Need a little inspiration for your inspiration? Here’s a great guest post on one of the more magical aspects of writing craft. Enjoy! : )
Even though I like the term ‘Writing Craft’—because craft is such a huge part of writing, and because newer writers are better off thinking of it as a craft to be practiced rather than some sort of mystical talent—it may not be the perfect descriptor for what I want to discuss. But ‘Writing Secrets’ sounds like it should come with free steak knives. And ‘A Brief Overview of Engaging the Parts of your Mind which May Lead to Enhanced Creativity’ hurts to say, let alone write.
In my opinion, there are two major aspects to the writing process. (Please add an imaginary “in my opinion” in front of every statement in the rest of this post.) The “what to write” and the “how to write it”. I think of these as the macro and the micro of the writing experience, and it’s primarily the macro under consideration here… although it really applies to both plotting and implementation. (This isn’t a diatribe on plotting vs. pantsing, by the way. Those arbitrary points exist at either end of a continuum, while most of us typically exist somewhere between them, sliding back and forth as necessary during the course of a project.)
So, some ideas for your consideration…
1. The real writing happens away from the computer. I’m talking about the aha! stuff. The stuff that comes flooding into our brain, seemingly from the ozone, exciting us and solving our problems and making us think this damn book just might work after all. There’s still the significant issue of effectively conveying these ideas on the page (the ‘craft’ part), but having raw material that fires you up provides a massive advantage when you do sit down to write. And of course, that level of inspiration/motivation also helps solve another fundamental problem—getting our ass in the chair and keeping it there. It’s sometimes hard for us to sit down when there’s nothing we’re dying to say at the moment, but just try keeping a writer from her computer when she’s truly inspired.
3. You can at least help steer the programming. There’s been a lot said about trying to get your muse to pay attention: turn down the lights, put on some soft music, pour a couple glasses of wine, and hope he/she/it decides to show up. (And if that regularly works for you, then by all means—go with it!) But if not, try this two-step plan to help bring the big guns to bear.
Step 1: Think
about your project. A lot.
think about it. A lot.
Daydream. Feel, vs. think. Go for the visual, vs. the textual… try to imagine it as a scene in a film. (I find that if I can see it, I can more easily write it. It’s when I can’t clearly ‘see the scene’ that writing becomes a struggle.) The reason you want it to be as visceral as possible is that the subconscious responds to this much stronger than to rational, Boolean thought. (Have you ever gone to the movies and watched a horror film that scared the crap out of you? On the face of it, this makes absolutely no sense. I mean, you know you’re sitting in a theater, watching something that was created on a sound stage, using actors and special effects, etc. Yet your pulse pounds and you can feel the fear—with all the attendant physiological symptoms—building within you. This is because your subconscious doesn’t know it’s observing a construct. It simply responds to the programming it’s taking in. It cannot delineate between fact and fiction, hence the need to try and place your project in a right-brained, sensory-oriented context. It won’t just ‘seem’ like reality. To your subconscious, it will be reality.) Then…
5. Don’t think. In a perfect world, we’d all think long and deep about our writing projects, then immediately drift off to sleep, letting the subconscious process all the various story elements until it arranges them in a way it finds satisfying. And in fact, it’s a great idea to set aside a little time to visualize your project right before you nod off at night. But what if your most opportune time to do this is on the train in the morning, going to work? (You’re going to have a hard time convincing the boss that your morning desk-nap is part of some sort of productive process. Don’t ask me how I know…) The answer here is to consciously stop thinking about it when the available time is up, and make a decisive switch to another subject. Then, when another block of time opens up (lunch?), you can go back to daydreaming about your story. The specifics aren’t as important as the overall concept of feeding the subconscious, then giving it some ‘alone time’ to digest.
6. Think again. Here’s the part (after following the above think/don’t think process) that most often yields the good stuff for me. I think of it as ‘constructive distraction’, as it involves engaging in some sort of simple activity that requires just enough attention (from the conscious mind) to allow the subconscious to kind of peek through and start spouting off a little, like an unruly kid pulling a prank when the parent is looking the other way. For me, running works exceptionally well in this regard. (But not on a twisty mountain trail, where you have to watch your every move lest you twist an ankle.) Driving also works well. (But not in busy city traffic… see a pattern here?) Doing the dishes. Walking the dog. Taking a shower. Mowing the grass. Sweeping the driveway. You get the idea—choose whatever version of ‘verbing the noun’ puts you in that semi-hypnotic, meditative state where your thoughts can flow freely.
Then, as you’re engaged in the mundane activity, you gently steer your inner film projector toward the story, letting it play whatever version of whatever scene it wants, with as little direction from you (the conscious you) as possible. Just watch and wait—like a kid at the movies—and you may be pleasantly surprised at what pops onto the screen.
Again, it can’t be forced—you have to let it occur naturally. It may sound a little like the ‘trying to seduce the muse with wine and cheese’ scene described earlier, but it’s more than just waiting on random chance. When I follow this process (and I hate to think of it as something so clinical as a ‘process’… it feels completely organic to me) I have some sort of success fairly often—at least half the time, I’d say. Not always, and almost never if I feel rushed. But if I’m willing to prime the pump and then just wait for it, without any expectations, I’m frequently rewarded with a little aha! moment.
They’re not always earthshaking revelations, but often enough to get me past a little sticking point, which is all we can really ask for. (Although I can vividly recall once being ten miles into a twelve mile run with absolutely zero success. I’d pretty much given up on it when, out of the blue, I suddenly blurted out, “Holy smokes, Sam is gay!” And the whole story instantly made a lot more sense.)
And finally…
the author of the YA novel Road Rash,
published by Knopf/Random House, Feb 2014.
View the book trailer here. Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkHParsons
Road Rash
by Mark Parsons
Hardcover Giveaway
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Released 2/11/2014
A teenage drummer finds out what life is really like on tour with a rock band in this funny, funky, bittersweet debut YA novel. For anyone who loved Almost Famous or This Is Spinal Tap.
After being dropped from one band, 17-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band. It feels like sweet redemption, but this is one rocky road trip. . . .
Zach’s in control on the drums, driving the band, keeping things moving at the right pace. But when the show is over, his timing is all off. The jealousies and rivalries within his new group keep him off-balance. The awesome original song he recorded backfires. And the girl he left back home is suddenly talking about this other guy . . .
Mark Parsons has written a fast-paced, feel-good novel about a boy finding his place in the world, in a band, and in the music. Zach is a character teens will stand up and cheer for as he lands the perfect gig, and the perfect girl.
Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Road Rash?
Wow… good question. There were several things about the writing of ROAD RASH that I found wonderful, or enlightening, or humbling. (Or frequently all three.) But my favorite thing about the book itself is that now there is (or very soon will be) a book out there that “Gives the drummer some!” I mean, he/she is the dude in the back, sweating it out, laying it down, holding it together, all while driving that damn bus down the road every night. And what do they get for it? Uh… drummer jokes? The chance to haul more gear than the rest of the band combined? Blisters and a bad back? A stunning lack of respect/attention from the media, the crowd, and the world at large? (All of whom seem to fixate on the lead singer or occasionally the lead guitarist. But never the drummer.) Even the second-best rock ‘n roll film of all time—“This is Spinal Tap”—had the drummer as nothing but the butt of a running (umm… exploding) joke.
So yeah, among many other things that I’m thankful for, I’m pretty stoked to have a book out there that gives a little love to the people who’re the true heartbeat of the music.
Purchase Road Rash at Amazon
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