It's a numbers game
Rob Henderson: "Writing is like going to the gym. Don't over-romanticize it. You go there, you do the thing."
Something I’ve noticed over the years: The best comedians are the ones who write the most. They’re constantly turning over material, trying new bits, and risking failure. They accept that you need to throw an avalanche of stuff against the wall to find those few nuggets of gold.
Here’s author
on the importance of volume:The psychologist Dean Keith Simonton points out that one notable attribute that distinguishes high performers is volume:
“A small percentage of workers is responsible for the bulk of the work...the top 10% of the most prolific elite can be credited with 50% of all contributions, whereas the bottom 50% of least productive workers can claim only 15%...the most productive contributor is about 100 times more prolific than the least.”
This goes for anyone in a competitive domain that requires some creativity. It definitely applies to podcasters (the vast majority of podcasters never produce more than 20 episodes) and newsletter writers (so often you’ll see people write a few good Substack posts and then go dark). Regular output is key. Do the work, accept that most of your work will be fair-to-middling, and be grateful for the occasional home run.
Writing is like going to the gym. Don't over-romanticize it. You go there, you do the thing. Do it enough times and magic will sometimes appear. Gradually you get better at the craft; or you’ll look better with your shirt off. Just stick with your routine.
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