Don't be talkin' about your subconscious like you know it!

In my last post, I talked about how you can be too conscious as a writer--how over-consciousness can almost be deconstructive. From my own experience, the best writing comes when you're in a state-of-mind where you are hardly even thinking about what you're saying. I like to think about this as the unconscious stage.

The unconscious stage is a state of hyper focus in which you create brilliant words with little evidence of understanding the process. You can't think in this mode. Only write. Trust that your subconscious brain knows what it's doing, because it just might.

After writing something in this stage, you may even be incapable of explaining or discussing what you wrote with anyone else. If you try to, you could end up sounding like you weren't the one who wrote the piece. You could completely ruin the story for your readers.


Here is an example scenario of this:

Unconscious Writer: This story is about a jockey and a horse.

Someone: Yes. The intimate relationship between man and beast.

Someone else: Yes, yes. A man's spiritual merger with a horse.

Someone: I cried when they finally became a centaur.

Someone else: Me too! A centaur, but with a horse's head and human body. An inverted centaur...

Unconscious Writer: Actually, the story is more straightforward than that. I wrote this story because I was watching a horse race and began to feel bad for horses. We always ride them but never let them ride us. Why don't humans ever wear the saddle?

Someone: So the story is about a jockey literally wearing a saddle?

Unconscious Writer: Yeah. The man and the horse don't merge. The horse hurts his leg in the middle of the race and so the jockey puts the saddle on and carries him to the finish line.

Someone else: Really? I thought it was so much deeper than that.

Someone: Horses can weigh like thousands of pounds. Jockeys weigh like a 100 pounds. This story is not plausible at all.

Unconscious Writer: Um... I realize that... and that's why they have to merge into a centaur to finish the race!



Do not make the mistake of trying to understand your story or the even bigger mistake of trying to explain it to others.

When you produce something in the unconscious stage, you really aren't the author. Subconscious forces that only Freud could understand wrote your words. It's psychology. It's science. It's unconscious. It's Freud. Maybe he wrote it.  It doesn't matter. All that does matter is that you must avoid trying to explain what you write to anyone. The text only exists in the mind of the reader, so let them figure out/fabricate the true meaning of your story.

OMG don't you ever shut up, consciousness?

Out of all the activities humans perform, writing seems to be one of the most conscious. You're not born with the ability to write. You must learn it. And once you learn how, it's still not something you can do well without a whole bunch of practice and thinking and stuff. You have to develop a conscious sense of awareness of what good writing should look and sound like before you're capable of producing it.

"The mind is a great servant but a terrible master." This is quote I remember reading somewhere at some time. Over-thinking is often our biggest enemy. Once you develop a certain level of consciousness required for proficient writing, you must then develop the ability to ignore this consciousness at times.

This consciousness can be like asking your roommate for a little bit of honest criticism and your roommate taking it a little too far:

You: Dude, like, my girlfriend says I'm too careless about the little things. Do you think that's true?

Your Roommate: Yeah, I can see that.You always forget to lock the door when you leave. You routinely leave crumbs all over the kitchen and I'm always the one cleaning them up. You never put the toothpaste cap back on the bottle and then toothpaste gets all over the sink yet somehow you never even notice.  Hey! Hello?! There's a huge white blob all over the sink. My God. Is there a bird living in here and crapping on our sink? No. It's toothpaste that leaked out from when you refuse to put the cap back on literally every single day. It's so irritating. Not only are you careless about little things, you're also extremely inconsiderate of people around you. In fact, you're the most ego-centric person I know.

Criticism taken to this extreme is far more debilitating than constructive. So, as a writer, once your conscious reaches this point, you must learn to quiet it. You must learn to put some metaphorical earplugs in and focus on writing, otherwise you'll never get anywhere.

Some of the best work comes in moments in which you are not consciously thinking about what you're doing. You're just doing. I like to think of this as writing subconsciously.You must trust that your subconscious knows what it is doing.

I plan to further discuss the concept of channeling your subconscious in more detail next week's blog post. LATER HOMIES.

(P.S. My conscious mind wants me to take the opportunity to explain how unprofessional it was to end my post with the phrase "LATER HOMIES." It apologizes for the primitive nature of my subconscious.)

Paint

Overcoming writer's block tip #3,500,000.7:

1. Open up the "paint" application on your computer or other electronic device.
2. Immediately start drawing something. Don't think about it. Randomly change colors whenever you wish, but just keep drawing. And don't touch erase button. Stop whenever you feel like it.

This is what I ended up with. It's not pretty, but the next step will demonstrate what I can do with it.
 

3.Analyze your drawing. Pretend like it's some fantastic work of art that expresses the true fabric of human existence. It helps if you think in a British accent during this process.

It appears to be a young man. He has red hair. Maybe he is Irish? Which might mean his name is Patrick. His hair is also very messy. This is because he is a free spirit who chooses not to conform to combs. "A comb would not make me the man I want to be" he probably tells people.


He has several arms. This is because he has too much to do and not enough hands to do it. He is a poor multi-tasker, yet he is always putting himself in situations which require him to do so. He never seems to learn.


The inside of his mouth is green. Because he is a vegetarian? Maybe. But really, it's because he's hungry. Hungry for money. He has given up on sentimental ideals and is only concerned with getting rich.


His shirt is purple. Purple means royal. No, he's not a king. But he is somewhat of an elitist. He thinks he's better than most. He believes his ambition sets him apart from those around him.Those who are too simple-minded and happy with simple lives.


His shoes are blue. Blue like the ocean. His feet are going to take him across uncharted waters. Though he may not be prepared for what lies outside of his hometown, he wants to see the world and will not rest until he does.


Patrick is someone I could write a story about. Before opening up "paint" my mind was almost blank. Now I at least have a rough sketch of a character I could include in a story. So my suggestion is to try this and see what you come up with.

Chronic Brain Reluctance: It's Society's Fault, But YOUR Problem.

In last week's post, I mentioned my chronic reluctance to write. My reluctance often stems from a feeling I tend to experience about halfway through each semester. My brain is like "Nooo... don't do this to me anymore!" I try to convince it that I have no choice because I'm paying lots of present and future dollars to do this so I can eventually receive a piece of paper that will help me prove to future employers that I am worthy of receiving some of their dollars (many of which will help me finishing paying for that same piece of paper). Yet, somehow my brain still remains unconvinced. In this case, I must attempt to trick it into functioning using the following methods.

5 Easy Steps for Overcoming Writing Reluctance:

1. Drink too much coffee.  Psychology says your brain needs stimuli in order to function. When your environment is lacking necessary stimuli, you must find a way to stimulate your brain intrinsically. I recommend drinking several cups of coffee. How many cups exactly? As many as it takes to reach that euphoric state of mind where your level of happiness is comparable to how you feel when you are playing with puppies.

2. Play with puppies. If the coffee isn't enough, you might want to try actually playing with puppies. Don't forget to grit your teeth as you pet these small animals. And use lots of baby talk, as it's easier for them to comprehend.

3. Appreciate nature. Humans like to pretend that they aren't part of nature, so get away from them and from their concrete establishments and go out into nature. Breathe the fresh air. Yes. Ahhh. Nice. If possible, combine this step with step number 2. Puppies and fresh air are sure to help you overcome that reluctance to start writing.

4.Put yourself in a life or death situation.This one transitions nicely from the last. Let's say you're out in nature, playing with puppies, and an angry pack of hyenas confronts you. They have that look in their eyes--the one that says that they're hungry for both you and the puppies. Fight or flight? Fight or flight?! The answer is write. I can't tell you the proper way to avoid death, but if you do survive, you will at least have something to write about.

5. Read a post from a favorite blog or section from a chapter of your favorite book or a favorite poem or something. So you've got a nice coffee/puppy/nature/fear-of-death adrenaline rush going. You're pretty much capable of accomplishing anything at this point. However, for the purpose of this blog, your goal is to write. To help center your energy on writing, read some of your favorite words that have already been written. A few minutes of reading one of my favorite works helps me to remember why I aspire to write in the first place. I want to try to make other people feel the way I feel when I read some of my favorite works.


Any combination of these five steps should help you trick your brain into functioning just enough to do things that it does not want to do. If it does not, you might want try repeating the process over again, but this time substitute the puppies with kittens.

Graphophobia - Fear of writing?

I like to write. I like it. I would say I love it, but then I would have to mention the fact that I sometimes hate it. So I say I like it because my love/hate feelings probably average out into like. Also, I avoid the using the term love because it can be misleading. I'm often reluctant to write.  If I truly loved writing, then you would think I would write more. Uuuugh. I wish I could figure out the cause of my reluctance.

Is it a fear of commitment? Am I afraid to commit to one particular style or genre of writing? I go to write poetry but then I'm like "I ain't no poet!" I go to write fiction and I'm like "I ain't no story teller!" I go to write a blog and I'm like "I ain't no geek!" I go to write a research paper and I'm like "I ain't no scholar!" So instead of writing anything, I stare at the wall for five hours instead.

If I absolutely had to pick one though, just one, it would be fiction.

I'm often too ambivalent in my opinions and beliefs and conclusions, so academic/research-based writing is far too dreadful of a process. Fiction, on the other hand, seems to allow more room for ambivalence and ambiguity and probably some other smart-sounding a-words. You just tell a story. It doesn't necessarily have to be told in chronological order, or any specific format. It doesn't even have to have a clear message. As long as you are able to keep the reader interested your words, they'll often find their own messages and values in them.

Not that writing fiction is easy by any means. It just seems to provide lots of room for flexibility and experimentation, something I need to keep me interested in what I'm writing. This is my current rationale for trying to convince myself to take my relationship with fiction to the next level. If anyone objects, please say so now.

Some Letters Recycled into a Blog Post

Here's an inspiration killer: Every thing worth writing has already been written. There are so many books out there, so many words in so many books, so many ideas in so many books -- a lot of repetition and redundancy. Every word I write, I get the sense that I’m stealing from words that have already been written. 

This is because every word has already been written. Every word I’m using in this sentence has been used before. Nothing is entirely original. CREATIVITY IS A MYTH!!!  No wait... I’m lying. 

Here’s the uplifting turn in my melancholic blog post: Originality lies in the creative arrangement of things that already exist. It makes me happy to think about the fact that no one has ever written the exact combination of words found in this blog post. Just to guarantee my previous statement is true: Watermelon. Anaconda. Four Seven Six Nine Nine. Morgan Freeman floating in a purple tornado.

 

According to a rule some shaggy-haired guy named Albert made up, everything that exists in this universe is made of matter that has existed since the universe itself began existing, or something rather. This means a carbon atom in my left arm could have once been a part of a real live dinosaur. Who knows. 

Sure all of my atoms are hand-me-downs, but that don't mean I ain't original!

Trust me, I love music more than anyone else.

I LOVE MUSIC! I love it more than anyone else does! IT IS MY LIFE!! MINE!!!!.... Of course, I'm exaggerating. 

I don't want to claim ownership of music. I just like it. I like to listen to it. I like the different moods and vibes it puts in my brain. I like when the lyrics are somewhat poetic. I like how it allows my brain to take these moods and vibes and lyrics and create a story in my head. 

I often struggle to find the energy to write things when I need to write things. When this is the case, I use music as a tool for channeling this required energy, as I'm sure many of you do. It definitely helps. 

Here's an idea for taking this one step further, particularly for when you may be having trouble thinking of something to write about:  Listen to one of your favorite songs--preferably one that tells an intriguing story. Then try writing a story that captures the essence of that song. You can even use specific details from the song to establish the setting of your story. 

I'm going to try this and see what happens. Ideally, I'm hoping to at least develop a starting point for a story that will eventually become its own original entity. (As in, it won't just appear to be a rip off of a popular song.)

Inspiration has commitment issues.

So, you're sitting at your computer in a quiet library or den or coffee shop or wherever you seem to write best. You have your thought-enhancing beverage of choice--green tea, coffee, energy drink, 300-proof vodka, or a combination of all of these. Conditions are ideal for you to write life-altering words. Conditions are too ideal. Your fingers are eager to type words, but your mind is offering you no concrete thoughts. Nooo... it can't be. It is.Writer's block.

Inspiration stood you up. Again. What do you do? You can't sit around and wait for it. You're also not going spend all night searching for it. Not this time. You're going to go live your life. It will eventually come to its senses. In the meantime, you're going to that party you were invited to. Yeah. GO.

You're at the party and, for once, not even thinking about inspiration. You're just having fun. And then, there it is. It shows up. Who invited it? It doesn't matter. It's there. What do you do? No. You're not going to leave early. Not tonight.

You still don't want to waste this opportunity. Hmmm... you could write down your inspired ideas on the bathroom walls. It seems like that's what a lot of inspired people do. No. Wait. Your cell phone! Your "smart phone." Perfect. Every time inspiration gives you a good idea, you type it into your phone.

You get home from that party. Finally, you have something to work with! You take a look at the notes you saved on your phone:

"This chubby guy really likes to dance. I really wish he were wearing a shirt."

"Something I learned tonight--there are, in fact, people who watch 'Jersey Shore' and genuinely want to be like the characters on the show."

"My shoe smells like dog poop."

Hmmm. Not the best material, but it's something.

Here's my point. Being a writer does not force you to be anti-social. In fact, you're probably more likely to find inspiration to write if you're actually out doing things. Technology makes it even more possible to maintain some type of productivity in unfavorable circumstances. Utilize it. It may even ease the pain of the $70 dollars you donate to your cell phone company every month.

Life is a sketch.

Sometimes, we humans, tend to put too much faith in planning.

It's Friday evening and you're going to hang out with some friends. One of these friends is a girl whom you wish was more than a friend. This is the night you will make this come true. You look in your closet. There's that shirt. That perfect shirt that you originally purchased with the thought that, in the back of your mind of course, this shirt will impress that girl. You're going to wear this shirt and you're going to make great jokes tonight. You're also going keep your composure and not overreact to the fun you're having. You're going to be the perfect blend of funny and cool, plus you're going to be wearing that shirt. There's no doubt that if you execute this simple plan, this girl is finally going to see you in that "more than just a friend" light.

It's Friday night and you're laying in bed, thinking about how the night could have went better. You shouldn't have made that joke about the body parts of old people. That was it. That joke was too far. It made her uncomfortable. It was a good choice to wear that shirt, but you forgot how awkward that pair of jeans fits. Shouldn't have wore those jeans.

This is life. You plan things. Things don't go as planned. It frustrates you. Yet other times, you have no plan and somehow things go really well. 

Writing is often like this. You think you have a dynamite plan and you start writing and you struggle and then three hours later you end up with garbage. Other times, you start writing on a whim and somehow you end up with words you didn't think you were capable of writing.

I prefer to think of the writing-process as "sketching." I dislike the word "drafting." It has a dreadful connotation to it. It's easier to "sketch" your words. You have a vague mental model of what your final product will look like and you write until your words start to resemble that model. 

You might even have to write, edit, and revise all at once. Remember: you're a sketch artist--translating a vision in your head into something that artfully, and not even necessarily accurately, portrays that vision.

Feel free to take the sketching analogy about writing and apply it back to life in general. I've done all I can do at this point.

Um. Do I know you, Audience?

One commonly overemphasized writing-tip is the importance of knowing your audience. You need to know who your potential readers are and what they want to hear and how they want to hear it and yada yada blah blah blada. 

Of course, in order to do this, you must go door to door and interview each of your potential audience members. Get to know them, maybe invite them out for a mocha-chino or something. Then, and only then, can you truly become aware of the words your audience desires to hear.

If you don't have time to interview all of the people of the earth, here are some more practical tips for trying to understand the audience.

1. Read the work of others and pay attention to what readers are saying about it: When you write, you should try to aim for the level of quality achieved by established writers. For example, if you want to be a sports journalist, you should be reading articles of well-known sports journalists. Take note of what readers are saying about their work by reading the comments below the articles. Bob Roberts might be a plumber, but he can still pick up on the fact that ESPN writer-guy didn't bother to check his sources before he posted the latest scoop on Equestrian Vaulting.

2. You are part of your audience: Consider your own judgement. If you are a reader (as emphasized in the first point), you should trust that you can perceive what quality writing looks like and what captivates readers. If you don't find your own writing to be at least somewhat compelling, then it is not likely anyone else will.

3. Establish a connection with your audience: You might know your audience, but you need to let them know you know them. Trying referencing a specific fact or making a joke that you know many potential readers would relate to and appreciate. Establishing this personal connection will provide a bridge for readers to cross over into the land of newer and fresher ideas (which is the primary purpose of writing, right?).

Remember: Get to know your audience. Use this knowledge to "build the bridge." Then, finally, you can take them on a spiritual journey to the promise land of your words.

Developing versatility for a business-oriented world..

I aspire to be a "writer" someday but haven't decided on a specific style or subject area to pursue. It's nice to imagine becoming a modern day Shakespeare, but society's strong business orientation makes it increasingly difficult to pursue this type of writing career. (Producing Shakespeare-quality work might also be difficult.)

In order to live a somewhat financially stable lifestyle, one must become versatile. I'm hoping to do this by utilizing my above-average writing skills to develop a diverse portfolio of business-compatible experience. Ideally, I would like to a number of possible of career opportunities that will allow me to avoid extended periods of post-graduation starvation.

As soon as I write a best-selling novel or screenplay, however, I'm retiring from the business world and moving to the beach.