The line about writers wanting emotionally complex stories while protecting themselves from emotional complexity really stayed with me. I’ve started noticing how often people hide behind technique because it feels safer than honesty. Even outside writing, this made me think differently about creativity in general. You can feel when something comes from real observation versus assembled ideas. Thank you Idris for providing us with so much content that inspires us to do better in our creative lives!
This explains why some songs wreck you emotionally with barely any lyrics. A few nights ago I was working on a song around 1am and realized the version with fewer vocal layers and more silence actually hit harder. I kept wanting to explain the emotion too much in the lyrics instead of letting the chords and pauses carry some of it. The part about implication vs overexplaining really got me thinking differently about songwriting. Thank you Idris Elijah for the thoughtful and quality read today!
You’re most welcome! I also tend to over explain emotions in my writing as well. Have to take a lot of time in editing to get rid of it. So glad this concept clicked for you too! 🤩🤩🤩
I’ve spent years studying books on writing and story structure but lately I’ve started realizing my biggest issue isn’t technical anymore. It’s avoidance. There are certain emotional truths I keep softening on the page because I’m worried about sounding too exposed or too honest. The section about writers overexplaining because ambiguity feels unsafe genuinely stopped me for a minute. I could see myself in that immediately. Thank you for sharing this Idris Elijah, I always enjoy the content about writing!
I felt this a lot while working on a portrait last week. I kept repainting small technical details because it felt easier than dealing with the actual emotion in the subject’s face. Eventually I realized the painting looked polished but emotionally empty. The perception part of this newsletter really resonated with me. People can tell when you’re observing honestly versus just arranging techniques correctly. Thank you Idris Elijah for showing me that my sometimes messy process is actually the most authentic one!
Love that! People can tell when they’re observing honesty versus technically correctly arranging technique. You want to imbue such things with your humanity. The messy process is the most authentic one. Well said here as well. Thanks! 🤩🤩🤩
This made me think about my daughter immediately. Sometimes during practice she’ll get frustrated and try to laugh something off instead of admitting she’s nervous she can’t get it right yet. Reading the section about how people rarely say exactly what they feel felt very true to life. It’s funny how much creativity and emotions overlap once you start paying attention closely. This was an inspiring read Idris Elijah that has me considering writing my own story!
The line about writers wanting emotionally complex stories while protecting themselves from emotional complexity really stayed with me. I’ve started noticing how often people hide behind technique because it feels safer than honesty. Even outside writing, this made me think differently about creativity in general. You can feel when something comes from real observation versus assembled ideas. Thank you Idris for providing us with so much content that inspires us to do better in our creative lives!
Thank you Brian, you are too kind. Thank you for sharing as well! 🤩🤩🤩
This explains why some songs wreck you emotionally with barely any lyrics. A few nights ago I was working on a song around 1am and realized the version with fewer vocal layers and more silence actually hit harder. I kept wanting to explain the emotion too much in the lyrics instead of letting the chords and pauses carry some of it. The part about implication vs overexplaining really got me thinking differently about songwriting. Thank you Idris Elijah for the thoughtful and quality read today!
You’re most welcome! I also tend to over explain emotions in my writing as well. Have to take a lot of time in editing to get rid of it. So glad this concept clicked for you too! 🤩🤩🤩
I’ve spent years studying books on writing and story structure but lately I’ve started realizing my biggest issue isn’t technical anymore. It’s avoidance. There are certain emotional truths I keep softening on the page because I’m worried about sounding too exposed or too honest. The section about writers overexplaining because ambiguity feels unsafe genuinely stopped me for a minute. I could see myself in that immediately. Thank you for sharing this Idris Elijah, I always enjoy the content about writing!
So great! Love of this!! And you are most welcome!!
I felt this a lot while working on a portrait last week. I kept repainting small technical details because it felt easier than dealing with the actual emotion in the subject’s face. Eventually I realized the painting looked polished but emotionally empty. The perception part of this newsletter really resonated with me. People can tell when you’re observing honestly versus just arranging techniques correctly. Thank you Idris Elijah for showing me that my sometimes messy process is actually the most authentic one!
Love that! People can tell when they’re observing honesty versus technically correctly arranging technique. You want to imbue such things with your humanity. The messy process is the most authentic one. Well said here as well. Thanks! 🤩🤩🤩
This made me think about my daughter immediately. Sometimes during practice she’ll get frustrated and try to laugh something off instead of admitting she’s nervous she can’t get it right yet. Reading the section about how people rarely say exactly what they feel felt very true to life. It’s funny how much creativity and emotions overlap once you start paying attention closely. This was an inspiring read Idris Elijah that has me considering writing my own story!
I love that for you! Writing is so therapeutic for me. Specifically fiction. You’re most welcome! 🤗🤗🤗