SHEEHAN QUIRKE was sweeping cigarette butts in a London McDonalds when he opened a Twitter account and started writing about the arts. In just over a year he amassed 1.5 million followers, 100,000 newsletter subscribers and received patronage that now lets him write full-time.
He goes by the name of Cultural Tutor and his work has a unique blend of specificity, authority and groundedness. In this post we're going to look at it up close. Five minutes. One piece. Ten tactics you can use to hone your writing craft.
First, go and read his piece. Itβll take a few mins and without it you will lose the value of this essay.
Welcome back. Letβs dive straight in. Here are ten qualities of Quirkeβs work that will help you be a better writer.
1) Ask what others donβt think to ask
From the outset, his topicβwall finishingsβis dated and unsexy. But why is that important? And how did he come up with it? Allow me a quick fantasy for a secβ¦
I imagine Quirke down the pub with his mate, swigging the last of his drink, staring at the bar wallβs swirly pattern, when the question suddenly occurs to him, "What happened to walls with texture!?" His mate just shrugs, assuming the question is rhetorical. But for Quirke, it isnβt rhetoricalβand he adds it to his notes to research later.
That's what Quirke does well. He notices things. Even mundane things. Especially mundane things. And he doesn't leave questions unanswered. Being uncommonly curious allows him to go unusually deep, learn something specific and surprising and write things nobody else writes.
2) Open with a mystery
Quirke opens his piece with a simple question that presents a mystery you can only solve by reading on: What happened to walls with texture? There's a name for this in psychologyβthe Zeigarnik Effect1βwhere our brains remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. Questions work well for this. And itβs a tactic all the best writers use. So. What exactly did happen to all those walls with texture?
3) Find the tension
Quirkeβs tweet centres around a common enemy that creates high stakes: the dangers of plain white walls and our worrying rupture with nature. Stories die without tension. And even though he's not writing a novel, he still frames his analysis within a story that matters. Loss of productivity? Deteriorating health? This has real implications for humanity.
How incredible that heβs able to find tension in something as humdrum as wallpaper. If he can find tension in walls, then you can find tension in anything.
4) Add an intriguing hero image
Next, take a look at the hero image he used. What job is it doing?
Firstly, it sets up a visual comparison and comparisons grab your attention.
Secondly, it introduces us to a strange new languageβPopcorn, Orange Peel, Sand Swirlβwhich increases intrigue and suggests a puzzle to solve or knowledge to gain. It creates curiosity about the stories and traditions that went on behind the language and I simply gotsta click!
5) Build convincing arguments
Throughout his piece, Quirke lays down strong supporting arguments drawn from a range of sources like tech and fashion, the evolution of calculator design, images of leaves and the many brick wallsβall of them familiar.
By the end, itβs hard to disagree with him. And now I even find myself looking for more examples of featurelessness in the world around me. The room Iβm in right now, for instance. Plain walls, plain ceiling, plain everything.
6) Pre-empt challenges
Building on the previous point, Quirke anticipates potential counterpointsβlike this one about decoration being valued over textureβand he deals with it, showing close readers that heβs considered alternative viewpoints and done his homework.
7) Inject βaha!β moments
As well as his main thesis, Quirkeβs woven in at least four βaha!β moments, each of which is secreted gradually, serving as replenishing little dopamine shots propelling you through the piece:
π‘ Our culture has entered a minimalist design phase (3rd tweet of 20)
π‘ There are no featureless finishes in nature (7th tweet)
π‘ Natural texture is not simply repetitive (12th tweet)
π‘ Texture doesnβt distract; the absence of texture distracts (16th tweet)
8) Relate to your reader
If we think of Quirkeβs mystery opener as functioning more like a title, then his first real sentence begins βOnce upon a timeβ¦β I'm curious to know, what effect did that have on you? For me, it conjured all the familiarity of a cosy bedtime story.
It also reveals his personality. With those four short words, his writing becomes warm and playful, telling me a lot about the kind of writerβand the kind of manβthat he is. And thatβs the sort of relationship I want. As the writer William Zinsser said, βIf we care about the writer weβll follow him into subjects that we could have sworn we never wanted to know about.ββyes, weβll even follow him into walls.
9) Embrace coined phrases
Readers donβt remember essays; they remember sparkling sentences and coined phrases. And Quirke employs many: decorative detail, visual distraction, and my favourite: visual silence. Itβs so cool seeing the juxtaposition of two different senses!
New language is tied to unique cultures. These coined phrases hint at a different way of life, a different worldview, stoking the imagination and giving readers new ways to see the world.
10) Write like a real person
Quirkeβs use of solid nouns grounds his writing and gives it life. Words like brick, stone, bamboo, thatching, wood, terracotta, ceramic, forests, meadows, beaches, mountains, rivers and cliffs sit with integrity on the page and intimacy in the mind. Unlike abstract notions and isms, this is language we can grab a hold of. Itβs the world of real people doing real actions in real places. And it feels damn good to read.
When you look closely, a simple Twitter thread turns out to be a rich tapestry of writing that combines:
an uncommon curiosity
a mystery opener
tension
intriguing images
solid arguments
preempted rebuttals
well-placed βaha!β moments
relatability
lovely coined phrases and
down-to-earth language
This is what it takes to make work that millions of people read. But did you spot anything I missed? What new questions did it raise? And do you think some of these qualities are more important than others? Let me know in the comments.
I might do more craft deep dives like this. I learned a lot and I enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed it too.
See you next time folks! Happy writing!
βHarrison
...not only is this great breakdown and call to craft, it is an expert unpacking of an unpacker...that is like going to Marie Kondo's house and helping her organize (would pay to see that netflix special)...what CT and Harrison have proven is that even the old adage, that there is nothing more boring than watching paint dry, is wrong...you just need to watch it instead as dry paint, and therein see history, society and art...
Great piece! I know your piece is about the breakdown of the writing, but⦠Our brains need messiness. In fact research has shown particular fractal patterns are best at reducing stress. These align with tree and forest landscapes. Looking at a screen with a picture of a forest can have a psychological calming effect. So the sterilisation of our environment is not good. Anyway, great breakdown thanks!