It is official. I have survived the peer review system, and my article has been published. This is the first step toward a career in the academy. I have managed to publish an article in an accredited journal before I have finished my PhD. This is not, however, the article that I have written based on the work that I have done here on Hive. That article is still forthcoming, maybe in early April it will also be published. But without Hive and the extensive writing which I publish here, I would not have managed to get this publication through.
It is crazy when you think about it. They say that even the longest novel written in history starts with only one sentence. Not all writing is worth keeping, and the writing (and philosophy!) process is as much editing as it is writing. Separating the good from the bad is not always easy and takes time. But getting stuff done, getting words onto the paper, is the most important part. Ideas can only be shaped when they are given breathing space on paper.
Like art, the pencil drawing cannot emerge if you do not apply the pencil to the paper. So also, ideas cannot escape from your mind if you do not somehow write them down.
My goal is to always get something written on paper or word document. When I have this done, call it a first draft, the editing can happen. Editing consists of writing, re-writing, and so on. My process is very reiterative but throughout this process, I begin to philosophise anew. It is strange, it is almost as if I begin to philosophise with a new lens on. I bring my own ideas alive, and I pit them against the onslaught of my pen, or the red pen. Only the best ideas will survive the duel, only the best ideas will survive the red pen! Jokes aside, the writing process is as much editing and philosophising anew.
For some people, writing is merely about sitting down and writing up what needs to be said. For me, the whole process is a constant conversation with yourself. Even when I am close to submitting a paper, I am still writing on it. Editing never really stops and I am always reminded of the M.C. Escher sketch of the hand drawing another hand. I am always editing, and in editing I am always writing, but in always writing, I am always philosophising, and so on… The philosopher Slavoj Zizek is notorious for his prolific writing, but he always likes to comment that he is always writing the same book over and over. This is exactly that process. You begin to go into a mode of constant thinking, requiring re-thinking, which entails the whole process over again. Writing, re-writing, interpretation, re-interpretation, editing, and re-writing. This is what it seems like to philosophise. Writing can be boring; philosophy is always perceived as a dry arm-chair theoretical activity. And this is in some sense correct as the process of writing a paper is not the most fun thing in the world to do. But it is for those who live for it, for those who want to share their ideas. For some reason, I feel alive in this strange world…
For a change, I am a bit more positive in the route I am taking. For some strange reason, the stars aligned, and the world smiled at me, even if only for a brief moment.
I hope the stars are dancing while the moon is smiling at you.
For now, happy reading and keep well.
All of the writings in this post are my own, based on the little world I am currently trying to build. The photograph used in this post is also my own, take with my iPhone.