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John Madrid's avatar

The tool I've found is retyping. Not editing the night draft but copying it out into a fresh document, line by line, letting whatever wants to shift shift on the way through. Editing puts you outside the thing with the fluorescents on. Retyping keeps you inside it, so the fixes arrive as part of the sentence instead of as verdicts on it. Slow crowbar, but it doesn't leave marks.

Elvia Wilk's avatar

Wow yes β€” I never would have thought of this! It’s also nice because it helps frame the scientific method as a constant movement toward day rather than an arrival at an endpoint or conclusion. And starting with a question or suspicion rather than answer. (Is the job of writing nighttime then to stay in or preserve the obscure state rather than moving out of it? Does it have a job, idk)

Kathryn Paige Harden's avatar

β€œThis happened, and then this happened, and it makes sense, and I can’t explain why” β€” by this definition, which I like, much of science starts with being attuned to an instance of nighttime logic and trying to move it to daytime logic

Matthew Specktor's avatar

1) this is an insanely dope cover. I can’t wait to read.

2) have you read Into Their Labours? It’s been a minute since I read much Berger, but those three books (Pig Earth, Once in Europa, Lilac and Flag) are so, so good I think. Best Berger