“Let’s agree writing is one of many creative art forms, and that everything—from the way someone crosses the street, twirls their hair, rides a subway—can be described as an art. That said, when I’m in a rut I like to get uncomfortable. I share my writing with different writers and friends who don’t write for feedback. I try to get stimulated by other art forms. I go to a museum, go to a park, I go skateboarding, physical things that don’t include staring at my draft or phone.
My best advice is to keep an active relationship with your voice, your inner monologue, and let that come out whenever, wherever. Don’t hesitate to take down a note or record a voice memo on your phone. Don’t let projected social norms interrupt your ability to capture your creativity and document it on ‘the page.’ It’s like a jump shot that only gets better and more automatically accessible to execute over time. Writing is labor and that’s fine, so long as you own as much of the creative means of production as possible. And that starts with simply keeping writing fun and stimulating—if not for you, then who else?”
—José Vadi, author of Inter State: Essays From California (Soft Skull Press, 2021)
Photo credit: Bobby Gordon