A Cambridge Professor On Why All Writing Sounds the Same Now

What's Going on With Writing? 

The chat starts with Macfarlane talking about what it was like growing up in the mountains and explaining how he got used to these natural rhythms of the outdoors. I think that when I have writer's block, the best thing for me to do is get outside and take a walk, so I appreciated him backing this up.

When you connect with the real world it can not only clear your head, but it can give you singular experiences that guide you later in life.

According to MacFarlane, the outdoor environment he grew up in "wore away the usual boundaries of the self," leading to an obsession with the fundamental elements of rock, ice, water, and light.

Yes, he found a way to bring that to writing.

Writing With Nature

Nature is a powerful thing, and it can also be incredibly hard to describe. We often see the same words used over and over again to talk about it.

Macfarlane got obsessed with the challenges of describing intangible phenomena, like light. He acknowledges that language will always fall short of capturing its true essence, but he learned to lean into metaphors to evoke the feeling and experience of light rather than simply describing it.

When he would go back to the mountains or out into the world, he;d perform exercises trying to describe the things he saw, thus opening his mind to different words and ideas you can use to capture these essences.

This led him to a book on rivers, which got him obsessed with the flow of the way we write, and the problem that much of today's writing all flows the same...even though in nature he was seeing these contradictory flows and patterns.

Why Writing Sounds the Same

When it comes to practical advice, Macfarlane tells writers to make sure their voices are distinct and that they don't sound like everything else out there.

You are your own river, so you have to find your flow.

Doing particular exercises or just writing everyday will help you develop your voice and become your own river.

Macfarlane expressed worries about AI tools like ChatGPT, which are a general threat to the craftsmanship of writing and to individuality. He also discusses tools like Grammarly, which can improve average writing but at the cost of "distinctiveness and individuality".

That doesn't mean that you need typos to make your work stand out, but it means that sometimes the rules of grammar can hold you back from putting your soul on the page.

These tools homogenize what is said and put on the page instead of making it stand out.

How Can You Find Individuality?

Get nerdy. Find your rhythm and sound patterns. Listen to music, read different kinds of books, and find the flow that works for you.

Find exercises that can actually help you and that give you new ideas and ways to talk about different aspects of life.

Whether that's taking walks outside in nature or just checking out the hustle and bustle of the city.

Ultimately, Macfarlane’s message is one of wonder, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for the natural world.

Get out into nature, see the patterns, and try to describe different things. Experiment and explore.

Make a list of words you like using and ways you like to describe things.

For Macfarlane, writing is not just about describing the world, but about experiencing it, and his passion for this process is both infectious and inspiring.