Writing by Ear, by Gut, by Instinct
By Therese Walsh | October 28, 2008 |
I’m still in the end-game of my editing process, when I’m reading my work aloud and making final tweaks. At this point, where my eyes may have failed me, my ear does not; hearing the phrases helps me catch things in the text — places where things could be better worded.
I think having an ear for words is just one component of a more complex notion — a writer’s instinct.
Writers’ Sixth Sense
Instinct refers to things we don’t control consciously; it just…happens. I notice it big time when I’m writing a scene and the plot turns inside out, evolving in a way I didn’t intend. It’s usually good, though. Very, very good. I know I’m not alone in this. I’ll never forget the time Kath and I were on one of our famous writers’ retreats, working together in the living room. She was clicking away at her keyboard, and I was clicking away at mine. All of a sudden, she stopped. I stopped too, looked at her. She seemed…surprised.
“You okay?” I asked.
“She died. She just died,” she said.
She’d offed a character. Hmm. Was she sad about this tragic turn of events? Should I grab the chocolate and wine (necessary retreat comforts)? One thing was clear: What had happened, happened because she’d veered off plan and let loose her instincts. As it turns out, I didn’t have to worry for long, because Kath just shrugged and clicked on. It’s what you do.
Where does a writer’s instinct come from? I’d love to know. Bottle that up. Sell it by the ounce. Wherever it comes from, I believe in it; some of my best writing has come when I haven’t known what the hell I was doing.
Preserving the Ear
Another friend of mine recently spoke about what drives her to write, referencing an early experience she’d had with strict music teaching:
I used to be able to sit down at the piano and play complete pieces of music (by ear). When my teacher got hold of me she forced music theory into my brain and forced me to read sheet music, which I know how to do now, but away went my gift of playing by ear. Just recently I sat down at the keyboard and regained a semblance of it. Anyway, I had a revelation. I write by the same instinct in which I played music…
Yes, she uses her ear, reads her work aloud and tweaks her text accordingly. But there’s more to it.
She doesn’t let the “rules” hamper her storytelling.
I take courses and try to understand craft, but to implement all the writing tools/techniques out there, you might as well tie me to the railroad tracks. When people talk about templates and charts, etc… I freeze. I instinctively use turning points.
She uses her own style, a style she recognizes is as natural to her as playing the piano by ear. She knows a lot about the craft of writing, but she wants to keep the rules in their place — removed from the creative process.
She also protects her work and style from others by delaying critique until she’s not only finished a draft but also smoothed over her wip.
Can you imagine Dickens, my personal favorite author of all time, Taylor Caldwell or even JK Rowling using charts, consulting their critique partners or trying to write to the market? I believe, like a musician plays by ear, the masters of our time wrote (write) by ear.
Just as a musician who plays by ear can’t read sheet music, an author who writes by instinct is going to reject out of hand anyone telling them all the points that make up a novel. Storytelling is instinctual to this person, and if made to conform, that person may lose his passion.
I’d love to hear from you all on this one. Are you an instinctive writer, a rules writer, or both? Do you think a writer must be both? How does instinct drive you? How do you preserve it in your work? What limits, if any, do you set for it?
Write on, all!
Photo courtesy =Firemane
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
LOL, there’s a lot of unexpected spilled blood and death-rattles along the way. :-)
Thanks for this reminder, Therese. I was having a crisis the other day wondering if I was doing the right thing in one of the plot threads that spontaneously generated. I need to let the worry go and trust the instinct.
I believe that a good writer is a bit of both. Perhaps more of an “instinct” writer than a “rules” one, but the rules of writing, like many in life, are there as a guide not a, well, rule.
Allowing your instinct to take over is what fuels the story you are trying to tell. The rules come in and make sure that you colored within the lines.
So a bit of both makes for a well-rounded and ultimately better story…in my opinion!
I think it depends on the person, of course — and yes, it’s a copout answer, but the truth!
I also imagine that JK Rowling MUST have had charts and notes along the way. Not necessarily of writing rules, but just of characters and objects and spells, because otherwise, how on EARTH could she have kept it all straight?!
Well, there you have, it a possible interview. We have to know if JK Rowling uses charts . I agree that the writer has to understand craft, but he must never lose the drive that led him to writing in the first place. Kind of fits in with the name of your fabulous blog… Writer’s Unboxed. Great post, Therese.
My bookshelf is filled with writer How-To books. I read them, taking what I think applies and discarding the rest.
When I sit to do my fiction writing, I listen to my instinct and let the story and characters go where they may. I’m loathe to spend hours sketching out character traits and plot lines. I know in the re-write stage a lot of this will settle into place, as it should. I think formula writing with adherence to strict rules just doesn’t work for me.
Gut, Instinct, Ear. Yes, that’s my formula
Cheers.
George
yesterday I was listening to a radio interview with Toni Morrison and she read a short excerpt from her new novel. It wasn’t that the words were complicated, or that it was a scene with dialogue or a lot of action. But listening to her read her own words, it was magical. From her lips to my ears – grace and beauty – and power.
I hear you (pun intended). I not only write by ear, but I edit that way as well. You know it when a phrase or a sentence or a word feels wrong.
And I think that’s the core of talent, whether it’s for art or music or words. You craft by feel. If you have true talent, it can succeed, maybe even become art. The good stuff resonates with your instincts/talent, the bad not so much.
But our “ears” need to be educated, skilled, and practiced in craft, as well. If every writer simply went by their first gut feeling and didn’t revise and rewrite, we’d have a lot of rough drek out there. I think one of the things of value in my, ahem, forthcoming book on the craft is the attention it gives to the fundamentals of dialogue, description, technique, and words.
So, yes, create by ear/gut/instinct/feel–but with educated and informed ears/guts/instincts/feelings.
For what it’s worth.
Hi. First time commenter. Your post reminds me of a book on learning to draw I recently purchased: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It talks about drawing as a right-brained activity, something that is holistic rather than analytical. It’s a unique mode of thinking that doesn’t rely on logic or rules. I think a lot of writers go into this mode when they write.
Thanks for comments, everyone! (Thea, I heard part of TM’s reading…lovely.)
Ooh, would love to interview JK Rowling. We can try, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. :-0
Welcome, Tumblemoose and Ben! Ben, that book sounds interesting. Have you seen our post, Is Right for Writers?
Ray, I think you summed things up beautifully. Looking forward to that book!