Last year, renowned New Yorker writer David Grann talked to neiman storyboard about his book, betThe interviewer asked Gran how he keeps getting the kind of stories that most writers dream of getting even once in their life,
Gran responded as follows:
“Coming up with the right idea is the hardest part. First, you try to find a story that grabs you and has compelling themes. Then, you ask: Are there the underlying ingredients to tell that story? … The third level of inquiry is: Does the story have another dimension, rich themes, or trap doors that lead you to places?”
He says later:
“I spend an initial period ruthlessly interrogating ideas as they come up, even if it takes time and is a little frustrating. I don’t want to wake up two years into a book project saying, ‘This isn’t going anywhere.'”
These quotes caught my attention because their relevance extends beyond the craft of writing and into the broader concern of creating depth in a world mired in digitally enhanced shallowness.
In life, the types of deep projects that free us from these turmoils—whether transforming our careers into something remarkable or enriching our personal lives—require massive investments of time and effort. This also includes:
- labor – Willingness to persist in an effort for months or even years; And
- Patience – A desire to do specific types of activities that really matter for progress, even if they are difficult, and that there are other activities you would rather do.
Given these demands, it’s common to either lose interest in these projects once they start or become so intimidated by the road ahead that you never even get started.
Gran’s advice helps with both issues. By raising the bar for what is considered an in-depth project – constantly investigating, researching, and studying the reality of a discovery before finally deeming it worthy – you will naturally consider lesser ideas seriously. and that and that to do Overcoming this challenge will be so compelling that you will be more likely to start and stick with them.
This pre-commitment check is often missing when discussing grand goals. Voices of online “hustle culture” often emphasize activity for its own sake: get started! Delay is for the weak! Craftsmen like Gran, on the other hand, understand that the core element of the art of deep achievement is the patient search for the right subject.
