17/9/2017

​Let’s put it this way, in the case of the Davide Bowie and Queen collaboration song “Under Pressure”, the personal score is 2:1. Or 1:2 to be more precise - I’m a big fan of Bowie but not that much of Queen. And particularly not being under pressure. As far as the song goes, it actually works. So maybe the score should be 2:2 after all.

Still,  being under pressure as a writer, particularly during a prolonged period is certainly not one of my personal favorite situations, no matter what. The question though is can a writer produce good work under pressure (listening to the Queen/Bowie song or not)?

Sure, the answer can be yes, but with condition(s) attached. Hitting on your keyboard, pressing those mobile device buttons or its screen (with all the mistakes that come along that way), or using that good old-fashioned pen (with the accent on good)  in a hurry can bring about something outstanding, or at least worth a read, but…

And that but(t) firmly relies on whether you had that story or the article brewing inside your head (and heart) for a while and at the moment you started committing it to some writer form or other it starts flowing out of you in a uniform manner, placing every word exactly where it should be. More or less will do fine too. You are going to give it at least one check, aren’t you?

But then, how many such good stories or threads you do have in your head as a truly formed whole at one time to be able to mime a speeding artificial intelligence? A few times, quite a number of times, but certainly not always.

So, you can certainly rely on the speed of your thought and the speed of your fingers, but it certainly is not going to be there always, nor will it be there all the time. And after all, pressure does get to everybody at some point or other. Even if you are a big fan of the Queen/Bowie collaboration.

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