Focus!
By Dave King | January 19, 2021 |
The Codex Gigas. Matchbox to provide scale.
I didn’t get a lot of editing done early in January. I spent too much time constantly refreshing the home page of the Washington Post and checking my Facebook news feed – I have a lot of friends who are fellow news junkies. Given what was happening, it was hard to look away.
Which makes me think of The Big Book.
The Codex Gigas was written in the early 13th-century in a Benedictine monastery in Bohemia, in what is now the Czech Republic. It is 36 inches tall, 20 inches wide, and nearly 9 inches thick, containing 310 leaves of finely-written text – it’s been estimated that 160 donkeys died to provide the vellum used. Among other things, it contains the complete Vulgate Bible, Josephus’ History of the Jews and The Jewish War, Isadore of Seville’s encyclopedia, medical works by Constantine Africanus, a treatise on excommunication, and a chronicle of the history of Prague. Essentially everything a 13th-century Bohemian monk could want to know, all in one book.
The most remarkable thing about it is that an analysis of the handwriting shows it was the work of a single scribe. And while we can’t be sure, the chronicle of the monastery included in the book provides hints that the scribe was one Herman the Recluse. In medieval monasteries, recluses were monks who lived in voluntary isolation. They were often walled into their cells, with only a small opening left for food and so they could communicate to a small degree with the public – they were often sought out for spiritual advice. (The 10th-century nun Hrosvitha of Gandersheim also wrote a comedy play involving the question of waste disposal.) Given the Codex’s size and complexity, it would have taken about twenty years to complete. Between the need for apprenticeship and failing eyesight due to poor light, twenty years would have probably been Herman’s entire working life.
This is what fascinates me the most. Herman decided to literally wall himself off from the outside world and dedicate his entire life to this one project – pulling together everything that was worth knowing into a single book. It is a vision that today seems a little crazy, but you’ve got to admire the dedication it took.
Of course, you don’t need quite that much dedication to focus on your writing today, regardless of how strong the temptation to wall yourself off might be. In order to write well, most writers have to immerse themselves in the fictional world they’re creating, to lose themselves in their characters’ lives and stories. That’s hard to do when you can’t take your eyes off of CNN.
So you may need to take the plunge and cut yourself off from the news. It helps to have a dedicated writing space, to give a sense of separation between your writing life and life in the outside world. Turn off your wireless router, so you can use your computer without the temptation to have a news alert open in the background. Meditation techniques may help you forget the distractions and focus you on the task at hand. Herman was a monk, after all.
And it’s not like there wasn’t anything going on outside Herman’s cell. The chronicle of the monastery ends in 1222, so the Codex was probably completed by about then. In the twenty previous years, you had the fourth crusade, when Christian troops besieged and sacked Christian Constantinople, and the children’s crusade, a rolling disaster that saw thousands of children sold into slavery. The spreading influence of Aristotle was upending the intellectual life of Europe. Pope Innocent III excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor for invading southern Italy. The Cathar heresy took over southern France until a particularly bloody crusade wiped them out – it was that crusade that gave us, “Kill them all, let God sort them out.” Genghis Khan’s troops had already taken China and were rolling across Russia toward Europe. They were eventually turned back in Poland and Hungary, not that far from Herman’s Bohemian monastery. Herman had a fair amount of news to ignore.
Of course, sometimes you just can’t ignore the news. The best answer then is to accept the inevitable. Perhaps you could spend your time doing other, non-writing related writing tasks. Catch up with your emails, search for possible agents, do the mechanical stuff that doesn’t require the kind of intense focus that creativity demands. Whatever craziness is happening in the world at large will settle down eventually, and you can get back to the business of writing.
Finally, bear in mind that your writing is as important as what’s happening in the news. This may be hard to accept if you haven’t published yet and your writing feels like an indulgent hobby. And writers are famous for procrastination at the best of times. But as I’ve written before, writing is worth doing in itself.
We cannot know what Herman, walled in his cell, hunched over the page, felt about his life’s work. He must have had at least occasional doubts about the scope of the enterprise, or his ability to finish it. But he kept going. I’m not the only one who finds his strange vision inspiring. The Codex he wrote, now in the National Library of Sweden, is considered one of the great treasures of the Middle Ages.
Herman shows that, when the world seems to be falling apart, the best, most human response may be an act of defiant creation.
So what are your favorite techniques for focusing on your work in progress?
[coffee]
Dave King has been editing for nearly 40 years now. He is co-author of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, a former contributing editor to Writer’s Digest, and has contributed more than 100 articles over the last 12 years to Writer Unboxed. He lives on 25 acres in rural Massachusetts with his business partner and wife, Ruth Julian, who also edits his work. His other day job, at least on Sundays, is as the organist at a Lutheran church in Greenfield, Mass.
Thank you, Dave. Your post is both a wonderful history lesson, and a kind of moral tutorial. Writers reading it would do well to think about the effects of yielding to the many new distractions that seek to breach the wall keeping them focused. Even after the political firestorm dies down–assuming it does–your caution will be one to hold close.
Thank you, Barry.
Now that I think of it, writers may be more subject than most to the distractions of current events. After all, it’s hard to be a writer without coming to love story. And the news at the moment is the story of America reaching a critical plot point. Just professional interest makes it hard to look away.
Yes, I, too, have spent far more time than necessary anxiously watching the news. We seem to be going through a “war” over truth nationally. Your introduction of this monk was just an amazing antidote to our current national situation and to our own personal writing regimens (such as they exist!). Hmmm, and what shall WE come up with as a reflection of this time?
I have always loved the story of Herman and the Codex. He wanted to have a complete understanding of all the eternal truths that mattered, together in front of him. That drive puts the news of the day — which is ephemeral, no matter how shocking it might be — in perspective.
I get the same feeling about Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, but perhaps that’s for another time.
As I read your account of Herman and his times, I kept thinking how things really never change. And although I’m not locked in cell, over the years since I began taking my writing seriously, I’ve stepped back from the world in a lot of ways. Jan. 6 being the exception, my habit has been to scan the headlines before getting to work. In my gut, I know that my writing is important, only sometimes it’s hard to keep that up front. The other thing is, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let crazy people in high office co-opt my mojo. The term ‘Defiant Creation’ really sings to me. I see defiance of tyranny in all its forms as a spiritual practice. (Somewhere out there, my mother is shaking her head!) Thanks for a wonderful message this morning. Hope you’re well.
Somehow my reply ended up in the general conversation as well.
We are doing all right, thank you. Regular readers will know Ruth and I live in the wilds of Western Massachusetts. Some local stores are now doing curbside pickup, and it’s not a great hardship to stay home as much as possible. (Well, sometimes it’s a strain.) So we’re not exactly walled in, but hunkered down until Covid comes under control.
“The term ‘Defiant Creation’ really sings to me. I see defiance of tyranny in all its forms as a spiritual practice.”
Yes, I think so, too. This is one of those articles that readers will chew over when others are forgotten. Because some of the best articles on writing are on why we write and the character of writers, and how we keep going in the face of headwinds.
And if this message about persevering in tough times is embedded somewhere in our writing, whatever kind it is, we need to get it out there.
What a lovely way of putting it, and thank you.
What a fascinating mini- history lesson! I’m taking a sabbatical from FB in order to minimize distractions. It has helped, for sure, but I’m craving a monastery getaway for the sole purpose of finishing my first draft. No animals, no husband, no cooking, just pages to fill. Sigh. Thanks for the nudge to get down and DO. IT.
You’re quite welcome. As I said, writers are easily distracted at the best of time. The key may be to recognize that your writing is as important as what’s going on around you.
When I wrote that list of things that were going wrong in Herman’s day, I had Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Light the Fire” running through my head. Just about every major act of creativity has been done in the middle of some sort of turmoil. Recognizing that makes it much easier to set the world’s latest craziness aside and focus on your work, which may well outlast the headlines. Herman’s did.
“Just about every major act of creativity has been done in the middle of some sort of turmoil.”
That observation suggests that the turmoil itself is part of the spur to creativity. So, as always, there is a balance here, and it’s going to differ for every writer, every artist, in part based on what drives them to the work in general and the specific work. Writing a cozy mystery on deadline might require turning off NPR; writing alternative history or a highly contemporary novel might mean listening to it only at certain times.
I was thinking more that writers always have something to ignore. But you make a good point, as well.
It’s a balance, isn’t it, of ignoring and attending, esp if we want to really convey emotion in our work.
I love this, Dave. Thanks so much for sharing it. :)
What a great way to start my day. My stomach was churning with anxiety about where to begin anything and how to stay focused. I have been trying to ignore the news and make promises to myself about staying away from the headlines but it has been so difficult. I feel much more centred now after reading your post. Herman will stay with me. What a fascinating piece of history that I had absolutely no knowledge of. Thanks.
I’m glad Herman and I were able to help.
Remember, there will be times when it’s simply impossible to concentrate. At times like that, don’t beat yourself up. Just do what you can — organize your files, do some more mechanical editing, catch up with your email.
You’ll be able to get back to the creativity eventually.
It’s important to remember that Tolkien worked from 1937 to 1949 on Lord of the Rings. He might have been somewhat distracted by World War Two.
Good point, Michael. Especially since his son Christopher was serving in the RAF.
Nice essay with an important message, Dave.
There is a pretty extensive list of works that were defiant acts of creation written in the middle of turmoil. Think of all the fine books — groundbreaking literature and enduring popular fiction both — that were written during the depression.
“Herman shows that, when the world seems to be falling apart, the best, most human response may be an act of defiant creation.”
Dave, I loved this post. I didn’t know a thing about Herman or the Codex but I was delighted to learn.
My focus has been on music since Advent because… High Masses for the many feasts in Dec. and we’ve begun practice for Candlemas. (Don’t worry, we’re a tiny schola of just four, so plenty of space up in the loft. We’re all well). But it’s made me aware of how old some of this stuff–the psalms are 3,000 yrs old, but some of the melodies can be traced back to 400 AD.
One of the reasons I love diving back into the past is because it expands your mind. People of the Middle Ages and earlier were not stupid. They just thought differently than we do now. And delving into a mind that thinks differently is a wonderful way to free yourself from the blind spots of our own times.
It’s a good exercise for a writer, and not a bad exercise for any human being.
And yes, I love plainsong.
Thanks, Dave, for sharing this. I think it is a time when we often feel like hermits, though in seconds we can be bombarded with news. Herman possesses saintly qualities which sets him apart from others. When a person pursues a goal, no matter what that goal is, others often question the decision and sensibility of that person. We are all different and sometimes cannot understand the decisions others make. I love the story (joke) about the old monk who the other monks realized one day had disappeared. They went into the bowels of the monastery to look for him, knowing that he was there copying old parchments. When they found him, he was distraught, tearing out what hair he had left. “We were wrong, so wrong,” he cried. “The word was CELEBRATE.”
LOL. Good one.
I agree. I had not hear that one.
While were on the topic of monk jokes, a Dominican and a Benedictine got into an argument over who was closer to God. Finally, they decided to ask God directly, leaving a note on the altar one night.
The next morning they found the reply:
My Dear Children,
I love you both equally.
Sincerely,
God. OSJ
Excellent post, Dave; thanks. After too many winter weeks of being mired in inaction and wondering what relevance my WIP could possibly have to today’s scene, I gave myself a shake and told myself that it’s my WIP, my project, and relevant or not it is what I have been given to do. Resuscitation followed.
Meanwhile, your description of the Codex Gigas is fascinating. I looked up Herman and think that some of the alternative explanations and conspiracy theories about the ten missing pages could be the basis for enough thrillers to populate an entire indie bookshop:
https://lostmanuscripts.com/tag/herman-the-recluse/
Any WUers fishing around for the next inspiration?
Good food for the imagination, Anna. Thank you.
That is intriguing. And if Umberto Eco could craft a mystery around the missing book of Aristotle’s Poetics, on Comedy, then I’m sure those missing ten leaves could support a mystery or two.
What an informative post! I was immersed in 13th century Europe and learned so much.
The events of the past four years have made it hard to look away and especially since January 6th. Priorities dictate my time though and it is my work that has suffered, rather than my writing. I’m striding towards the completion of my memoir, despite all distractions, but I suspect focus will be an easier goal after tomorrow.
Great post, thank you.
I’m glad I could help.
I’m writing this on the evening of the inauguration. It does seems as if the news will become less demanding of attention, and we can all get back to work.
I suspect all of us are experiencing the same phenomenon and corresponding distraction of focus
An observation, you asked for “what techniques … “. Most of the comments are affirmations of your words and not answering your question:)
My daily routine requires more effort amidst these times.
I go for a walk. When that doesn’t work, I hop on a small elliptical and go as fast a possible for five minutes or go take a shower or go out into the forest & scream or pick up the mandolin and play Bach.
When all that fails, I power down smart devices & cable modem and go read a real book; typically, Anne Lamotte’s “Bird by Bird” or any of Austin Kleon’s rich little tomes.
Excellent coping strategies, particularly the Bach.
I have read that a certain portion of our minds are constantly engaged in self-awareness — consciousness of what we are thinking. But our brains also have limited bandwidth and can only think about so many things at a time. When you immerse yourself in something that engages your attention thoroughly enough, you no longer are aware of yourself. You’re totally lost in whatever it is you’re doing. Like you, I’ve done it with music, but I’ve heard it also happens with fast-action sports (fencing, say), automobile racing (I’ve recently watched Ford vs. Ferrari), chess, bridge, cooking — anything that demands close attention.
It’s a good way to draw yourself out of yourself, which is what has to happen for successful writing.
Favorite techniques. Hmm, ok.
I use Four intricate (NOT) techniques on a weekly basis.
Story jibber-jabber therapy.
Picture this.
What-do-you-think of-my-shit?
&
Whatcha talkin about?
Story Jibber-Jabber Therapy is a head-to-head conversation between two writers with a decent relationship and the willingness to make themselves vulnerable (on varying degrees) to one another. Using this technique isn’t for the faint of heart! It requires you to Embrace the Naked Self and possibly passing said naked self to another. Not to be confused with hugging yourself in the mirror and passing your body to another.
Picture This utilizes sketches, paintings, sculptures, digital imagery, or anything that will engage your retina, macula, frontal lobe, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex, which can aid in the process of imprinting your projects onto your mind turn table. (That repeat thingy in your head)
What-do-ya-think-of-my-shit is a sophisticate technique that simply allows you to share your work with other writerly people where they listen to you read, or read your manuscript themselves, and share with you what-they-think-of-your-shit. It requires a certain degree of leathery skin texture and an extra bit of wit to maneuver through preferential perceptions disguised as intelligent story advice.
Finally, there’s Whatcha Talkin Bout. It’s a technique that encompasses the “too-many-mind” theory. People tend to mind your grammar, mind your spelling, mind your punctuation, mind your—frankly, people will mind everything except how to help you create “your story”. This method can generate much confusion for the novice writer when they first join “that” particular writing group. Also, this technique is closely related to the What-do-you-think-of-my-shit technique.
These are but few fabulous focus formulas.
Excellent suggestion, all. I particularly like the switch to visual arts.
Dave, Right away, I knew it was your post by the title FOCUS. I’ve guessed right for months now. And I expected and got unknown, interesting history details. Herman and the Codex story was fascinating. Walled off in a cell in those turbulent times, he was isolated and could focus. Plus, it was his calling as a monk & he took to it with total obedience. Lightening up considerably, I applied it to writing and obedience to Lydia (left brain) and Lilly (right brain), my two writing muses. I’m halfway through the expanded first book’s final editing stage. A quick review of the news on my iPhone, no TV, limited outside world contact and I’m focused on writing. I get Herman, I’m a hermit of sorts living in as much solitude as I can.
So glad to know you and Ruth are doing well. Best Wishes for a safe & healthy 2021. 📚 Christine
It sounds like you, Lydia, and Lilly have things under control.
That’s some ‘coffee table book’. It could stand in for the coffee table.
The article an early commenter posted mentioned that it weighs 75kg, or 165 pounds. Not many coffee tables would hold it.
I’m on my second reading of Cal Newport’s, “Deep Work — Rules Focused Success in a Distracted World.” I’ve still got a lot to work on (hence reading and commenting on this post rather than working) but it is well researched and full of practical suggestions. Like any addiction, when the urge to hop online comes — the longer we refuse to satisfy that desire, the easier it will be to resist next time. Love the image of Herman the Recluse. It can be done. At least for a few hours each day.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jamie.
Excellent column, Dave. Thank you for this.