The key to learning, according to Descartes, is to take large problems and separate them into smaller, more easily solved problems.
Not surprisingly, this method is often applied to artistic ventures.
After all, making something new –something that never existed before– is difficult. That’s why people often look for formulas for success. A whole industry of “how-to” books emerged on this basis.
But does any one believe this approach works? I used to. Now, not so much.
Call me superstitious, but one should probably avoid talking too much about the process of writing.
But since I’ve reached 40k words on this “thing” and feel rather good about the progress, I thought I might jot down a few strategies that are working for me. Maybe they’ll work for you.
I have family members who position themselves, like so many conservatives do, as over-taxed and under appreciated, cheated by government, burdened to carry a lazy and corrupt society forward.
Though I love and deeply respect these family members, I’ve never sympathized with this argument and often find myself at a loss to articulate exactly why it is that I disagree. After all, I am a liberal educator. Of course I believe in taxes. Of course, I don’t think poor people are lazy. But how could I express this?
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