Sit & Write #331
A quiet revolution
Greetings, friends!
I’m so looking forward to seeing you this weekend — big thanks to Kayla and Asher for hosting last week and the one on the 27th! It’s a relief to know I’ve left Sit & Write in good hands when I’m away. But I always get a little FOMO when I think of everyone working hard in their respective webcam windows while I drag boxes of event supplies around, miles away from my unfinished novel. Busy periods like this always make me appreciate our sweet community of writers and dreamers, all making slow but steady progress.
I was talking to a friend last night about activism, and the ego-driven mindsets that can lead people to overlook the easy wins in favor of showier, more revolutionary challenges. I’m glad there are people out there who are thinking big, pushing for major change and transformative victories. But I also think there needs to be a contingent of individuals willing to work in small, steady ways — building gradual consensus, strengthening skillsets and vocabularies, meeting the seemingly minute needs of community members.
A lot of aspiring leftists imagine themselves as the story’s hero, the Katniss Everdeen or what have you — insert a cooler example here. You know, a front-facing leader who carries a bullhorn and guides the masses toward revolt and revolution. But movements are a duration-based art form: a slow burn. Without stable footing, movements can flare up and flame out before real change can take hold.
The complementary component of that showier work is not glamorous. It looks like conversations, resource sharing, and mutual support. In and of itself, it doesn’t necessarily lead to monuments or a sea change. But it’s the sturdy foundation upon which movements are built.
Writing is not so different, especially when we think about long form projects. The fantasy of sitting down and churning out the next great American novel is sexy and motivating… for a while. But the reality is slow, methodical, and iterative. It’s full of false starts. It takes countless rounds of trial and error, experimentation and failure. It takes time. It takes practice. It is quiet and unsexy. The reward is in the journey, sure, but it’s also in the underlying belief that the work is inherently worth doing — that, if successful, the rewards, whatever they may be, will make a difference.
SIT & WRITE
Let’s spend some time trying this weekend. If you’re new, read this FAQ before tuning in.
WHAT: Sit & Write #331
WHEN: Saturday, 6/20 11:00am-2:00pm ET
WHERE: Zoooooom
REGISTRATION: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zpPd3l3OTMmjlsy7fgbEUQ
Alright friends, that’s all for today.
Warmly,
Julian Shendelman
Collective Lit
collectivelitgroup@gmail.com