To succeed: Strike the ice with a hammer in one place; and write in one voice on a single topic.
CorporateNature Metaphor Series, No 123
Writing a book is a long-term commitment to a daunting project: it requires continuous effort in the same direction. In nature, this process resembles breaking lake ice in the winter to create a fishing hole. Here are the key similarities:
1. Book-writing and ice-breaking require multiple blows
Every book begins with an idea in the author’s mind. The aim of the author is to formulate this idea clearly and build an argument around it that is convincing enough to “hammer” the key points home. A compelling argument evolves over the space of multiple chapters where each consecutive chapter builds on the previous one, going deeper into the subject matter. Metaphorically speaking, each chapter represents a hammer blow on the surface of the frozen lake. With each blow, the ice gets weaker and the end goal of breaking it draws nearer.
2. Striking in a focal point works better than scraping and thinning a wider area
When writing, it is essential to have the core idea firmly fixed in your mind in order to keep each chapter focused on the topic. While different chapters view the topic from different angles, they are all directed towards the same end. Getting distracted by chasing multiple topics will not get you space on the shelves of the bookstores. Similarly, breaking the surface of a frozen lake requires blows in the same spot. After all, you won’t make a hole in the ice by scraping and thinning a wide area of the ice sheet with a knife.
3. Editing is gnawing
Editing is a crucial aspect of successful writing. The editing process is gruelling work because it requires making tough choices. In nature, Arctic seals in the winter need to maintain the holes in the ice sheet to be able to come out on the surface to breathe. They do this by constantly gnawing ice off the edges of the hole to keep it from freezing over. Similarly, editing requires constant gnawing, milling and perfecting of the text and ultimately of the ideas.
And when you eventually succeed in digging a hole in the ice, be careful not to drop the hammer in the lake. You may need it for digging another hole, i.e. writing another book.
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| Ice on Lake Baikal in winter (image source: Wikipedia) |
