Lessons on Writing and Authenticity I’m Stealing from George Saunders
A week of NYC wanderings and letting the shameful parts show
Dip into My George Saunders Watering Hole
I’ve been exploring what it really means to be authentic—at least to me—and why it feels so difficult to stay authentic while trying to present yourself as professional in a professional environment.
Maybe I should abandon it all and just be an artist or a writer.
George Saunders writes in his Story Club Substack:
The next thing that comes to mind is a period in my career that I’ve written about many times – when I pivoted from pseudo-Hemingway to something that felt more authentic to me. Part of what motivated that pivot was a steady stream of rejections that all had about them a particular quality of indifference that I came to find nauseating. I was writing my heart out, it felt like, and the world was (merely) shrugging in response.
I couldn’t stand that feeling.
What I wanted was…anything not that. I desperately wanted to be noticed, even if in a negative way. I wanted to cause some sort of reaction in the mind of my reader, even distaste, even rage, even a feeling that I was doing it all wrong – anything but “meh.”
I’m on this George Saunders kick that’s flowing in from my other kick: reading about writing. Recently, I’ve gone through:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg
The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art by Joyce Carol Oates
Now I’m knee deep in A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
So far my favorite.
The Tightrope of Authenticity
Authenticity feels like a fine line, especially in professional spaces where "being real" only works to a point. I find myself slipping on a glossier persona for LinkedIn, but I want more than that. I want my true self to come through—misfit, imperfect, and resourceful. On LinkedIn it’s not going to happen and I lean into the professional version of Kel. (I need a job.) Here on Sub, you get the real deal. (And maybe it turns into my job.)
This struggle with authenticity is exactly why the George Saunders’ writing lessons hit so hard for me this week.
Writing Lessons I’m Stealing from George
Let’s get into the goods. I’ve been diving into A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. It’s more than a book about writing—it’s like stepping into his Syracuse University creative writing class, where he unpacks storytelling through the lens of Russian literary masters, offering practical lessons on writing, reading, and life. I’m both reading the book and listening to the audiobook (extra sink-in action). The book is free on Spotify.
Here’s what resonated with me enough to make it into my Notes app. I jotted these down while walking through Prospect Park, listening to a podcast where Saunders discussed the book. [Link to podcast]
Be unsure of yourself. Saunders says uncertainty is where good writing begins.
Revision is daily self-discovery. Saunders is a revision freak, and I love the idea that each day, you’re looking at your work as a new version of yourself. When I create something for public consumption, I always pretend I’m someone else seeing it for the first time. Every draft or revision reflects a different self.
Keep the parts you’re ashamed of!!!! The things you want to cut are usually what make your writing real. Stop omitting—when you keep the shameful parts out, you’re keeping your real self out. Roll in it.
Let your personality in. Saunders muses (paraphrasing): “I’m liked in real life, so maybe there should be some overtones of that in my writing.”
Try one of these Saunders-inspired steps in your own writing this week and let me know how it goes
Inspired by Saunders and my own week, here’s what I’m taking into the next:
Be okay with not knowing. Start the thing you’ve been avoiding, even if it feels messy or incomplete. Let the process guide you.
Find your shameful part. Write down something you’d normally hide—just for you. It might be the most honest thing you create. Scary!
Revisit your work tomorrow. Don’t publish too quickly. See what new version of you shows up to revise. I need to take this advice.
Authenticity isn’t about being completely raw or oversharing—it’s about knowing when to let the cracks show.
Week in Review
What I’m Watching
Tsar to Lenin (1937). A documentary chronicling the Russian Revolution, with archival footage and a booming narrator who swings between dry facts and bizarre humor. I need the girlie-pop version.
RHOBH is back. Garcelle’s production company is inspiring to me. Yes we can do new things it over 50. Also moved by Kyle coming out to her adult children and her being scared they wouldn’t love her anymore. Reverse uno card! Go Kyle.
Dorothy Allison interview via Smith College Special Collections.
What I’m Listening To
Sonic Youth’s She’s in a Bad Mood. It feels like the perfect anthem for being stuck but moving forward anyway. [Link to song]
Queen Latifah In Focus on NTS. I always listen to this while riding a bike in NYC.
[Link to NTS]
