Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
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Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
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Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#2I'm reminded of the Florentine Camerata[1] here. They were a group of intellectuals that met at Giovanni de' Bardi's house during the second half of the 1500s, and their discussions of music (amongst other things) led to the development of opera.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#3I wonder how much of this correlation is from the publishers as opposed to interaction between writers who would wind up comparable in present day status.
Breaking it down further it brings to mind mapping with more data than we probably have. Like say if they found "muse correlations" with everyone - mapping productivity and interactions. Like say being in the Shelley's social circle was associated with a 5.0 but the one copy writer of no historical note has a 4.5. Of course if someone was prolific enough they might cause anyone who interacts with them to have a high number as a sheer mathematical side effect.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#4I don't think the clustering needs to be geographic; isn't NaNoWriMo based on essentially the same principle? Seeing how far along your peers are can be a useful kick up the fundament when you're lagging behind.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#5It's the Manhattan Effect, named for the Manhattan Project.
Or if it's not called that, then it should be.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#6This is pretty self-evident if one actually attends any collective meeting of serious writers who have actually published(for money paid by people who are not immediate friends/family) or intend to publish. It's similar to why hackathons are so productive. Being within your peer group and talking shop with people who meet one's own passion is incredibly rewarding regardless of experience level or background- people who are knowledgeable are listened to with fascination, and people who are less experienced more than welcome the lecturing!
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#7I don't think the clustering needs to be geographic; isn't NaNoWriMo based on essentially the same principle? Seeing how far along your peers are can be a useful kick up the fundament when you're lagging behind.
Never underestimate the power of the NaNo forums, or subreddits, or general forums that open a NaNo board. It's not just about pacing, it's about communication.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#8I moderate a small writing subresdit and discord. I can't speak to how useful it is for other participants but for me it's been tremendously helpful in keeping my writing front of mind, not to mention the writing sprints that take place there represent a significant amount of my output. Interacting with other writers has been the best way to improve my own writing as well as develop new ideas and inspiration.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#9In 'Working' [0], Robert Caro spends pages on how much being able to join a community of writers meant to him when producing 'The Power Broker.' The New York Public Library set aside a room as a workspace explicitly to house writers working on books.
A passage from 'Working':
And these writers provided more for me than merely the glow of their names. In my memory, no one spoke to me for the first few days I was in the room. Then one day, I looked up and James Flexner was standing over me. The expression on his face was friendly, but after he had asked what I was writing about, the next question was the question I had come to dread: “How long have you been working on it?” This time, however, when I replied, “Five years,” the response was not an incredulous stare. “Oh,” Jim Flexner said, “that’s not so long. I’ve been working on my Washington for nine years.” I could have jumped up and kissed him, whiskers and all—as, the next day, I could have jumped up and kissed Joe Lash, big beard and all, when he asked me the same question, and, after hearing my answer, said in his quiet way, “Eleanor and Franklin took me seven years.” In a couple of sentences, these two men—idols of mine—had wiped away five years of doubt.
[0] Caro, Robert A.. Working (p. 76). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Re: Writers Are More Prolific When They Cluster
#10I moderate a small writing subresdit and discord. I can't speak to how useful it is for other participants but for me it's been tremendously helpful in keeping my writing front of mind, not to mention the writing sprints that take place there represent a significant amount of my output. Interacting with other writers has been the best way to improve my own writing as well as develop new ideas and inspiration.
What's the subreddit?