Thinking, Language, Memory

This article from Slate is really interesting. It goes into the mechanics of how the brain produces words and sentences, and how it gets into the famous writerly "flow." I also learned why I couldn't help but be a writer (besides the fact that I read so much, and always have). 

Kellogg is always careful to emphasize the extreme cognitive demands of writing, which is very flattering. "Serious writing is at once a thinking task, a language task, and a memory task," he declares. It requires the same kind of mental effort as a high-level chess match or an expert musical performance. 

Now, as it happens, I love chess, and also bridge--two cognitively-demanding games, for sure. (And also Scrabble, I suppose, to a lesser extent.) I also used to play the violin in junior high. 

I wonder if other writers have this same combination of hobbies. 

Thinking, Language, Memory

This article from Slate is really interesting. It goes into the mechanics of how the brain produces words and sentences, and how it gets into the famous writerly "flow." I also learned why I couldn't help but be a writer (besides the fact that I read so much, and always have). 

Kellogg is always careful to emphasize the extreme cognitive demands of writing, which is very flattering. "Serious writing is at once a thinking task, a language task, and a memory task," he declares. It requires the same kind of mental effort as a high-level chess match or an expert musical performance. 

Now, as it happens, I love chess, and also bridge--two cognitively-demanding games, for sure. (And also Scrabble, I suppose, to a lesser extent.) I also used to play the violin in junior high. 

I wonder if other writers have this same combination of hobbies.