There is an argument being waged on Reddit. Ernest Hemingway is recognized for his ability to stave off writers’ block, to come back to his writing each day with work to do, and to do the work. He managed to ensure this by ending his writing before he finished, knowing where he wanted his story to go, eager to return to his work and complete it the next day. He ended each day with something that he still needed to do, and that propelled him forward.
Military Training Might Have Helped
What makes it a hack, though? In fact, what makes anything a hack? This bears resemblance to another life hack I’ve heard many times, for an even more common complaint than writers’ block. People who struggle with weight are often told to simply “stop eating before they become full.” Hopefully the trouble with this technique is clearer now.
The truth is, reading any one of Hemingway’s novels reveals a highly disciplined, organized mind. The sort of mind that took a great deal of care in deciding things such as how much warmth and comfort he could afford when money was short, and how much food he needed to sustain himself, and how much could be set aside for later. Waiting to write another day isn’t the hack that will break the firewall in your brain of laziness or disinterest or inexperience. It won’t put a hole in your overeating habits if you simply don’t have the faculties to determine when you’re full. The ability to tell when you’ve had enough for today.
This advice is good advice. The writing habits of the greats are inspiring. It may in fact have a great deal to do with hacking a computer system, but not in the way that I believe it was meant, in the article.
Pictured: Hemingway's Brain Trust.
Hackers do bypass regulatory and security systems, gaining access to information they are not meant to access, it’s true. They do this through intimate knowledge of these systems, and mammoth dedication to their craft. It’s a great hack, but I think I need a patch to get it to work on my OS…
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