J.R. Johnson

Some thoughts on writing and practice and success:

They taught me not to fail – by Elizabeth Bear

A lot of writing advice books like to concentrate on all the things you’re probably doing wrong, it so happens, and tell you how not to do those things. This—along with modern school systems where the goal is Not To Fail—trains writers to think in terms of not doing things wrong, not making mistakes, etc.

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I’ve often said that following all those rules about what not to do without developing a list of things you do right will turn you into the literary equivalent of a garage band, and the thing about garage bands is that they all sound alike.

And what if what’s new isn’t just the scary unknown, but something that could actually be great?

Quest for Craft: Season 1 | Episode 4: Malcolm Gladwell interviewed by Questlove

[Gladwell] Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking what the audience wants is mastery…. but actually they don’t want to see something done perfectly. What we want is something exciting. Something that challenges us and engages us. 

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[Questlove] Practice versus curiosity, what’s more important? Like most deep truths, the answer is not either/or, but both/and. Practice is key, but it only gets you so far. To level up, you need the hunger and openness of a beginner’s mind.

Yes, if you want to get good at something, practice. But, if you want to get great, if you want to add your voice to the world, step out of your groove and try something new.

Ready? Set? Here’s an example of something new.

Secret Agent Man Gayageum ver. by Luna Lee – YouTube

Fun, right? 🙂

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