What Do You Write About?
Writing, like Cooking, is something everyone CAN do. Do you?
I’ve heard that question so many times over the past year and a half, and truth be told, I struggled with answering. I struggle still, stumbling and stuttering syllables. I know, I have a formula for that. Whereas writing comes easy to me, talking about writing does not.
Many writers here on Substack, and Substack itself, have posts dealing with the process of writing. I read as many as I could. I love learning about their process. The whole writing experience is entirely unique for each of us engaged in this craft.
But there are tons of similarities. We’re solitary, for the most part. Most writers listen to music while writing. Almost all sit. All writers are consistently writing or thinking about writing. Most of us are obsessive in one way or another. Often multi-obsessed. Finally, we’re easily distracted by shiny objects.
My ability to answer that question coherently is important, just from an intellectual-pride basis. The value-added bonus is that the questioner might actually be interested enough to check it out. As opposed to walking away thinking, Yeah right, nutbag yelling into the wind.
I talk about five elements of life and how I believe that they create culture. Certainly the individual cultures we inhabit in our own personal existence. Our souls, for lack of a more descriptive noun. But more generally, those elements are the ones we share with others - friend or foe. Loved one or an unknown stranger. Thereby creating civilization.
Sharing just one element with another involves two in a civilization. Adding a third to the pair grows it into a community. Soon, it’s a mosh pit. It is said that for a dance band in a bar, it’s not the first person on the dance floor that sucks in the crowd. It’s the second person (that costs extra Cotton). The first someone to do something is often described as eccentric. If you’re rich. Crazy if poor. The second is cool.
That critical second is the validation not only the crazy dude needs, but it's a validation of the confirmation bias the masses cling to and cannot act without. It must be why the act of seconding a motion is a hallmark of meeting rules. According to Jurassic Parliament, the original purpose of seconding the motion was to foster discussion, even disagreement.
Second the motion—why?
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition, says that a person seconds a motion in order to indicate that they would like to talk about it. In other words, “second the motion” is an affirmation of interest in the proposal. The theory is that there ought to be at least two people who are interested in an idea before the group spends its time in discussing it.
In the olden days, to second the motion meant that you approved of it—that you sponsored it. This is no longer so. You can even second a motion you disagree with, if you would like to explain why it’s a bad idea.
The galactic goal of argument is agreement. The old sports saw you learn more from losing than winning is based on the concept that more actionable knowledge is gained thru conflict rather than concurrence. As my birthday clock clicks 58 summers Sunday, my degree from The School of Hard Knocks is more and ever valuable as the dystopia engulfs more and more of us.
Leader of the Broken Free World, after all.
As I pause a couple of side-hustles that kept me afloat the past few months, I gather in the unconscious actions that elevate an experience. Without knowing the final outcome of my negotiations, I found myself training three new staff for Blood * Sweat + Butter for the past week and a half.
When serving 8-minute eggs, it’s important to serve them yolk side up. Serving from a camp spoon, she deftly deposited one right-side-up-egg onto the plate while flipping her wrist in the next millisecond to serve the upside-down-egg right-side-up, perfectly positioned next to its other half. Sunny Side Up.
When I mentioned to her that that action cemented in my mind her commitment to the principle that guides my cooking
Half the meal is eaten with the eye
she responded with complete innocence. She didn’t even know she did it. Confirmed my confirmation bias. The other two trainees were equally impressive.
My last job with them found me showing up and setting up. All of the studios jam out great music, so the second song in (second?) blows me away.
DEVO is one of my four pillars of rock and hearing Uncontrollable Urge at that moment was a divine sign. I am on the path, Yoda.
I asked the PA if it was his playlist, and he enthusiastically replied, NO, it’s that chick over there! And he proceeded to inform me that he had the same reaction that I did. And asked for the playlist. And gave it to me. And, now I’m giving it to you.
See how that goes? From her to him to me and onto to you. Nice and tidy. Just like all of our lives, right? Never. Always. And that’s the process. Struggle. Loss. Pain.
Reconciliation. Redemption. Love. All that power lost in prideful anger and empty rhetoric. I’ve never seen a prime-time cable talking-head show solve a problem. I’ve watched them highlight certain individuals that experienced a circumstance that most of us will never ever go through. And live. And thrive.
My process for writing is my life. You just lived yours. Have you nothing to write about? Looking for a formula is exploration. Expecting a formula to satisfy is exhaustion. Check out Khruangbin.
And now it’s ours. Not mine or yours or theirs. Just ours. Together. The more we share, it’s too cliché to say, but sometimes the truth is laid bare. It’s an act of caring. Making a playlist involves time, care, and consideration of the listener.
Especially even if it’s only for you. You are the #1 listener. The Ultimate Fan of Yourself University. Wave your own damn flag for God’s sake. Think about it, our own personal selves are the first thing we walk on to meet the needs of others. It’s like we wipe our feet on our own feelings, but not others. Fucked up, man.
Listening to a playlist fills up the gas tank. Unleaded or jet fuel? What do you run on?
Question: Would you allow others to treat you like you treat yourself? If not, then don’t.
Ric
