To lay some foundation for further exploration of the craft of writing, I need to distinguish between two schools of thought that inform and lead to two different approaches to writing. I will call these two schools the Expressive/Inspirational School (here after the Expressive School) and the Technical/Teleological School (here after the Technical School). I should mention that I just made up these two names to explain something about writing. Other people may have any number of dichotomies or ontologies of writing practice. I find mine to be useful for what I have to say. [Note: There are two kinds of people in the world - those who like dichotomies and those who don't 😎]
The Expressive School focuses on connecting with your muse, finding your voice or waking up your creative spirit. You need to find something that inspires you and the words will flow. The word 'inspire' literally means to breathe into. ( You can see the connection between inspiration and respiration) And in this case, a supernatural being, such as a muse, was breathing into you (or so they believed in days gone by).
For most people, their muse is asleep, possibly in a coma. So, in order to wake it they will do exercises such as describe a time when you were really angry or describe a transcendental experience such as standing on the edge of the grand canyon. Expressive writers will often work in writer's groups so that they can get feedback from other writers on how well they expressed themselves. I should point out that for some people their muse is in a persistent vegetative state. In this case they will reject the very idea of a muse. It would be like acknowledging that a dead carrot is lodged somewhere in the creative part of their brain.
If you want to hear a little more about nurturing your expressiveness you may find inspiration in Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within . There are actually many books available for expressive writers. But, I thought I would mention this one as it helped me see the difference between these two approaches more clearly.
Elizabeth Gilbert (better known for Eat Pray Love) wrote an excellent book on creativity entitled Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear in which she talked about the need to feed your muses. She said something to the effect that if you don't nurture your creativity it will leave you and find somebody else to inhabit. That is so true even if I don't fully agree with the metaphor. This is one of the reasons why I so strongly encourage people to write every day. And, although I am not in the Expressive camp, I thought her book and its perspectives on creativity were excellent.
The Technical School focuses on how to use the techniques of writing to achieve an end. The word 'Teleological' in Technical/Teleological title recognizes the need for having a purpose in mind. The Ancient Greeks recognized this dichotomy in the words "Telos vs Techne". Telos is the purpose or desired end state, while techne is the means by which it is achieved. In simple English one might say that it is one thing to know what you want, it is something else to know how to achieve it. Or, similarly, it is one thing to know how to do something but you still need to know what to do. We see this in a lot of creative activities. You might know how to cook but cannot develop a new recipe. Or you might have an idea for a recipe, but have no idea how to achieve it. Similarly, you may know how to use your camera, but are frustrated trying to find the perfect shot. And so on.
For most people, their desire to write is frustrated by a lack of technique. Should you use big words or small words, long sentences or short ones? Should you spell it out for the reader or leave more to their imagination? Should you write in correct English or allow an accent? Should your writing be lofty or accessible? The problem I have with the Expressive School is that when you find your voice it may be like the voice you use when you sing in the shower. It's OK when no one is around but needs a lot of work if others are going to hear or read it. This, again, is why daily practice is a good idea. You can experiment with difference techniques so that you are familiar with them when the need arises.
I would also recommend reading the works of the masters. You may have gone into an art gallery at some point and seen an aspiring painter copying someone's master piece. They do this to learn the techniques of the masters. Writing is no different. (For that matter neither is cooking, acting, photography or any other creative endeavor). By reading classics of literature, you can learn techniques that will enrich your writing. And, if you get really, really, really ambitious, you can take one of your daily essays and rewrite it in the style of Ernest Hemingway or Erskine Caldwell or (god forbid) William Falkner.
I am very much in the Technical camp although I would never dismiss the importance of the Expressive camp. The Expressive camp focuses on Telos at the expense of Techne while the Technical camp focuses on Techne at the expense of Telos. If you just want to write because it feels good, you are a good candidate for the Expressive camp. If you want to write to achieve a clear and specific purpose, then you are a good candidate for the Technical camp.
If you want to hear a little more about the importance of developing your technical chops in writing you may want to look at The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner which helped me clarify my thoughts about writing. I should also mention that I belong to both camps depending on the situation. In my private writing activity I rely heavily on the Expressive view. But, when talking about writing publicly, I rely heavily on the Technical view as it is much easier to explain and teach.
Another question one might ask is whether you prefer to be a solitary writer or if you prefer to be part of a writing group. Generally, although not always, people in the Expressive camp will prefer to be a part of a writing group. People in the Technical camp will prefer to work alone. Personally, I am solitary and prefer not to bother with the opinions of others. So, I found great inspiration in Stephen King's On Writing which I read and later listened to a recorded version of twice. I will probably read it again at some point. If you find yourself drifting in that direction, you may want to check it out. To get back to the point about writing groups, King points out in his book that he is not a fan of writing groups. Neither am I.
Before I close, I would like to use King to make another point. There is another dichotomy that writers fall into. Some writers, such as King, prefer not to plot. They prefer to put the characters into an interesting situation and let them drive the outcome. Other writers prefer to have the entire book plotted out before they begin writing. Which is the correct way? The answer is that the correct way is the one that the writer is most comfortable with. I happen to agree with King on this point. I am much more of a character driven writer.
We are almost done. The two things I just mentions are points where I strongly agree with King. There are points on which I do not agree. So, if I agree, my views are reinforced. If I disagree on certain points, I just ignore them. You should do the same with my advice. If you agree and find what I say useful, then I am happy. If you disagree, feel free to to ignore it.
No comments:
Post a Comment