The most painful lessons I’ve learned about creative writing

Starting a novel can become more than you bargained for… unless you know what to expect. What follows are the toughest lessons I've taken from working on writing/editing every day for years. This is highly subjective and not meant to cover everything – only the parts that were once hard to accept.

There will be times when your mind goes blank, when writing is the last thing you want to do. But your pet project will still be there, looking at you with puppy dog eyes, expecting to be fed and exercised. If it feels like it won't leave you alone, that is a great sign.

Beware the sunk cost fallacy. Even when you’ve nurtured a novel for years, there will inevitably be a point where you realise that it’s just not working out. This happens to even the greatest of talents. The key is to know when to step away – and that requires being honest with yourself.

Set a cutoff point. I’ve been warned by several accomplished writers not to spend more than a year on a first draft. I have repeatedly ignored that advice – telling myself, “But this is different! I can make it work!” – only to wish I’d taken their advice sooner.

Do a little bit every day, even if it’s just 30 mins in the morning (on your commute) or last thing at night (when everyone’s gone to bed). Momentum is everything. Skipping a day might feel harmless but you can lose months of progress before you know it.

Don't put too much significance on daily word-count targets. Writing to a certain length every time you work is risky. Consciously or not, you can end up generating weak material just to meet your goal – which only creates more work for yourself later on in the editing process.

Good writing requires good editing. The bad news? Editing yourself well requires time and patience. There’s a popular myth that Jack Kerouac wrote his seminal work On the Road in a three-week frenzy. The reality is that it took years of rewrites and rejections. That’s craftwork.

Don’t get hamstrung by real life. I’ve written passages that were 100% accurate... and yet they either felt unbelievable or downright boring. Beware of that trap. You’re not writing a history book. Even if you've got an outline, remember to let your imagination take the story where it needs to go.

Studying writers’ routines won't reveal a magic secret. I’ve tried every approach you can think of and still haven’t found an ideal method. It all depends on what works for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so experiment until you’ve found a groove.

What I wish I knew years ago: Find the right person to share your work with. Avoid anyone who’ll tell you what you want to hear, filter feedback through their own insecurities, or leave you hanging in uncertainty. It can have a destructive effect on your writing, so proceed with (passionate) caution.

An Emigrant's Dilemma...

For The Irish Times, I wrote about the nuanced decisions that many emigrants will have to face this Christmas. I don't often get personal in articles, but this is like my PSA about the various difficulties involved – and how it could so easily go wrong if we’re not careful enough. Be safe.

Editing should be a luxury, not a form of torture

• It’s going to happen: no matter how much experience you have as a writer, your work will be edited – and you may not like how it feels. Here are some important things to keep in mind…

• Don’t be wounded. If a particularly big edit seems like a stinging rebuke of you, your ability, or your efforts – it’s not. This is just the ego talking. You must not listen to it.

• Editing is simply about making sure that your work offers a seamless reading experience for the widest possible audience. What creator wouldn’t want that?

• You and the editor share the same goal: maximum engagement. You can only get that with total clarity, which means honing in on subtle details (big and small) that might trip readers up. 

• No good editor is going to tinker with your work for the sake of it. Trust me, having a flawless piece of work would make their life a lot easier. But that almost never happens. Why? Because most of us can’t possibly perceive our own work from multiple angles.

• You may think, “I’ve spent all this time perfecting this, and now someone has the audacity to nitpick it with annoying questions?” But your hard work is the reason you can no longer see the wood for the trees. You need a pair of fresh eyes that know exactly what to look for.

• Pedantry is a luxury. The more questions/feedback your editor has, the better. It’s a sign that they’re paying close attention – and they’ve got your back – because they care about seeing your work realizing its full potential. Some people would kill for that!

• No editor is infallible. You have every right to push back if they’re introducing errors, misrepresenting you, or doing anything that compromises the integrity of your work. Otherwise, just remember that digging in your heels won’t help anyone – least of all you.

• Publishing works best as a collaboration – one for which you will get all the credit. Editing is often a thankless attempt at making somebody else look better. As frustrating as it may feel to have your work scrutinized, rest assured that any glory will be yours.

• Bottom line: Being edited is not a critique. It should not feel like a hostage negotiation or a muscle-flexing contest. It’s about finding ways to make your work even better. Nobody is above that process – and it only benefits you to have an ally truly invested in it.

How to write a first-class feature article

Part 1: Gathering the elements

Feature writing is designed to sustain engagement from start to finish. News articles and research papers follow a strict ordering of information, but the goal here is to both inform and entertain.

Let’s say you want to do a feature about a little-known medical condition or a new cultural trend. This seed of an idea needs a solid foundation of research to grow from. Even if your topic has been covered before, there will always be something new to say. You just need to find it.

Yet without characters to animate that central idea, all you’ve got is an abstract concept. Stories are told through people: real lives that can humanise an idea. Finding the right people to interview requires a mix of more research, networking, and a bit of luck.

Try to conduct your interviews in person (or by video). You need to gather enough information and detail so that the reader can not only picture them but relate to them. 

To keep your characters from seeming one-dimensional, you need to combine basic biographical info (age, job, where they’re from) with insights into the challenges they’ve faced or the vulnerabilities they’ve struggled with. The more stories they share, the better.

Here’s a checklist of the details that will help each interviewee stand out as a distinct character: What do they look like? What are they wearing? What do they sound like? What’s it like to spend time with them? Why are we hearing from them? Why should we care?

Transcribe the interview yourself. This can be so laborious that it’s tempting to use a transcription app (or to just get someone else to do it) but it’s important to take note of any revealing nuances that won’t be apparent in pure text.

Once you’ve transcribed your interviews, it’s time to comb through the material. Use different colors to divide the highlights into three categories: must use, might use, and relevant information that you’ll incorporate in your own words (outside of quotes).

Think of the interviews as micro-stories that will fit together to tell one macro story. You’re using multiple perspectives to illuminate the overarching idea in different ways.

But most important is the narrative structure. This is what will unite everything as a cohesive whole. Next, let’s take a look at how to do exactly that...

Part 2: Putting the pieces together

Your mission is to capture the reader’s interest from the outset. Think of them as the director of your story. Whatever you describe, they should be able to see it clearly in their mind.

You might start with a question, an attention-grabbing statement, or an evocative scene. Features in The New Yorker, for example, typically start by establishing some context: the when and/or the where is evoked with just enough detail to pull us towards the why.

“On the bottom floor of the United States Capitol’s new underground visitors’ center, there is a secure room where the House Intelligence Committee maintains highly classified files.” Lawrence Wright, ‘The 28 Pages’, The New Yorker

Once you’ve piqued the reader’s interest, portion out key facts to keep pulling them in further. You don’t want to dump all the information in one go or make the same points over and over. This will only kill the narrative flow.

How would you sum up your research for a friend who’s busy and not particularly interested? By this point, you will have absorbed enough expertise to give the average person a crash course on the subject. I.e. “I’ve done the legwork so you don’t have to. Here’s what you should know.”

Use quotes wisely. They’re not just there to back up the overall idea; they must pack a punch. A great quote expresses an insight that nobody else but that person could give. It should not be a general platitude, an obvious statement, or information repeated elsewhere in the story.

Quotes should take up about one-third of a feature. Anything more or less than that can make for an unbalanced reading experience.

Whenever you introduce a new quote source, draw from the sensory details of the interview and/or the anecdotes they shared to set a new scene (as long as it’s relevant). This maintains momentum and makes the reader feel like they’re getting good value for their time investment.

Your conclusion should mark a natural ending to the story. It shouldn’t feel abrupt or cheesy.

Aim to end on a strong quote that gives the piece a feeling of finality, e.g. someone reflecting on the significance of the subject or looking ahead to what must change in the future.

Life is messy; you can’t tie everything up in a bow. But you do want to leave the reader with something to think about. Conjuring an enduring image that summarises the story’s big idea would be ideal.

Bottom line: feature writing is all about telling a story that will engage, inform, and entertain. Once you’ve gathered the ingredients – an idea, solid research, strong quotes, evocative detail – the trick is to order information in a way that just about anyone can understand (and enjoy).

Alive and Diverse

We need to keep journalism alive and diverse.

Over the past year or so, I’ve been doing journalism/editorial workshops with the likes of Tattva – a wonderful non-profit that nurtures aspiring authors – and it’s something I want to more of on a voluntary basis.

Given the obvious barriers that persist in journalism and publishing, I want to do whatever I can to help make the industry more accessible.

I’m offering my help as a tutor, mentor, or speaker for any organisation representing young people from underprivileged backgrounds.

Just to be clear: I don’t wish to compete with anyone who already does this for a job. My intention is not to take away from any paid-work opportunities. I just want to help groups with limited to no resources.

If your organisation (or one you know of) could use help on subjects like writing, editing, story structure, interview techniques, pitching article ideas, etc., then just let me know. I’d love to get involved.

The art of interviewing someone

Part 1: The preparation

There are two types of interviewee a writer needs to prepare for: the professional and the layperson. Each one requires a different approach. 

Let’s start with the professional: someone for whom interviews are part of their job (e.g. artists, athletes, politicians, etc.). 

There’s a clear hierarchy of interview settings: in-person, video, phone, email. Avoid email interviews whenever possible. They rarely produce anything worthwhile.

Research is the best preparation. Read every interview the person in question has ever given. Just when it feels like you couldn’t possibly read anymore, keep going.

This helps you develop a comprehensive overview of their career, but you’re also learning what to ask and what not to ask…

Reading an interview with someone will naturally spark questions of your own. Make a list of them. But if the person has made certain views or biographical details repeatedly clear, then either find a fresh angle or treat it as material to sum up (where relevant) in the finished article.

Nobody likes having to answer the same questions over and over. It makes people switch off (and makes you look lazy). Thoughtful queries driven by genuine curiosity are what works best.

The mark of a good question is one that can be asked in every situation and produce different answers. Building a stockpile of these will help you navigate any interview scenario.

Once you’ve compiled a list of questions, put them in a cohesive order. This will give the conversation a more natural flow. It’ll also make the finished article feel well-rounded.

Asking random stuff makes it harder to tie everything together later. Questions that don’t fit in (or seem less interesting) should be set aside as “extras” in case you have time to fill at the end.

Part 2: The ins and outs of an interview

An interview should have the feel of a natural conversation as much as possible. Stopping to read questions or check notes has the opposite effect because it disrupts the flow.

The questions are not a script you must stick to. They form the outline of a path to follow. It’s better to have that path mapped out clearly in your head before the interview starts.

Make a pocket-sized version of your questions in shorthand. “What’s your idea of success?” becomes “success”; “What’s the biggest misconception of you?” becomes “misconception”, etc.

Use this shorthand as a flashcard that can be glanced at quickly if you need a reminder.

Be flexible. Diversions are likely (and welcome). If you planned to ask someone about something later in the interview but they bring it up early on, for example, that’s the time to do it. If the interview is about to end unexpectedly, spring straight to the most important question.

Don’t fear silence. There’s no need to simply move on to the next question. Waiting for the interviewee to fill that space can lead to powerful insights.

Keep queries open-ended. Avoid multiple-choice options or ones that can be answered with a yes/no. If an answer needs elaborating, try simply asking “What do you mean?” or “Really?”

Listening closely is hugely important. It will inspire new questions (just like a normal conversation) and the interviewee will see that you’re engaged in what they have to say.

Keep your eye on the time. Get a feel for the rhythm of the interview. It’s normal to get through 15-20 questions in 30 minutes, but it depends on how the interviewee’s responses are paced.

Always show your appreciation for the opportunity – both at the beginning and at the end.

Take note of every sensory detail you can remember (the stuff a microphone won’t catch) immediately after the interview: body language, what they were wearing, the environment, any interruptions, etc. These little things help set the scene and bring your story to life.

Part 3: Interviewing a layperson

The other form of interview you will encounter is with a layperson: someone who may have no experience of interacting with journalists. There are pros and cons to this…

The upshot is there won’t be the same time constraints; there’s no risk of a publicist interfering and they’re not necessarily doing the interview because they have something to promote.

On the other hand, an interview with a layperson requires much more care. Start by putting yourself in their shoes...

Being quoted on a subject (particularly a controversial one) is a high risk/low reward situation for your interviewee. It means trusting a stranger and having no control over the outcome.

If the interview is expected to touch on sensitive issues, like past trauma, it’s of the utmost importance that they don’t feel unfairly represented or exploited. Remind them that they don’t have to answer anything they feel uncomfortable with.

Help them feel at ease from the start. Make some small-talk before asking if you can begin by turning on the recorder. 

Be open. Sharing stories of your own experiences helps the interview feel more like a natural conversation. It also gives them a better sense of who they’re talking to.

Towards the end, ask: “Is there anything we didn’t cover that’s worth touching on?” This is an easy way to find any blind spots, but it also gives you an insight into what they care about.

Finally, ask: “Who else do you think I should speak to on this subject?” This can open up a network of opportunities that will enrich your story.

Again, always show your appreciation for the interviewee’s time. Ask if you can send follow-up questions or double-check any facts later. This can be extremely valuable to your story, but it also shows that you’re taking the responsibility seriously.

Make your writing less academic and more accessible

Part 1: The Problem

The language of experts and educators couldn’t be more different from the kind of writing that connects with the wider world.

Whether you’re emerging from university or siloed in a particular industry, those differences may not seem like much of a problem… until almost no one engages with your work.

What sets academic writing apart is its built-in audience: people normally read dissertations and research papers because “peer-reviewed” work is considered part of the job. 

This has a big effect on the style of writing. Since you’re speaking to a specialist audience that knows as much (if not more) than you, there’s a level of assumed ‘insider’ knowledge present.

The other consequence of a guaranteed audience is that you can take as long as you like to articulate an idea. You can take their attention for granted.

This won’t work in the wider world. We’re all inundated with things vying for our attention, so if we choose to read something… it needs to hook us in immediately and hold our interest.

Imagine your reader taking a bus or a train home from work. Your ultimate goal is to have them so engrossed in your writing, so captivated by what you’re saying, that they miss their stop.

The key to pulling this off is clarity. Clarity is the antidote to confusion. Anything that causes the reader to pause and think “Wait, what?” is like having a roadblock in your writing.

Repetition is another enemy of accessible writing. It makes us switch off and lose interest. Clichès have the same effect: when our brain knows what words are coming, it skips ahead.

Now that we’ve identified the subtle things that make writing inaccessible, let’s turn our focus to what gives readers the most compelling experience possible.

Part 2: The Solution

Good writing is concise. Cut the fat by pretending that every word costs money. Just like a machine shouldn’t have unnecessary parts, a sentence should contain no unnecessary words.

Use everyday language – the kind of words you use naturally while speaking. Avoid formal terms that people never say in everyday speech (e.g. “furthermore”, “moreover”, “thus”).

Take nothing for granted. Put yourself in the shoes of a layperson who doesn’t know anything about this subject. How can you fill the blanks in their mind as simply as possible?

The opening line is your chance to win the reader over. This is when they make a snap judgment to keep going or move onto something else. Let’s look at some examples…

“The first time 53-year-old Sidney Anderson was seen drunk was the last time he was seen alive.” Harold Evans, Do I Make Myself Clear?

“Two years ago, Kazushige Nishida, a Tokyo businessman in his sixties, started renting a part-time wife and daughter.” Elif Batuman, The New Yorker.

These first lines practically dare you to stop reading. They’re clear, concise, and have an element of surprise. Get a feel for this technique by noticing the openings of anything you read.

Find the pulse of whatever story you’re trying to tell. Introduce a sense of urgency, mystery, or suspense. This gives your writing a natural momentum that pulls the reader along. 

Paint a picture using the five senses. Academic writing is often accused of being dull, dry, and full of jargon. A scene evoked in simple but vivid details can stick in someone’s mind forever.

Accessible writing is all about ruthlessly editing your work from another person’s perspective. Keep re-reading it, out loud, until it’s so clear and concise that there’s nothing left to change.

Pitch an article idea: 10 things editors want you to know

If there’s one thing I’ve been asked more than anything else over the years, it’s this. I had no idea how to pitch when I first started out. Looking back, I got lucky and managed to piece things together over time. But it’s not until you’re on the receiving end of pitch after pitch after pitch that your idea of what makes a good pitch (and a bad one) crystallises.

Difficult times lay ahead of us. For the self-employed, finding sources of work is about to get even more challenging. I’ve always been happy to share advice on pitching, but I’ve decided to put it in one place in the hope that it’s helpful to others.

The good news: all publications depend on people submitting ideas. The bad news: your window of opportunity may only last a few seconds, if that, so it’s important to get it right. Here’s what you need to know:

• Find the relevant person to contact. Check the publication’s website, search Twitter, whatever you have to do – but get it right. Generic mailouts (“Hey there…” or “to whom it may concern”) risk being ignored. Similarly, CCing multiple editors is a surefire way to slip between the cracks. 

• Pitches generally fall into three categories: ready to go (rare), something with potential (sporadic), and not the right fit (the vast majority). Being inundated by emails forces editors to make snap decisions based on this ratio, so don’t take anything for granted (including a reply).

• Present your idea in a nutshell. Don’t sound speculative. (“Are you covering X?”) Don’t just volunteer. (“I’d love to write for you.”) Don’t expect an editor to find the story for you. (“Is there anything in this brain-dump you like the sound of?”) And don’t send complete articles on spec. 

• Briefly outline your idea by explaining why it would be a good story, why you’re the person to write it, why it’s relevant now, and why it would fit the publication/section in question. Stick to those four whys. Ideally no more than a short paragraph each. 

• When pitching an editor for the first time, invest as much effort into the pitch as you would a commissioned article. The pitch is a taster of what’s to come. If it’s half-assed, it won’t go any further. If you get the balance just right, they’ll be hooked.

• Good storytelling is rooted in empathy. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Why should they care? What’s at stake here? You’ll need to be clear on this in order to hook the reader in immediately. The same applies to the editor you’re pitching to. 

• A quality pitch signals that you know what you're doing. You may think you’re pitching a single article, but it’s effectively a showcase for yourself. Even if your idea isn’t what the editor is looking for at that time, you may suitable for something else they had in mind.

• Show that your idea has been developed to fit the platform you’re pitching to. Don’t just copy and paste the same pitch to dozens of places in the hope that someone will take the bait. Reference a similar story they’ve published to prove that you get what they’re about.

• Don’t take it personally. Just because your idea was overlooked doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. It could be an issue of timing, fit, or someone else getting there first. These outcomes are an everyday reality for freelancers. Don’t think of it as failure or rejection. Just keep going.

• Bottom line: editors are short on time and hungry for ideas. Pitch something that’s genuinely relevant. Keep it succinct but tantalizing. Be considerate, link to your previous work, and show that you understand their publication.

  Following these simple steps will give you the best chance of being commissioned.

Two Countercultural Heroes

Here are two interviews that stand out as highlights over the last few months. One is with die-hard skate legend Chad Muska, who was refreshingly candid about the ups and downs of his unique career. The other was with renegade filmmaker John Waters, who could not stop making me laugh.

An interview in Freunde von Freunden

Here’s an interview I did with Freunde von Freunden a while back about the nature of being an editor, hunting for countercultural stories, and the timely issue of burnout.

A teen’s visual diary of the early-90s rave scene

Some stories are a joy to work on. This intensely personal photo book about the magical chaos of our teenage years will go down as a favourite of mine to write about. It was the first interview that photographer Simon Burstall had ever done and he was adamant that it needed to be handled with care. Check out the story and then get yourself a copy of ‘93 Punching the Light.

Huck: The Burnout Issue

You know the feeling... Political turmoil. Climate change. Fragile economies. Technological dependence. Divisions that show no signs of eroding. It can all get overwhelming.

In the face of those anxieties, we made The Burnout Issue: a unique set of stories about the drive to overcome forces bigger than ourselves.

The cover story is my interview with Tame Impala, which you can read here.

The issue also features Black Mirror, off-grid revolts, ScHoolboy Q, joyful activism, Mason Silva, Brazil's bregafunk scene, Conner Habib, Surfbort and much more...

Huck: The Hedonism Issue

The new issue of Huck is all about hedonism: those moments when you push things too far but come out of the experience with a story to tell. And at a time of chaos and confusion, we need some of that!

Featuring Mac DeMarco, Jonah Hill, Satanists, sex activists, rappers, sneakerheads, scooterboys, taboo tattooists, extreme cyclists, amazing photographers and the wrestler who inspired glam rock...

You can order a copy here.

The Beastie Boys

Some moments crystallise the reasons why you do what you do. For me, getting to hang out with the Beastie Boys – just me, Mike D and Ad-Rock – is definitely one of them. This might be the most fun interview I’ve ever done...

The Flying Lotus Issue

As an experimental producer, DJ, filmmaker, rapper, composer and label boss, Flying Lotus has created an interconnected universe unlike anyone else. I asked him if he would assemble a collection of stories that reflect his friends, collaborators and inspirations – a growing network of talent that stretches across cultural boundaries. He said yes... and it's amazing. Take a peek inside here or order your copy here. (Or check out some press coverage from Pitchfork, Design Week and Another Something.)

Jason Reynolds interview

Jason Reynolds is such an inspirational writer, not just in terms of getting people psyched about reading and writing, but about the intrinsic value in chasing a dream. I had the chance to speak with him on his recent tour of the UK and had some great bits of advice he was willing to share. You can read it here.

Best of 2018

This has been the most intensely productive and challenging years of my career – and by far the most rewarding. If I had to pick one highlight, it would be the special edition of Huck that’s about to drop in January. But that’s top secret for now!

Looking back, some of the best memories include: speaking about publishing at a live Q&A in Dublin; commissioning wide-ranging reportage features in Venezuela, Finland, London and India; interviewing personal heroes like George Clinton, Desiree Akhavan and the Beastie Boys; trekking to rural wales for a cover story on downhill mountain-bike star Tahnee Seagrave in Red Bulletin; celebrating skate culture for Mr Porter; speaking with legendary photographers Susan Meiselas, Bieke Depoorter and Mikiko Hara; reflecting on my early days of graft in music journalism for this chronology of the Quietus, pulling together the most entertainingly scathing reviews of 2018 for the BBC, and searching so hard for potential stories that I found this activist travelling across the US on horseback and this sports designer inspiring a sisterhood of shred. Phew!

But I have a feeling that 2019 will be even better…

Chilly Gonzales

Sometimes I love nothing more than being able to plug into a brilliant mind, ask them anything I want and then see where the conversation goes. That was the case when I met Jason Beck: the rapper, classical pianist, producer, composer and educator better known as Chilly Gonzales. You can read the interview here.

Huck's Annual Photography Special

The latest issue of Huck – our sixth annual documentary photography special – focuses on incredible women and non-binary photographers.

Roughly 85 per cent of working photojournalists today are men. That means that a disproportionate amount of the news imagery we consume, whether it’s of war or sports or politics or fashion, is framed and filtered through the masculine experience.

To help address this imbalance, this issue celebrates exciting voices of change within the industry – from emerging talent to established pioneers – who have broken new ground or disrupted the status quo in their own way. You can order a copy here or a find the individual stories at huckmagazine.com

Skate Kitchen

A few months back, I got to meet Skate Kitchen (an all-woman collective in NYC) and filmmaker Crystal Moselle (director of The Wolf Pack). They’ve made a film together that’s pretty inspiring for a lot of different reasons – and it’s out in cinemas today. You can read about their story here.