Context and Reflections on Writing Practice (HSC SSCE English Advanced): Revision Notes

Context and Reflections on Writing Practice

Introduction to "That Crafty Feeling"

Zadie Smith's essay "That Crafty Feeling" began as a lecture delivered at Columbia University in 2008. This piece offers a deeply personal exploration of what it means to be a writer, examining the intuitive and often mysterious nature of the creative process. Smith wrote this essay during a pivotal moment in her career, after achieving early fame with her debut novel White Teeth (2000) and then grappling with the pressures and self-doubt that followed.

The essay combines several literary forms:

• Personal memoir, drawing on Smith's own experiences
• Manifesto for aspiring writers
• Meta-critique that analyses the act of writing itself

Smith uses the metaphor of craft to describe writing as a skill developed through practice and attention, similar to learning a musical instrument. This approach challenges romantic notions of writers as divinely inspired geniuses, instead presenting writing as hard work that requires both instinct and discipline.

Historical and personal context

The literary landscape of the 2000s

Smith's essay emerged from a specific cultural moment shaped by several factors:

Post-9/11 identity debates: The early 2000s saw intense discussions about multiculturalism, identity, and representation in literature. Smith's work was often examined through this lens, with critics focusing on her biracial background and her portrayal of diverse communities in London.

Literary culture wars: Debates raged about what constituted good literature, with tensions between commercial success and literary merit, and between traditional forms and experimental approaches.

Smith's personal journey

When Smith wrote "That Crafty Feeling," she was processing a dramatic transformation in her writerly identity. She had published White Teeth at age 21, experiencing instant success that brought both opportunities and burdens. By the time of this lecture, at age 32, she reflects on feeling worn down by the pressures of her second novel and the scrutiny of public attention.

Key influences on Smith's writing practice include:

• E.M. Forster: Smith adopts aspects of lyrical realism from this modernist writer
• Salman Rushdie: His magical hybridity and bold narrative experimentation shaped her approach
• Jazz improvisation: The spontaneous yet disciplined nature of jazz informs her understanding of craft
• Biracial London upbringing: Her mixed-race background and experience of multicultural London provide rich material and a unique perspective
• Cambridge education: Her formal literary training at university shaped her critical thinking about writing

The lecture format

Smith chose to deliver these reflections as a lecture to MFA (Master of Fine Arts) students, which influenced the essay's tone and approach. The conversational style creates an atmosphere of mentorship rather than instruction. She adopts a self-deprecating manner, positioning herself as a fellow struggler rather than an expert. This approach helps her urge authenticity over formula, encouraging students to find their own path rather than following prescriptive rules.

Core reflections on writing practice

The concept of "crafty feeling"

Smith's central insight revolves around what she calls the "crafty feeling" – the physical, instinctive sense a writer develops about what works in their writing. This is not about following rules or formulas but about developing a bodily awareness of language and style.

She describes how the "right" voice or sentence registers physically. When something works, you might feel:

• Spine tingles
• A sense of satisfaction or completion
• Natural flow

Conversely, when something is "wrong," it creates:

• A grating sensation
• Discomfort or unease
• A feeling of forcing or straining

Three writing styles or voices

Smith dissects different approaches to narrative voice through vivid metaphors:

Lyrical or maximalist voice ("ice-cream-cone"):

• Rich, elaborate prose
• Sensory detail and linguistic play
• Abundance of description and metaphor
• Can feel like floating or indulging
• Risk: becoming excessive or self-indulgent

Macro or detached voice ("God-like"):

• Zoomed-out perspective
• Observational distance from characters
• Omniscient narration that surveys the scene
• Can feel like watching ants or viewing from above
• Risk: losing emotional connection or intimacy

Intrusive author voice ("steering-wheel grip"):

• Visible authorial presence
• Direct address or commentary
• Heavy-handed control of narrative
• Can feel forced or manipulative
• Risk: undermining reader's trust or immersion

Smith illustrates these styles using excerpts from various novels, including her own work. She candidly discusses how the exuberance of early White Teeth later soured into the fatigue evident in The Autograph Man, showing how writers can lose touch with what initially made their voice compelling.

The writing process

Smith offers a crucial insight about ambition versus skill. Often, writers can envision what they want to achieve but lack the technical ability to execute it. This gap between vision and execution is where craft development occurs.

This two-phase approach relieves writers of the paralysing pressure to get everything right immediately. It acknowledges that good writing emerges through revision and refinement, not spontaneous perfection.

Learning from failure

Smith emphasises that failure teaches more than success. Her third novel stalled when she tried to write in "steering" mode – forcing the narrative rather than allowing it to develop naturally. This experience taught her that:

• Craft evolves and changes over time
• What worked for one project may not work for another
• Writers should read voraciously to expose themselves to different approaches
• Imitation is a valuable learning tool – try writing like authors you admire
• Eventually, discard your influences and find your own voice

Audience and purpose

Target audience

Smith directly addresses young writers facing particular pressures:

MFA workshop culture: Creative writing programmes can sometimes impose conformity, encouraging students to write in approved ways. Smith offers an alternative vision that values individual voice.

Commercial pressures: Young writers often feel compelled to write marketable fiction rather than following their authentic interests. Smith models a different approach.

Self-doubt: Aspiring writers frequently suffer from impostor syndrome, feeling unworthy of the title "writer." Smith's vulnerability helps normalise these feelings.

She models vulnerability throughout the essay, stating:

I am not a genius... I'm a writer who got lucky.

This humility creates connection rather than hierarchy. She positions herself as someone who struggles, makes mistakes, and continues learning.

Threefold purpose

Smith's essay serves three interconnected goals:

Demystify: She strips away the romantic mythology surrounding writers. Craft is labour and practice, not divine inspiration or the work of muses. Writing improves through doing, through attention, through listening to yourself and your sentences.

Liberate: She challenges the notion of "voice" as a fixed identity that writers must discover and maintain. Instead, voice is fluid, evolving, and experimental. Writers needn't limit themselves to one style or approach.

Empower: She builds writers' confidence to trust their instincts over literary theory or prescriptive rules. The colloquial urgency in phrases like "Listen to your sentences!" fosters a sense of mentorship, encouraging writers to develop their own authority.

Countering academic abstraction

The lecture format and conversational tone serve a specific purpose: to counter academia's tendency toward abstraction. Rather than discussing writing in purely theoretical terms, Smith grounds her advice in practical experience and physical sensation. This makes the craft more accessible and actionable for student writers.

Key ideas on craft's elusiveness

Cataloguing sensations

Smith provides a vocabulary for the ineffable aspects of writing by cataloguing physical sensations:

• Lyrical voice "feels like floating"
• Macro perspective feels like "watching ants"
• When writing flows naturally, there's a bodily sense of rightness
• When forcing the work, there's physical discomfort

By giving concrete descriptions to abstract experiences, Smith helps writers recognise and trust these feelings in their own practice.

Failure as teacher

Smith returns repeatedly to the lessons learned from her struggles. Her third novel stalled because she was writing in the wrong mode for that particular project. This failure yielded valuable wisdom:

• Craft is not static; it evolves throughout a career
• Writers must remain flexible and responsive
• Sometimes you need to abandon significant amounts of work
• Learning what doesn't work is as important as learning what does

The learning process

Smith outlines a developmental path for writers:

1. Read voraciously across different genres and styles
2. Imitate writers you admire without shame
3. Experiment with different approaches
4. Eventually discard your influences
5. Discover your own distinctive voice

This process takes time and requires patience. Writers shouldn't expect to find their voice immediately or maintain it without evolution.

Embracing the "awkward angle"

Rather than striving for polish and perfection, Smith encourages writers to find their "awkward angle" – the unique, slightly off-kilter perspective that makes their work distinctive. This connects to her discussion of diversity; her "mongrel" voice resists purity myths in literature. Mixed influences, hybrid forms, and unconventional approaches can be strengths rather than weaknesses.

Relevance to craft of writing (2026 syllabus)

NSW HSC Module C connection

For students studying the Craft of Writing module in NSW HSC English Advanced, Smith's essay exemplifies several key concepts:

Meta-discursive craft (EA12-5): Smith writes about writing, reflecting on the creative process itself. This self-aware approach demonstrates how writers can analyse and articulate their own practice.

Voice as craft: Rather than treating voice as natural or innate, Smith presents it as something constructed, practised, and refined through conscious choices and revision.

Hybrid forms: The essay blends personal anecdote with literary analysis, demonstrating how writers can combine different modes to achieve their purpose.

Comparative study

Smith's work pairs effectively with other prescribed texts that explore the craft of writing:

• Kafka's minimalism: Provides a contrasting approach to Smith's more expansive style, yet both writers emphasise the importance of restraint in revision
• Orwell's rules: Where Orwell prescribes specific guidelines, Smith takes a more intuitive approach, though both value clarity and honesty
• Atwood's wit: Both Smith and Atwood use humour and self-deprecation to make discussions of craft accessible

Models for student writing

Exam advice for HSC English Advanced

Potential Paper 2 prompts

Students should prepare for questions such as:

• Craft a reflection on your writing voice, inspired by Smith
• How do writers develop their craft over time?
• Discuss the relationship between instinct and discipline in writing practice
• Explore how personal context shapes a writer's approach to their craft

Using Smith effectively in responses

Quoting surgically: Select brief, memorable phrases rather than long passages. Key phrases like "crafty feeling" carry significant weight and can anchor your analysis.

Contextualising: Always connect Smith's ideas to her personal and historical context. For example, her discussion of post-fame doubt emerged from specific pressures of early success and "multicultural" tokenism.

Synthesising: Link Smith's ideas with other prescribed texts. For instance, compare her emphasis on instinct with Kafka's restraint to show different but complementary approaches to craft.

Structuring a response

Personal hook: Begin with a brief reflection on your own writing experience that connects to Smith's ideas.

Style catalogue: Discuss Smith's analysis of different voices or approaches, perhaps applying these categories to your own work or other texts.

Manifesto close: Conclude with broader insights about what writing craft means, demonstrating your understanding of Smith's key arguments.

Achieving Band 6

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