How I Deconstruct Great Writing

Alright, Kemosabe. Here’s my not-so-secret, secret to deconstructing legendary writing.

I either start with a concept and find a passage to match or I find a great passage and discover its core concept.

For example, I wanted to really know How to Reveal A Villain. It’s an integral part of any story and you only get one chance at it so you have to know how to make it count. After thinking through some of the villains I’ve crossed in writing – President Snow, the Night King, Fernand Mondego, Voldemort – until I landed on a classic. “Dracula”. Bram Stoker wrote his immortal gothic novel back in 1897 and when you break down the villain’s reveal, you can see why it's a story that's still printed and read 128 years later.

Alternatively, the writing might bring about the idea. I found this to be the case with the book “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey. Sure, it’s too new to be called timeless, but that doesn’t mean the writing isn’t great or that it didn’t do one thing exceptionally well. For me, one of those reasons was his specific use of the word "greenlights". In essence, McConaughey takes an ordinary word and elevates it to the status of a literary device that gives the entire story a rhythm, that invites reflection, and is even used for humor. This core concept brought me to write the article How to Elevate the Ordinary.

Once I’ve landed on a title or a passage that intrigues me, that’s when the real work begins. I write it down in the middle of a blank page and study it. I explore the context, dive into the chosen words, pace the sentences for a rhythm, search on the lines and in between for a deeper truth. All that studying comes out as a series of highlights, underlines, circles, arrows, and parentheses attached to tiny notes I’ve scribbled to explain my little arts & crafts project. All in hopes that I’ve uncovered the core elements that contribute to the goal of the title.

Once I've nailed down some preliminary ideas, I have a chat with the robots. And here’s my unsolicited view of AI & writing. You can either use AI to help you refine ideas and become a better writer or you can lose to another author who does. Your choice. But like it or not, the age of cybernetic writers is here. The only question is whether you’ll be one of them. That said, it’s important to be clear about AI’s role in this process.

It isn’t there to do the work. It’s there to challenge and sharpen my thinking. After breaking down a passage on my own, I run my observations through AI, seeing what it picks up and what I might have missed. I ask questions. Engage in a conversation. Sometimes, it reinforces my instincts. Other times, it surprises me.

Once I think I know the reasons why a piece flourishes, I create a rough graphic and write a rough draft, then I set it all aside and go for a walk. Many walks over several days. I don't try to finalize everything right away. I let everything marinate. I don't force it.

After a few days, I’ll review the graphic and the article and see if it all still resonates. And pretty much every time, there’s something that doesn’t. I know because for the past three days, that something has been a pebble in the back of my mind. So, I make some edits. I get AI to help me condense everything into its simplest forms while I add in some play and sharpen my voice.

And that’s it.

All in all, Skynet and I both agree that deconstructing the writing of legends, creating a graphic, and writing a succinct article that captures its core concept, makes for a good writing practice. The whole process takes time, but the time you spend exposed to the Story’s Elements fills you with the not-so-secret, secrets of the legends who mastered them.

So, waddya say? You in?