo of my 1994 Oxford pocket diary entries to the surrounding text and you will see how large the gap can be: https://eldermentor.substack.com/p/turl-street-not-exactly-diagon-alley.
Thank you for reading and thank you for your comment.
If I'm understanding you correctly; the idea in this piece isn't to slay doubt—I don't think it should be slain, since it holds creative power—but to face those dense thickets of self and creation despite doubt looming of them.
Also, I believe every creative journey requires solitude, but that's not to say every artist should isolate themselves. We're tied to others as much as we're tied to ourselves. It's a delicate balance between the two.
“Slain” was an unfortunate choice of words. I meant having faced doubts and deciding to write in spite of that, what problems then arise. It seems that the answer might depend on the genre you choose. My own genre is creative nonfiction, which requires honesty, real names, and the selection of details in such a way that things are represented truthfully overall. The topics I would like to see discussed are: (1) “Writing about People You Know or Have Relationships with: Will You Lose All Your Friends?” (2) “How to Choose the Content That Lies below the Surface; or, Does Writing It Make It Superficial?”
Ah, I see. I'm apprehensive to give advice on writing itself, since my own process wouldn't work for a lot of writers. I'm a philosopher of sorts, trying to find universal truths if I can. My approach lends to the broader category of the human condition rather than the minutiae of tactics. But your second recommendation does lend to that approach, so I will ponder further and see if it bears fruit.
I am wondering what comes after "Take up your sword and cut your own path." Having slain doubt, I see that the thicket of the self is incredibly dense and intertwined with other people, living and dead. I can only show a fraction of myself and do not want to wound others who accidentally become part of my personal story (and yet I cannot tell the story without them). Compare the content from the photo of my 1994 Oxford pocket diary entries to the surrounding text and you will see how large the gap can be: https://eldermentor.substack.com/p/turl-street-not-exactly-diagon-alley.
Hey Lynn,
Thank you for reading and thank you for your comment.
If I'm understanding you correctly; the idea in this piece isn't to slay doubt—I don't think it should be slain, since it holds creative power—but to face those dense thickets of self and creation despite doubt looming of them.
Also, I believe every creative journey requires solitude, but that's not to say every artist should isolate themselves. We're tied to others as much as we're tied to ourselves. It's a delicate balance between the two.
I hope this helps, and thanks again!
“Slain” was an unfortunate choice of words. I meant having faced doubts and deciding to write in spite of that, what problems then arise. It seems that the answer might depend on the genre you choose. My own genre is creative nonfiction, which requires honesty, real names, and the selection of details in such a way that things are represented truthfully overall. The topics I would like to see discussed are: (1) “Writing about People You Know or Have Relationships with: Will You Lose All Your Friends?” (2) “How to Choose the Content That Lies below the Surface; or, Does Writing It Make It Superficial?”
Ah, I see. I'm apprehensive to give advice on writing itself, since my own process wouldn't work for a lot of writers. I'm a philosopher of sorts, trying to find universal truths if I can. My approach lends to the broader category of the human condition rather than the minutiae of tactics. But your second recommendation does lend to that approach, so I will ponder further and see if it bears fruit.
Thank you,
Tom.