In my rough drafts that are a few days old, I find it fairly easy to see where the "live spots" are and what parts are just filler and can go.
Yet I don't recognize while I'm writing the moments when I'm producing the good stuff. (Usually, it's not the times I might guess.)
So, it occurred to me while I was driving in this morning that the state of "doing-the-good-stuff" might be trackable with a technology like biofeedback. I'd be interested in knowing what the bodily state is at those moments, so that I could learn to reproduce them. Is this possible? Does anyone know?
I have learned a couple of things about the likeliest mental/emotional state. It's intent but relaxed focus (hypnotic trance), and lack of self-awareness. That second part is hard to set out to create.
What happens at such times I imagine as an inner door sliding open onto a place that's dark and mysterious, curiously both empty and teeming. Kalifornia K talks about that in one of her comments to "Writing from the Ditch." It would be nice to know how to open that door at will. I'd like to know when it's open without it getting shy and closing right up.
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Writing Books, Seeking God, Teaching Writing, and Coping with OCD
I’m a writer who dodged being a minister; I saw that my dharma, my calling, was instead to write about body and spirit, to explore in fiction my metaphysical questions. I’ve spent the past 35+ years as a freelancer, with 2 novels, 2 nonfiction books, magazine and newspaper articles from 25+ countries, a few seasons as a TV reporter, copy for ad agencies, a winter in India, and my manuscript and career consulting services for writers.
It’s not because I’m naturally lion-hearted that I’ve chosen the topic of bold living and bold writing. It’s because I aspire to living and writing with courage. I wrestle with these matters; I even have a touch of an anxiety disorder, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. You probably know the saying: we teach what we need to learn.
I post here about daily fears and triumphs, about writing and, if I ever get my courage up, about mysticism, the ultimate brazen act: direct experience of God. I hope you’ll leap into the wide-ranging conversation here and come back often. I hope you’ll find the talk here encouraging for your own adventures.
It’s not because I’m naturally lion-hearted that I’ve chosen the topic of bold living and bold writing. It’s because I aspire to living and writing with courage. I wrestle with these matters; I even have a touch of an anxiety disorder, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. You probably know the saying: we teach what we need to learn.
I post here about daily fears and triumphs, about writing and, if I ever get my courage up, about mysticism, the ultimate brazen act: direct experience of God. I hope you’ll leap into the wide-ranging conversation here and come back often. I hope you’ll find the talk here encouraging for your own adventures.
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11 comments:
I think my 'puttering' in the office gets me to the inner door you speak of, and often enough I'll do a sandtray (which certainly leads to the door between the conscious and unconscious) to facilitate that process.
For me, some of this depends on what stage of the writing I'm doing. First draft work and final revision work is the most likely to be done "in the zone." It frequently happens that once I get there it's hard to get out again - I find myself pulling over on the drive home to jot something down, or waking in the middle of the night to do the same thing. For some reason, I often get entire paragraphs in the shower! A challenge to keep them intact long enough to jump out and write them down.
I suspect this process is why I am so productive on writing retreats - when it's easy to keep that inner door open. If it gets shy I just take a walk or a drive and then come back to it fresh.
I find too that the middle revisions, which I can do almost anywhere, have something to do with paring away "clutter" that's blocking a deepening of the good stuff. The revision process becomes almost a labyrinthine path to follow, where the magic of the first draft rush shifts to a more methodical paring/editing that gives way to finding the center, where it all comes together. (or not, which simply means I start a new labyrinth...:)
Billie, are you going to explain "sand tray?"
Your difficulties getting fully out of the zone are a great thing, I think. As long as you drive carefully. When I first starting writing fiction, after more than a decade as a nonfiction freelancer, I would leave my desk and go out and run stoplights. Accidentally. I had never done this before. I wouldn't be aware that I was still thinking about the story, but my mind would be in an altered state.
My hypnotherapist husband Bob came up with an idea that worked. Before I left the keyboard, I would suggest to myself that I would go out and drive safely. When I did it that way, while I was still "in the zone" the suggestion would stick. I never ran a light again.
Now that I think about it, I could suggest some other good things to myself before I leave my desk.
Running stoplights...I love it! I mean, I'm glad you didn't cause any accidents, but it's such a great response. I find that whenever the Uranian (rebellious) part of my nature kicks in, I need to do something that frees my mind - and my soul. I love rebellion. It's what drives passion, something I always want more of. Feeling that passion is what makes people a little hungry/crazy when they fall in love. It's what makes crazy artists fun people to be around. You never know what they're going to do next, but you wouldn't miss it for the world.
I find that when I need to be rebellious and passionate, especially in this hot weather, I strip off my clothes, wrap on a sarong and go topless and barefoot. Then I turn on the classic soul revue on the Sirius satellite channel on the tv and dance around the house. Dave says I'm his little Polynesian cutie, which just makes me even happier. It feeds my idea train and gets me going. Today I was dancing around and we came up with three new ideas for projects around our place. It was inspiring.
If you can't go topless (although it is so freeing!) Julia Cameron suggest an "Artist's Date". Take yourself somewhere to get a few minutes of inspiration - a park, a craft store, a museum, a garden - just let yourself look at all the colors, the smells, the other people. Don't go there with a mission, just to wander and ponder. Or, turn on some music you rarely listen to - classical, country, soul, whatever you don't normally tune into. You might find yourself humming right along, losing yourself in some very different thoughts.
And hey Peggy, I wanted to ask you- when you're developing a character, do you make a list of this character's tastes, as in what kind of car would they drive and why? What kind of clothes they wear, what music they listen to? Like I imagine an actor might do in rehearsing for a part. Just curious.
The kind of sandplay therapy I offer derives from Carl Jung and was refined by Dora Kalff. I have three wooden trays filled about halfway to the top of each one with very fine, clean sand. And shelves and shelves of miniatures: figures, things from nature, little houses, buildings, etc. Anything and everything that is in our world.
The client is encouraged to use the sand in whatever way they wish - with or w/o miniatures, water, etc.
Most often clients create "pictures" in the sand using the miniatures.
The process of doing the tray is the therapy - there is no formal "analysis." The doing of the tray, the "play," utilizes both conscious and unconscious material and I've found it to be an incredibly healing process for many folks. (myself included)
One of my favorite Jung quotes:
"Often the hands can solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain."
I often do the trays "in character," which is fascinating to think about later, when the book is done. I used to photograph them but it got to be too tedious!
Thanks for the sand play description, Billie. I'll likely give that a try.
About developing characters--I have a long list of questions to ask myself about a character. A few times I've written all the answers out in advance. More often I answer those questions as I go along. It seems to work better for me; but it also takes longer, more drafts.
you might look into techniques such as Thought Field Therapy, or Emotional Freedom Technique. they do give you that "mapping" of what your body feels like experiencing certain emotions, and it gives you a method of releasing those emotions from the form so that you don't keep re-playing when the dynamic has ceased to exist. very interesting stuff =)
Kelley H., Thanks. Do you have any favorite books that deal with Thought Field Therapy or Emotional Freedom Techniques?
this site on EFT is kind of the 'quickstart' version of it:
http://www.emofree.com/
the progenitor of it all is TFT. its site lists some books (i haven't read them, only picked up bits from a practitioner):
http://thoughtfield.com/resources.htm
Merci, Kelley for the web addresses on thought field therapy. I visited and, to my startlement, discovered I know one of the docs on one of the boards of directors--Gary Peterson, a psychiatrist in Chapel Hill. I'd only had a vague idea of the sort of work he did. I'll certainly explore further, likely get Callahan's book.
Kalifornia K, take note. I think these sites (in the foregoing comment) would be of great interest to you.
Also, for those in central NC, Kelley runs a Mystery School that is a powerful experience, and is author of a book GIFT OF THE DREAMTIME that shows how to use inner explorations in transforming ways. Click on her name in the comment above.
Very interesting. Thanks to all--I have learned, and for that I am always, sometimes obsequiously, grateful.
I have always been somewhat of a snob, I imagine, about people defining the creative process. A very famous rock/pop musician, when asked how he came up with ideas for songs, said "I don't know, I just pick them out of the air; I feel like they're all around me." Though I am not particularly fond of his work, I've often thought that was the best explanation I'd ever heard of the creative process.
I've also always thought it foolish and impossible to try to analyze and describe the creative process. But, after reading the comments to this entry, I get the feeling I might be wrong.
When I've produced work (and my production of creative writing is very meager) "the good stuff," it seems, has never been a struggle--it just kind of flowed and was based on a single thought/feeling/memory/inspiration/jolt. However, I have, however, also produced some embarassingly bad stuff this way.
I'm rambling.
At any rate, contacted Kellie H. and asked for an appointment. Looks VERY interesting.
Thanks for listening.
JimWing
Please note: I've previously commented in this blog under the ID "The Jim." This is a reference to Donald Trump, who, I've read, refers to himself as "The Donald." I've used this moniker, as well as "The Jimin8r," "The Jimster," "Jimzilla," "Jimenstein," "Jimula," "Jim Kong," "Viet Jim," "The Thing from the Planet Jim" and so on ad nauseum, many times with friends and such as a joke. But, as a permanent ID, I'm not sure it is all that funny. I still do not fully comprehend the blogging world, and this is the first blog I've tried to join.
At any rate, the name Wing is a lost family name (very interesting story there), and actually should be my middle name, so I will use that.
Have the best possible.
Great moniker, JimWing. It does fit nicely with the idea of boldly soaring. I'm delighted you followed up with Kelley H. Your time with her should be very interesting. Also, your making the connection makes me feel that a good time is being had by all.
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