Arquivo de writing | Page 35 of 38

The Problem of Originality

Interesting how the duty of originality haunts the average writer. I mean, before he can express himself with sincerity and strength, he has to be original. But originality, unless the writer deliberately uses a ready-made formula, plagiarizes and refuses to think independently, comes naturally. First, because the psychological interpretations of the facts, the relationship locked between the individual and the surrounding reality are variable and almost unique. Second, because biographies are absolutely individual, that is: each writer has unique experiences to be transmitted to his art. So unless he intends to be someone other than himself, any half dozen sincere lines will make the writer always look original.

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Spreadsheets, Spreadsheets…

It amazes me that the world has existed for so long without control spreadsheets. Sometimes I refuse to believe it, but backwards from the 1980s — at least — people lived without spreadsheets. My brain locks up: how? Impossible! And I convince myself that by deleting my spreadsheets, my home would immediately catch fire. There is no routine task that does not require a spreadsheet: from shopping at the supermarket to accompanying readings. Controlling the weight, the level of body fat is very important. The movies watched, the monthly cash flow, the portfolio of assets, the hours in language study, the special alcoholic beverages consumed over the years, the planning of daily physical exercises… all these are mandatory spreadsheets, essential to life. There are others, several others. And I am amazed at this: how to write a book without a spreadsheet? If I was to prepare a guide detailing the writing process, the first and obligatory step would be: create a companion spreadsheet, list the planning of the chapters, define their average length, and only then think about what to write. I would even say that, in many cases, the spreadsheet is previous to the idea or, still, the idea is only possible with the spreadsheet. Strange world…

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The Rhythm of the Letters

In prose the punctuation, the extension of periods, the chaining of paragraphs; in poetry, besides punctuation, the distribution of tonics, the extension of verses and their relationships: these are the markers of the rhythm of the letters. As for the rhythm: sandy, treacherous terrain; indomitable beast; marvelous and irresolvable enigma; visible perfection but distant, very distant…

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Style Is Abundance of Expressive Resources

The goal of every great artist should be to erect, in the long run, a complex and multifaceted monument. That is why minor artists are the ones who, annoyingly, only repeat the same processes. To do so, to seek emphasis on the same idea, the same impression or the evocation of the same feeling, is not, as some suppose, a demonstration of style, but evidence of a limited creative horizon. Style is expressiveness, power, conciseness, rhythm… Style is abundance of expressive resources, exactly the opposite of the artist’s capacity to repeat to exhaustion the same processes.

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