Lecture Notes: Advice for Young Writers

Introduction

• The speaker discusses advice for young writers and reflects on their own experience as a young writer.

The Concept of Rules in Writing

• Initial Comfort with Rules:
  • As a young writer, the speaker loved rules.
  • Rules provide comfort, akin to guardrails on a highway.
  • Following rules ensures a known path, similar to following a GPS.
• Drawbacks of Strictly Following Rules:
  • Adherence to rules leads only to pre-discovered paths.
  • There is a lack of true exploration and endeavor.

Metaphor of Queerness in Writing

• Guardrails and Exploration:
  • Queer individuals realize the road was not made with them in mind.
  • This realization encourages them to leave the comfort of the road.
  • Climbing over the guardrail symbolizes stepping into the unknown.
• Experience of Being Lost and Free:
  • Leaving the road leads to being lost but feeling free.
  • This state involves confusion, fear, and an ecstatic terror.
  • Every new step is a discovery, leading to a sense of freedom.

Personal Reflection and Current Practice

• Abandonment of Past Rules:
  • The speaker acknowledges that rules learned previously have been disproven.
  • They express uncertainty about knowing what they are doing.
• Emphasis on Curiosity:
  • The work of a writer is to follow curiosity.
  • Writers should aim to expand the "theater of wonder."

Application Beyond Queerness

• Queerness is about exploring beyond norms, but it's not exclusive to queer people.
• Courage to Abandon Norms:
  • Heteronormativity can be abandoned by anyone willing to explore beyond set paths.

Conclusion

• The essence of the advice is to embrace the unknown and foster curiosity in the writing process.
• Encourage exploration and personal discovery beyond traditional norms.