I’ve been slowly but surely making my way through the latest season of Stranger Things (no spoilies!). When watching the show, which is set in the ’80s, I think about the things they choose as cultural references: Eggo Waffles, Kate Bush, Ted Bundy. Things they would understand, and things that we, the modern-day viewers would understand. I’m betting that Stranger Things viewers 10, and maybe even 20, years in the future would be able to understand them too. Why? The answer lies in a philosophy born out of an (ironically) now-defunct New York diner.
The Lindy Effect posits that:
The future life expectancy of some non-perishable things, like a technology or an idea, is proportional to their current age. [T]he longer a period something has survived to exist or be used in the present, the longer its remaining life expectancy. Longevity implies a resistance to change, obsolescence or competition and greater odds of continued existence into the future.
From the Wikipedia article, citing Taleb’s Antifragile
It was named after conversations among comedians Lindy’s diner (1921 – 2018). Per the Lindy Effect, we’d expect a diner that pre-dates WWII to be at least 100 years strong—and this was a pre-COVID closure. But I guess not everything once beloved is immune to the ravages of time.
Lindy Twitter is buzzing with applications of the Lindy Effect to everything from health to art. As a writer, I’m interested in the overlap between the Lindy Effect, literature, and other timeless works of writing. What makes something timeless? How do I incorporate more of that into my own writing?
There’s no shortage of remakes and sequels nowadays. People recognize the power of nostalgia and, whether conscious or not, the power of Lindy. But we also recognize that in most cases, the original wins out every time. So how to harness the power of nostalgia while still being original?
Take a page out of the Duffer Bros. book. Instead of bleeding a series or a franchise dry, leverage nostalgia to enhance your story. Think about timeless aspects of the human condition, and weave them into your work. Use a fresh, intersectional perspective on the past to tell the story in a different way.
This Week’s Top 3
- The Driver Era (in concert)✨ – for fans of alternative rock, rock rock, Austin & Ally, or good, old-fashioned brotherly love
- Using a lacrosse ball 🥍 to relieve muscle tension. You might cry a little, but you’re less likely to get injured and cry a lot.
- The Analog Sea Review 🌊 – not much information online, cause that’s kind of their deal. Would recommend checking them out if you can find them at an indie bookstore near you