I'll post more about the spiral tomorrow or Thursday. If you haven't given me a description or definition, there's still time, and I've learned something different from each comment. Tonight, I wanted to talk about something else.
When I was fortunate enough to be in aikido class in Alaska, our instructor, Master Mike, regularly imparted the little bits of wisdom that you think only come from martial arts instructors in movies and TV. I wasn't there long enough to compile a compendium, but there are a few that have stuck with me.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that focuses a great deal on balance and intentionality. These two were stressed again and again when learning how to walk and pivot. The saying was, "Turn head, body follows."
As with most instructional aphorisms, there are two aspects to this. One is descriptive. When you turn your hear, your body naturally wants to follow.
The other aspect is proscriptive and prescriptive. If you just want to look, look with your eyes, not with your head. If you turn your head and don't allow your body to turn with it, your balance is going to suffer. If you turn your body without first turning your head, you won't have much balance to start with. Therefore, when you want to turn, turn your head and then let your body follow. If you don't want to turn, don't turn your dadgum head.
I don't want to draw a cheesy analogy specifically between turning your head and some aspect of writing that should always lead the way. There are probably some valid comparisons to be made, but I suspect they vary wildly from one writer to another and I know that they are entirely beside my point.
Here's my actual point: however you write, be aware and be intentional. Don't write blindly. Know the impact of each part of your writing on the rest, and make conscious decisions to do each thing you do. In a general sense, every character or action you introduce (for instance) impacts the story as a whole. Understand the implications of those introductions, and then make them with that knowledge in mind.
In a particular sense, most authors have strengths that will drive their writing. Know what yours are, know how the rest of your writing follows in behind, and write like you might it. Let your strengths lead the way, and allow the rest of your writing to follow.
Turn head, body follows.
.Nevets.
Well, that reminder was just a wonderful bit of wisdom and advice. Thanks, Nevets!
ReplyDeleteturns head...hand hurts...writing follows...LOL sorry. I'm in a good mood.
ReplyDeleteI woish i knew a way to find my writing strengths. I'm not completely sure what they are.
"Let your strengths lead the way."
ReplyDeleteSuch great advice. I need to put this on a sticky, because I need to remember it when I'm wondering why a scene isn't working.
Oh! I love it. It's so true, you can't lay down sentences without purpose. You should know why each of them is there and guide the reader though the book.
ReplyDeleteCD
I really try to keep this in mind when I'm in the later drafts of my stories. And, lately, I'm letting it get into my early drafts as well, though I still like freewriting every once in awhile.
ReplyDelete@Deb - You're welcome!
ReplyDelete@Summer - haha Awesome line. I love that. I will try to do a post sometime soonish about how I've found my own writing strengths and see if there's anything in my own experience that helps you find yours.
@Jennifer - Woohoo! I'm a sticky note!
@Clarissa - When we're lost, our readers are lost.
@Domey - You get a separate comment all to yourself.
Okay, here's the thing about this kind of intentionally and free-writing. I started with an analogy and I'm going to continue with it, at the risk of stretching my metaphor too thin. But I think this works.
ReplyDeleteBecause, really, aikido or any other martial art cannot be blinded by intentionality either. If you're locked into a plan and you can't respond to an attacker, your martial art is completely useless.
In fact, that's what a lot of street fighter types say as a criticism against aikido and other arts with forms and an emphasis on discipline and intentionality.
They're missing the point, though. The idea isn't that when I turn my body so that my body follows, I am planning out the next eight things I'm going to do. Or that I'd been anticipating that particular turn. It's that, when I turn, in that moment, I mean to do it, I commit to it, and I lead in properly.
So... It's not 100% free-writing, no. And if you love 100% free-writing, that's great! But I think there's also a disciplined way to free-write, and that's really what I do much of the time.
To go back to my metaphor, as you become more aware of your body, more confident in your skills, more sure in your movements, and more alert to your surroundings, your marital arts practice becomes quicker, more efficient, and more powerful even when you're being responsive and "improvising."
With writing, I think it's the same: as you become more aware of your voice, more confident in your skills, more sure in your execution, and more alert to the context in which you are writing -- your free-writing becomes tighter, more elegant, and powerful.
You can be intentional and deliberate without following a recipe, by perfecting your existence in and execution within the moment.
This was fantastic! I am bookmarking it, and I am going to share your wisdom with my composition students. :-)
ReplyDelete@Shannon - Thanks so much! I hope it helps them!
ReplyDeleteYou've probably posted on strengths... I fear by the time I catch up on blogs they are already old... however, I thought I'd post about my thoughts on strengths.
ReplyDeleteI found that after time, my strengths became apparent to myself, as well as my weaknesses. These will change over time, in particular as I work on them.
Initially, I focused more on line-level issues such as dialogue and short-choppy sentences. I saw these as weaknesses and have seen myself evolve (although some might argue I've traded my choppiness too often for long convoluted and awkward setnences like this one :) I'm evolving to find other issues; however, the more I write I see certain areas where I struggle less on stories and areas where I struggle more which leads me to believe where my strengths lie and where I'll need to rely on craft as a crutch.
You're in luck, Aidan, I haven't posted on this yet -- it's up today! :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like you're in a pretty good place with finding your own strengths. And I think the implication is that a lot of it just comes from more and more writing. Very true!