Sometimes the fridge in my new domicile oozes water. This fridge is gigantic, I’m not sure how old it is, and I don’t know why it cries in the night. I’m torn between investigating it and replacing it. Both would take time and money.
When you’re faced with something that you have to deal with, whether it’s a grieving fridge, the book you’re writing, or the onset of the fall busy season…which will take us hurtling straight into winter’s holiday shenanigans…here’s a helpful question from writer Charlie Gilkey. He suggests asking yourself “What would this look like if it were easy?
“I’ll add to that: “What would this look like if it were enjoyable?”
Thought Experiments
According to Wikipedia, “a thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences.”
Its roots are in Ancient Greece, and it started in mathematics.
But never mind all that. You can do a though experiment about a writing project you’re thinking about doing or trying to finish.
Let’s say you’re writing a novel. Imagine it were easy. Ha ha! OK, that’s hilarious.
But let’s say it were. What would it look like? I mean you’d just sit down and write what you needed in a calm, focused, and interested way. There’d be no milling around making tea, gnashing your teeth, cleaning out the sock drawer.
Or maybe you’d dictate it into a voice memo recorder or your phone.Then (drumroll) pay someone to transcribe it.
WHOA.Then (double drumroll) read it over without actually minding if it’s terrible.
In fact, since we’re thought experimenting that it’s both easy and enjoyable, let’s say after that first read, you’re delighted to find that it’s it’s not too bad. Maybe it’s good and you like it.
AND what if you could see what needed to be changed? Then you’d sit down calmly, in a focused way, and go through the MS making it better.
Well, this sounds good. It sounds remarkably like the process of writing a novel the usual way, but without all the second-guessing and self-doubt.
Further investigations are needed.What do you think easy and enjoyable looks like?
Cheers,
Pat
Fame at Last! I’m part of a Substack project called “Mothers Who Make” by the brilliant Heidi Fiedler, who’s written a whole bunch of kids’ books and other creative pieces. So cool to have my childhood photo on the web!
Cottage Lust! The last Pat’s Postcard was all about artist residencies. I’m pleased to report that I submitted a residency application on time. Just one, yes! To a place called Hedgebrook, which is on the west coast. So that’s one egg in a fragile basket (it’s hard to get into Hedgebrook, and not just because of its six hand-crafted cottages designed by architect Chuck Dougherty). But now I have all the stuff written, I can look for more places to apply to.
Book Bag
Speaking of Charlie Gilkey, I’m reading START FINISHING: How to go from idea to done. [From Gilkey’s website–the book “answers why we don’t do the stuff that really matters to us? It’s easy to explain why we don’t do the stuff we don’t want to do, but what about the stuff we want to do?”]
Useful, packed with time-consuming exercises. Five thumbs up.