Quick thread on being a new legal writer, with inspiration from Tony/Grammy/Oscar winner @benjpasek and This American Life’s @iraglass. /1
Last night, at the Q&A for the new Dear Evan Hansen novel, an audience member asked what Benj (Pasek) and Jason (Paul) wish they had known when they were first starting out. /2
Benj responded by citing Ira Glass’s advice to new writers: Your stuff is going to be bad at first, especially when you compare it to work from those at the top of the field. That’s OK. DON’T GIVE UP. /3
The fact that you can *recognize* talent, that you can see outstanding writing for what it is, means that you have excellent taste. And it means you have something to aspire to. /4
All of those amazing writers? Their early stuff was probably awful. (Not the early stuff that made them famous. The even earlier stuff you never get to see because it was awful.) /5
I am just finishing 2 weeks of conferences with my students on their first major writing assignment, and many of them wanted to know “How am I doing? Is this thing I wrote any good? Does it even look like legal writing?” /6
And I tell them this: You are making exactly the mistakes that a 1L should be making. You’re an apprentice. Keep reading excellent legal writing, and learn to appreciate what makes it excellent. Develop good taste. /7
If you put in the work, you’ll slowly close the gap between apprentice and master. /8
Here’s link to Ira Glass expanding on this view. jamesclear.com/ira-glass-fail… /9
Also, thanks to @LiteratiBkstore for sponsoring this terrific event! /fin
(Ugh - Justin Paul, obviously.)
