There are lots of bad places for writers to find themselves and among the worst is what I call: in between. The term is derived from a baseball phenomenon that afflicts batters caught between overthinking, guessing and bafflement as to how to begin calculating what pitch is coming next. The cerebral muscle memory that has gotten them this far has vanished. They swing late or early or watch a hittable pitch sail by. The baseball commentariat will look down from the broadcast booth and say, mournfully, “he’s in between,” as if they were describing a debilitating illness.
Another great Writerland chapter. My personalized takeaway is that there are a lot of rewarding aspects to specializing in a particular beat (my situation), but it can also make it tough to bust out of what you've worked so hard to boil down. Getting away from that place often takes a great editor, but experimentation and a change in perspective comes first. Mike, thanks as usual.
Glad it helped !
Another great Writerland chapter. My personalized takeaway is that there are a lot of rewarding aspects to specializing in a particular beat (my situation), but it can also make it tough to bust out of what you've worked so hard to boil down. Getting away from that place often takes a great editor, but experimentation and a change in perspective comes first. Mike, thanks as usual.
Man, was this the post I needed right now! Thanks