Ernest Hemingway was known for his disciplined approach to writing:

He keeps track of his daily progress—“so as not to kid myself”—on a large chart made out of the side of a cardboard packing case and set up against the wall under the nose of a mounted gazelle head. The numbers on the chart showing the daily output of words differ from 450, 575, 462, 1250, to 512, the higher figures on days Hemingway puts in extra work so he won’t feel guilty spending the following day fishing on the Gulf Stream.

​Ernest Hemingway, The Art of Fiction No. 21​

I never thought someone like him would need a piece of cardboard to force himself to do this thing. It’s a reminder that even the greats gotta push through the days when they don’t wanna do it.

This newsletter is me tracking my progress, every week, in public, to hold myself accountable.

Does It Feel Right?

Last night my friend Malik and I were working on the production for a new song. As he was building up the drums, bass, and piano tracks, I pointed out that the first pre-chorus had more energy than the second. The drums were muted in the second while they were driving in the first. I started to think that the first pre-chorus should reflect the second, maybe have even less energy.

We tried it and it worked. It reminded me how our decisions as creators are influenced by what we think is right vs. what feels right.

If You Want To Burn Bright, Hard And Long

During the recording of his breakthrough album Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen got stuck. Everything at the studio was breaking and the E Street Band couldn’t build any momentum. At every turn in his career he had relied on instinct, but now he needed something more. He reflects on this realization in his auto-biography:

“Integrating the world of thought and reflection with the world of primitive action is not a necessary skill for making great rock ‘n’ roll. Many of music’s most glorious moments feel as though they were birthed in an explosion of raw talent and creative instinct (some of them even were!). But…if you want to burn bright, hard and long, you will need to depend upon more than your initial instincts. You will need to develop some craft and a creative intelligence that will lead you farther when things get dicey.”

As I am finishing songs that I’ve been recording for over a year, I’m realizing that it takes a lot more than the initial burst of inspiration. You gotta go farther.

Talk to you next week,

Dawson