I’m sitting in what feels like the dark (my office / flexspace, which is in fact a large closet), still riding a bit of a high from the International 3-Day Novel contest (3DN for short), which ran over the Labour Day weekend.
Everyone I know who’s tried the 3DN either does it once and goes, “not for me,” or becomes sort of addicted. Let’s say they become an “enthusiast.”
It’s physically taxing, an emotional rollercoaster, and an exercise in how to let your subconscious take the wheel.
The point of letting that happen is…If you write, and if you ever struggle with a writing project, there can by myriad reasons.
These might include:
- you don’t know what to write next
- you’re not sure who’d want to read it* you have trouble making decisions in general
- you’re second-guessing decisions already made–decisions made once, or more than once
- you can’t seem to find the time or the bandwidth to sit down and write
- you found a book that covers the same territory, but better
- you need to do a whole bunch of research and make sure every fact is verified before you can write the next bit
- you keep going back up to polish the prose because it’s less fraught than writing new material
- when you imagine the next step, like getting feedback or submitting your work or publishing it yourself, you balk at taking it and would rather just stick to the ‘I’m still writing’ part of the process!!!
Oh boy, the list really is endless. I’m just touching on the ‘top of mind’ stuff.
In fact as I write this on the app 750words.com, I keep going up to tweak a word, clarify a thought, and suchlike.
That kind of tweaking is pretty normal when writing.
But I don’t do it when I’m writing a 3-day novel, because there really isn’t time.
I don’t know which way the story’s going to go, I don’t know what belongs and what doesn’t belong, but somehow it works out because I’m not at the wheel.
Well I am, but it’s it’s a part of me that isn’t at the wheel for most of the rest of my life, except when I am sleeping.
IT’S MY SUBCONSCIOUS!
Yes, I’m shouting. Because it’s an epiphany every year!
***
The first time I wrote the 3DN I couldn’t explain why I enjoyed the experience so much.
Every time I take part in that weekend, I get closer to being able to articulate it.
Today, I’m sitting here sparkling with epiphanic dew.
IT’S MY SUBCONSCIOUS, AND IT’S GOT IT GOING ON!!!
I’m actually wheezing with laughter right now. I’m on a group writing session with the London Writers’ Salon. (One of a few excellent ways to boost your writing habit, as described in this blog post.) If anyone on this silent zoom call glances up at their screen and happens to see me, they’d think I’m a bit weird.
Because I am.
My subconscious, bless its soul, is the smartest, funniest, deepest, most interesting part of me.
Nobody in my life will ever know how much fun it is.
The joie de vivre is intense right now, and I think I know why.
It’s not because I wrote a novella in 3 days. That’s the least of it, really, though it’s also the goal, so that’s a bit of a dichotomy to toss around.
It’s because I spent a LOT of time with my subconscious while I was awake over that long weekend.
I trusted it, because I had to.
And it came through, like it always does when I let it.
***
The New Goal of My Writing Life is to Let My Subconscious Regularly Take Control
My goal now is to let the ole subconscious take the wheel REGULARLY.
To get to the point where most of my writing is done subconsciously. Or maybe unconsciously.
I’m aware that the 3DN experience sounds like entering a ‘flow’ state.
Well, I’m not sure about that.I’m going to investigate.
I think there’s more than flow going on, but to know if that’s true, I need to find out more about flow AND continue my experimentation with handing the subconscious my car keys.
So now I’m curious about you, dear subscriber: What’s your experience with the flow state? Do you write well regardless of the situation?
Or do certain conditions seem to help?
Cheers,
Pat
Speaking of the 3-Day Novel, here’s a lovely post entitled Exhausted, but in a good way, by writer Tove the Black on her latest experience with the contest.
Show Me the Money!
Over on Gifted Underachievers, the podcast for creatives with delusional ambitions, we are beginning an experiment on getting grants for creative projects. I sent my first application in on Sep. 1 (during the 3DN contest!) and it was a huge departure from previous attempts to support my writing habit. For details on the experimental design, have a listen (26 minutes).
Laugh? I thought I’d die!I’m ordering podcast merchandise like someone just handed me a million dollars. Drink coasters, stickers, and now bookmarks. I can’t get enough of these cool little items!
Here’s a link to my embarrassing story about laying down coasters at a couple of recent events.
Book Bag
Steppenwolf
by Hermann Hesse
Picador, 2002
I was trying to get the latest translation of this novel, but here I am with the 2002 version and loving it. So far my impression is that it’s really not about what happens, but rather about the characters’ interiority, which is melancholy and weirdly riveting.