[Harry Dewulf] In which we drink from the holy grail

Bleeding Ink

TL;DL Harry Dewulf has an intimate relationship with the English language. He’s helped shape numerous writers into award winning authors. This vitamin-infused episode will teach you “how” to be edited, how to boost your writing culture, how to write “for” an audience, and, above all, it will teach you the holy grail of writing.

“Pull up Pavement Cafe at Night,” Harry said to me.

I did. And look, I so kindly provided it above. Harry and I discuss it in episode 17 where he explains how personal culture influences the lens through which we view art. This also applies to writing. Once you’ve identified the lens' prescription for a given audience, you can create crystal clear works for them.

Writers today face peak content as enemy number one. So much noise. Even great writers can’t break through. But some writers can cut like a knife through butter. How? With words calibrated against a specific spectrum of culture. Culture is a general word, however. Culture is the shape of your psyche after years of living. It is the rose-tinted pair of glasses that peers at the world.

There are universal tenets that can stir all cultures. Then there are narrative techniques that confuse. It’s notoriously difficult to know which works in what situation. That’s what an editor is for. They provide an outside perspective and help tune your words for the given audience.

Harry Dewulf is one such editor.

I hired Harry to edit a short story (more on that in future episodes). This led to a two and a half hour conversation which I’ve whittled into this 40 minute piece. In it we discuss a wide range of writing topics: self-publishing, where to start, how to boost writing culture, how to become a great writer, how to make the most of the editing process, and more. There are some particularly enlightening moments that I don’t want to spoil for you.

Let me say this, however. I’m a different writer now that I’ve worked with Harry. Something in me clicked and I’m better for it. He’s a treasure trove of literary knowledge, but he’s also a brazen champion of words that will fight to the death in their honor.

Learn

• How Harry got into editing
• Why self-published gives you control
• Where the traditional market thinks publishing is going
• How craft books can help you, but reading/writing can help you more
• False dualisms in writing
• The origin of “acts” and “scenes”
• Why every word must tell
• What painting can teach you about writing
• The dangers of learning something at exactly the right moment
• Why teaching how to entertain should be taught in schools
• Genre vs character
• The difference between literary and commercial fiction
• How to focus on the reader
• The holy grail of writing

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