ROMA 111
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What opening thoughts does Chris share about writing and communication?
Radio Mano, Papa Chango.
What's up, everybody? It's June 18th, 2026, the year of our Lord. Many of you are probably writers. I mean, you all write. We all write. And we all talk. And we're all communicators. This morning I saw a thing on Substack that was pretty cool. It's by someone named Gary Provost. I don't know who that is. But it's writing advice. And it reminds me of a poem I read many years ago by Alexander Pope.
How does the poem by Alexander Pope illustrate the link between sound and meaning?
I don't remember what the name of the poem is, but he says, in one line, he says, "'Tis not enough, no harshness gives offense." the sound must be an echo of the sense. He's talking about writing poetry. I think that's really interesting, right? The music, the sounds, I don't know what's another word for sounds. It's like there's not, what's another word for thesaurus? Who knows? But the music of the language should in some way mimic or indicate something about the meaning, right? Like on a recent DJ CPR, I talked a lot about the song The Pretender by Jackson Brown and how that song is a lament of caught between the longing for love and the struggle for the legal tender, right? It's a lament of trying to be a spiritual being in a materialistic society.
But what's so beautiful about that song is how rich the language is and how resonant the language is, because so much of it is about...
Why does Chris compare ‘The Pretender’ by Jackson Browne to a modern prayer?
It's a prayer, right? Are you there? Say a prayer for the pretender. There's so many religious references in the book, in the song, in the poetry of it. And then you realize, like, this is a prayer. This is a spiritual prayer. outcry from someone who's trying to find a God. You know, there's the line, I'm going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender and stake my claim where the Ads take aim at the heart and the soul of the spender. Soul, right? And believe in whatever may lie in those things that money can buy. Right? Believe in.
What practical writing advice from Gary Provost does the episode highlight?
Again, believe in. Soul. Say a prayer. But also that line is so great. And believe in whatever may lie in those things that money can buy. So it works on the level of believe in the things that may lie in the things. Believe in whatever may lie in the things that whatever lies, whatever is in, whatever is embedded within those things that money can buy. But it's also the lie of advertising, the lie of consumerism, the lie of materialism. And believe in whatever may lie, whatever may lie to me in those things that money can buy. Fantastic. Anyway, so here's some writing advice, but I think it applies as well for just if you're telling a story, if whatever it is. I'm just going to read it straight through.
This sentence has five words.
How can varying sentence length turn prose into music for the reader?
Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine, but several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The year demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length.
What invitation does Chris give listeners to support the podcast on Substack?
And sometimes when I'm certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals, the sounds that say, listen to this. It is important. So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader's ear. Don't just write words. Write music. Isn't that fucking great? If you enjoyed that and think you might enjoy other things like that, then you might enjoy this Roma thing that I do a couple times a week. No heavy schedule, but just when things come to mind, I get on here and I talk about them regularly.
Sometimes it's poetry. Sometimes it's politics. Sometimes it's music. Sometimes it's sex. Sometimes it's relationships, travel, whatever.
How does Chris wrap up the episode and encourage community support?
If you think you might enjoy listening to more of that kind of thing, please consider becoming a supporting... Listener of the podcast, you can do that at chrisryan.substack.com for as little as $5 a month or $50 a year, which works out to like $4 a month or something if you do the annual thing.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What opening thoughts does Chris share about writing and communication?
0:00–1:10
2
How does the poem by Alexander Pope illustrate the link between sound and meaning?
1:10–2:36
3
Why does Chris compare ‘The Pretender’ by Jackson Browne to a modern prayer?
2:36–3:33
4
What practical writing advice from Gary Provost does the episode highlight?
3:33–4:34
5
How can varying sentence length turn prose into music for the reader?
4:34–5:14
6
What invitation does Chris give listeners to support the podcast on Substack?
5:14–6:26
7
How does Chris wrap up the episode and encourage community support?
6:26–7:43