The Grasshopper #96, The Role of a Writer as Social Observer, However Unpopular

It’s not for everyone, but we can make a difference

Photo by Charles Tyler on Unsplash

I am mixed about being a political writer, as a person who primarily sees myself as more. I’ve been revising my first novel to prep it to send out to agents. But my daily writing is far different. There is not a political message in that novel. But there is value and connection in writing about our lives right now.

Last night I rewatched an American Experience documentary on the life of Rachel Carson, the naturalist writer who woke the world up to the danger of unregulated pesticides sold as miracle chemicals, specifically. Two things stood out.

Carson had already become a major best selling writer, writing about the beauty and miracle of nature. Her books sold millions of copies. Then an issue came front and center as she did her homework about pesticides, specifically DDT, heralded as a savior of humanity.

What she found and wrote about in Silent Spring was horrifying and, though she was not a scientist, changed the world. DDT was regulated and the American public became aware that chemical miracles are not always what they seem.

It hit me on two levels. First, a writer known for writing about beauty, has to defend that beauty when faced with the knowledge of its fragility. And that a writer can change the world by speaking truth to power, a concept more important than ever in this burning world.

That’s the nature of inspiration. And an argument that a writer can be above earthly existential issues and still find beauty and poetry in the darkness. And that we can have responsibilities beyond art and commerce.

After the huge success of Silent Spring, DDT became far more regulated, saving lives and millions of birds and other wildlife. More important, if that’s not enough, it can be said to have launched the environmental action movement.

Not bad Rachel. I’m sorry you did not live to see its impact.

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Multitasking, nope, nope, nope

“When he wrote, he slipped into the page as if it were water, and tumbled on. The writer was a tumbler.”

~ Michael Ondaatje, Anil’s Ghost (2000)

I have done two things in my life that require full focus and attention. Real time in other words. Those two things are playing live music in front of a crowd, and, surprise, writing. Very different experiences, but both tapping into a creative vein and a skill, a complex skill.

Multi-tasking is a popular concept, especially among many who work in tech companies like those I once did marketing for. At that time there was a workaholic mentality and constantly shifting gears was a normal thing. And an abominably inefficient way to get things done.

Writing requires a kind of concentration we have to nurture. For some that means quiet and solitude, while for others, like myself, writing can take place almost anywhere, but only if I am allowed to pursue it uninterrupted, even in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

When I did my marketing writing, which was the lion’s share of that marketing, I had to have agreement with my co-workers that if I was typing away, I need to be left alone until I’m done. These days most of my writing is done in solitude because I live alone and work at home. 

But if an idea is pressing and trying to break out, I’ll get it done anywhere. The inspiration is all front-loaded, which means when an idea sorts itself out in my subconscious I can upload it to the page mostly complete. But there is a catch. While doing so, time is no longer under my control, if it ever is.

Maybe there is a newscast I want to catch or a bus or an appt. If I start writing it is very likely I will miss that planned obligation because any sense of time disappears. But a lot of time if I miss that appt or bus, I’m ok with it if the writing works, especially these days when those things are seldom pressing. That’s a luxury.

I tumble into it and when I read those lines by Ondaatje I immediately knew what he meant.

I have another take on this. Writing is similar to meditation. When you start out meditating, your mind comes up with a dozen reasons to get up and finish this or that. It’s a bit of a game that we learn to bypass.

When we sit to write, write. Don’t do that other stuff. You’ll eventually teach your subconscious to go into the mode. This is why having a regular time or place can help, though it is not required. But it may help you develop the habit faster.

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Regarding writing about politics. It is mentally tiring, especially when the craziness seems to get more amped up, not just daily, but hourly. Sometimes I want to just walk away from it, but I feel a personal responsibility to speak my piece.

And, I have to admit, it is a passion of mine and I’ve learned that when you find a passion, pursue it, because many people never find theirs. It’s hard to write about writing without dealing with passion. And no, I don’t always feel it, but most of the time it is there under the surface, refusing to be ignored.

Here on Substack it is a hotbed of passion about writing. And frankly, most of it gets unread. Building a subscriber base, much less a paid subscriber base, is really hard. Despite what Substack and get rich quick side hustlers claim, there is no easy path to growth. That’s why so many newsletters come and go.

These days, if you don’t get some kind of feedback from your writing, it can feel like you’re just that drop of water in the ocean. I get a lot of feedback on my political and climate writing, or is it a lot? Lately, more of it is negative, mostly because I tackled the Israeli/Gaza/Palestinian/Hamas conflict which is incredibly polarizing and horrible.

I knew I was going out on a limb with that one. But I also knew I had a pretty good grasp on the long history behind it and have tried to address where current politics diverge from the reality of that history. If we think this is a huge mess, it has always been a huge mess, filled with bigotry, greed, irrational hate, and very complex issues about property rights in the area that go back thousands of years, not an exaggeration.

You have to be a little nuts to wade into that one. 

One thing I have right now to help is that edit I’m doing with my old novel manuscript. It’s been enlightening because the book was written ten years ago and basically set aside. So, I’m reading it again with fresh eyes and I like most of it. I was trying to do something pretty ambitious about the unreliability of memory, and I think it works, but now I need some other eyes to look at it.

My big question was is it a good story, and I think it is. Honestly, that is the criteria I apply to everything I write. Does it hang together from beginning to end? Is the theme consistent? Are the characters evolving in interesting ways, not always positive, but interesting. And does it stay on point?

If it doesn’t hit that last criteria, you have to be merciless and cut out the deadwood. Take a political piece like the one I wrote today about Trump’s financial problems. The theme was that those problems may be a bigger negative than his legal issues. I wasn’t sure that was the case but by the time I got done with it, I felt the case was there.

The story held up, at least for now.

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The Grasshopper has been a little intermittent lately. It easily gets subsumed by the writing you see that arrives under the Witness Chronicles label, mainly because politics is red hot right now and people are struggling to find a way to understand it.

And, honestly, some are scared. I’m not but I certainly understand them. A lot of freedoms are on the line and the right to write and think what we want is one of them. In the post Trump years we have seen the rise of censorship, especially with books, and writers under the gun for telling stories that reflect reality.

We have a responsibility as society’s storytellers to tell the truth as we know it, and to preserve it. This is an ancient responsibility going back to the bards of Celtic times and tale tellers throughout history. We should all be glad to be able to carry on this important role.

I’m coming up on the 100th issue of The Grasshopper. It has evolved over the past two years and led me further into the world of self-directed publishing online. Amazing but not very lucrative and your support is always appreciated (see how below).

I have some interesting things in the pipeline for the next year and hope to see you there. Thank you.

Martin

1544 words

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~ I write The Grasshopper, a letter for creatives, The Witness Chronicles, a place for my articles on politics and climate, and The Remarkable, a recovery letter, about my addiction and reentry experience. All are weekly and free, however this is how I live and I strongly believe all writers and creatives should get paid, if we provide value. Your upgrade to a paid subscription helps make that happen. 

If you want to show support but don’t want to commit to a subscription, you can always buy me a coffee!

Believe me, it makes my day. M