What Not to Think About When You’re Writing
By Jeanne Kisacky | June 29, 2013 |
In my last blog post, I promised to give more tips on how to work with a graphic designer, and I will (I promise), but not in this post. For the last few months, I have been immersed in editing, and my thoughts are not currently focused on graphic design but on writing. In particular, I’ve been struggling with how to stop banging my head against the same old walls and just to get the writing done.
Writers write. That is a truism we’ve all heard, but it encapsulates a gigantic catch. WHAT do writers write? The answer is different for every writer, and implicit within the current cultural expectations attached to writing is the idea that successful writers somehow know what to write. They know what others want to read, what will sell, what is cool, what is erudite, what sounds good. Maybe they do, and maybe they are also just lucky.
As one of the as-yet-unpublished blog contributors for this site, I cannot tell you how successful writers work, or how they know what will or will not be successful to their project. But I can (oh, yes, most definitely I can) tell you what does not lead to successful writing. So I am offering you my current zen-laced, nihilist-inspired approach to writing successfully. I am going to tell you what not to think about when you’re writing.
1. Don’t think about yourself and your life.
To write successful fiction, do not indulge in endless fantasies about what the piece of writing you are working on is going to do for your current state of existence. Dreaming about your perfect life after your WIP is done, published, and has sold millions more copies than J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and Suzanne Collins combined may be fun, but in my experience it actually is antagonistic to the mindset needed for telling a good story.
A good story is like a dream brought into momentary focus. It is ephemeral, fleeting, perhaps even surreal, but whole and perfect unto itself. During its crystallization (the process of writing) prosaic thoughts that take the writer outside of that coherent whole turn the writing from a story into a tool. This makes the work simply a step towards something mundane (a better life for the author) not an otherworldly destination of its own (a shining jewel of believable characters, delightful interactions, and gripping tensions).
In the best case scenario, if you indulge in ‘successful author fantasies’ too much while writing, your vanity might simply become legible in the work. Little darlings remain unmurdered, useless and bloated scenes are not cut, self-admiration among the characters trumps conflict and tension. In the worst-case scenario, every plot point, character arc, and developmental trajectory becomes manipulated into a self-serving amalgam of disconnected pieces that don’t fit together into a coherent story, but simply shout ‘look at me’. If you want to write a good story, then get yourself out of your own head and let the characters and their needs and desires take over.
2. Don’t think about the Reality Police
If you write fiction, you should know who I mean by ‘reality police.’ They are the ones who tell you that something in your FICTION work is not true or real or accurate. They very unwillingly suspend disbelief. They get all atwitter when movie versions of Jane Austen stories end with a (gasp) real kiss. While watching the Matrix for the first time, they ask “who answered the phone the first time they dialed into the matrix?” They catch anachronisms in historic works, find the flaws in fantasies, poke holes in plots, and identify inconsistencies of any kind.
If you get them in your head while you are writing, you can get derailed. You lose sight of the story and focus on minute details. While there is no insignificant detail in writing, thinking about those details with the reality police in mind can make you doubt yourself. Doubting yourself while writing is crippling.
Don’t think about the uptight nature of possible readers, think about the synthetic, holistic, consistent nature of your story.
3. Don’t think about the industry! the industry!
(Even though I’ve never met Porter in person [and never tried Campari] his tag line is perfect and I’m borrowing it here.)
Here’s the fastest way to end creativity and lose the tenuous hold you might have on the gorgeous will-o-the-wisp which is your perfectly told story: think about the state of the industry and how it is all crashing down (in some form or another) while you write.
I’m not going to go into detail on how many different ways the industry is changing (because Porter’s already done that), but I am going to tell you thinking about it while you write just might be the fastest and most permanent way to lose the tenuous grip your mind has on its dream of story.
The industry, however, is a pervasive bugaboo, and hard to ignore. Thoughts about it are inevitably linked to to trepidatious thoughts of what will happen when you finally type (or keyboard) “The End”?
Well, what will happen when you do that? The nihilist in me embraces the nothingness of that act among all other acts. While reaching the end is an essential step towards success, it is not typing ‘the end’ that brings success to some and not to others. The zen-master in me would contemplate the resultant stack of papers (or pixels) and see its position within a larger universe of interconnected significance. But that interconnectedness alone is not what brings success to some and not to others.
What does bring success? As far as I can tell–being true to the story. And that requires not thinking about anything that is antagonistic to story while you are deep in the midst of writing the thing.
The more enjoyable, real answer to what is the best thing that happens immediately after you type ‘the end’? You get to take a big glass of wine or a big heap of chocolate and find your favorite easy chair or porch rocker. Then you get to sit down, read that big stack of papers, and revel in its ability to become something more–to become that fabulous, tenuous, coherent dream, called story.
How about you? Is there anything you found it’s better not to think about while you are writing?
Photo from Now & Zen
Jeanne Kisacky trained to be an architect before going back to her first love–writing. She studied the history of architecture, has written and published nonfiction, and has taught college courses. She is the author of Rise of the Modern Hospital: An Architectural History of Health and Healing, 1870-1940.
I’ve found that the worst thing for me to think about when I write is about writing trends. I’ve always heard the expression, “Write what you love,” but what if what you love is a genre that agents won’t represent anymore? So then it becomes a matter of writing what I love versus writing what an agent might want to pick up. And, from what I’ve heard, that’s never a good thing.
Oh that one can really derail you too. I think that’s where the luck comes in — when what you love is something that is on the right side of a trend.
I come down on the side of ‘write what you feel deeply’ and suppress the ‘but-what-would-an-agent-think’. There are, what?, 2000 agents out there and not all of them are into trend following. One will say, ‘Now, here’s something fresh and outside the current parade. Let’s give it a go.’
Aptly stated, faith is such a big part of this.
When I’m writing I can’t think about two things
1) Money (lack of it, bills to pay, if my work will sell and how much will it garner)
and,
2) Laundry.
There is always something else a writer could be doing. Often there is something else a writer should be doing. But more often than not, there is nothing else a writer wants to do. So as often as possible (every day now, I’m on deadline) I just block it all out, and write.
Oh yes, money thoughts mess with story, and one of the down sides of a home office is the whole laundry/chores issue.
I just wrote an article on five traps your imagination can fall into on janefriedman.com. Five holes you can fall into that keep you from following your muse. Taking rejections too literally set me back badly. I just reviewed a novel I wrote seventeen years ago and its terrific. I don’t know why I ever gave up on it. Yes, I do. It was because the stack of rejection slips got too high. And after writing seven unpublished novels, I got this idea of writing a non-fiction book and it’s being published. So I come out here: never give up. And don’t neglect the voice that’s pulling you off on a different path.
Excellent advice! Rejections can cripple, esp. when there are too many of them or if they get too vitriolic.
Congratulations on the nonfiction and persevering! Maybe with a thicker skin, the fiction deserves a second chance?
Hey, thanks Jeanne. Yes, I’m hoping they get another chance. All three came close and I wish I’d pushed harder. But maybe the time just wasn’t right–who knows? Hopefully I’ll find out.
for anyone who wants to read Tony’s excellent post along the same lines, I’m posting the link:
https://janefriedman.com/2013/06/28/5-traps-of-the-imagination-john-grisham-helped-me-see/
“How about you? Is there anything you found it’s better not to think about while you are writing?”
It’s better not to think about “the get rich QUICK schemes”? When I say “get rich Quick schemes” I’m not just talking money. I’m speaking of the concept of looking for the quick and easy route to success. Those are illusions. Unless you believe in plodding through your goals for 10-30 years is quick, then I’m totally incorrect in my thinking.
I’m learning that story creation is a long thoughtful journey full of life changing opportunities.
Yep, thinking about the money is a huge trap. Not only do you start trying to write a story that will SELL (rather than a good story) you start getting more easily frustrated when that success isn’t showing up on time.
Reality and life infringe on my writing big time.
Reality is over-rated. ;-) Life, however, is not.
Ah, the reality police. I just had a discussion about this at a book club appearance last night. My feeling is that as long as things seem “believable,” that’s good enough for me. :)
Believable is definitely the goal, I think I’d also add consistent.
really liked your emphasis to remaining focused on one’s story jeanne, i really believe in that, and can always use a good articulate reminder, and your post was that!
esp liked too, the constructive possible thing to do, after the don’t-do part :
“Doubting yourself while writing is crippling.
Don’t think about the uptight nature of possible readers, think about the synthetic, holistic, consistent nature of your story.”
for both those, i thank you much, best wishes jeanne :-)
I’m so glad you found something worthwhile in the post. Thanks!
Odd as it may seem, I can’t think about the reader when I’m telling the story, starting with the editor who will see it first. If I do, I’ll wonder if they like this, if they identify with him or her, will they enjoy, cry, be scared…the writing become about effects rather than truth. So I have to block out the audience until the story is told.
On the other hand, I like doing laundry while I write. The machines make white noise, and give me a reason to move around every hour or so.
Cheryl
Until the story is written, I think the ‘reader’ remains abstract, and in that abstraction, if you as a writer try to focus on them it’s like chasing a will-o-the-wisp, it leads you on a merry chase and leaves you lost. Good one.
You nailed it. Can’t be thinking about the Newbery speech while writing, nor what my mother or grandmother might think. Money is not a problem — it is often a motivator to get that assignment done and sent. But usually, it’s the little things that can derail me … needing to make a dr. appt. or thinking about the potluck that we promised we’d go to and have nothing interesting in the crisper, which means I’ll need to go shopping, which I absolutely detest. This is partly the reason why I write better at night … because if a distracting thought enters my brain, I can resort to the word my landlord in Belgium said: “demain.” Tomorrow.
I like your landlord’s word! Funny that I can let little reality chores slide for days, but checking email is compulsive. Everyone has different things that they just can’t easily ignore. I like writing very early in the am, because no new email then.
Posts like this are why I love WU so much. You take something I know, something I’ve heard many times, and then you put it in such a way that it busts through the “I know, I know” and *gets* me. The observation that thinking/imagining too much about your fabulous future turns the writing into a tool and not a transportive destination of its own was just what I needed to hear, in a way that I think I’ve finally heard it. Bless you!
I wrote about these because I’ve been banging my head against these problems for a while, and each has crippled me at some point. So glad that I could finally help you stop banging your head against one of them.
“A good story is like a dream brought into momentary focus.”
Love, love that, and this post. Thanks, Jeanne!
I can’t think about more than the page or passage I’m presently working on. I’m a slow writer who lets the Internal Editor in too often, so when I’ve been wrestling with 1% of a novel, it’s daunting to think of the other 99%.
Thank you. I loved it when you said, “What does bring success? As far as I can tell–being true to the story.” Truer words were never spoken. That is my mantra as I progress toward that final place in my novel called, The End. All we can do is tell our truth, right? And, if we don’t do it, nobody else will.
Thanks again.
Sheree
Thank you so much for writing this. I’m guilty in some fashion of every one of your bolded statements, and it’s gratifying to know that others share the same doubts and misgivings while at the same time working to overcome them. Again, thank you. I’ll be saving this column for future reference.
Great post, Jeanne. I cracked up over the Reality Police section…especially the Matrix question. It sounds like something I’d ask. :)
Oh so much truth, Jeanne! Thanks mucho for sharing:-D
[…] Writer Unboxed post by Jeanne Kisacky: What Not to Think About When You’re Writing, in particular the advice not to “indulge in endless fantasies” about how a piece of […]
[…] What Not to Think About When You’re Writing […]
[…] be believable. As long as readers think that, sure, this could happen, I’m happy. (A recent blog post on Writer Unboxed discussed how thinking too much about the Reality Police will actually derail […]
I love this. I find myself getting sucked into a vortex of distracting and inefficient thoughts quite frequently. I have to talk myself out of these and find ways to keep myself immersed in what I really want and ought to be thinking about.