Letting go and not caring what happens is exactly how one gets into a flow state. You can create this state at will, with a little practice. I totally ‘channel’ my characters and have often thought of what I do as the equivalent of method-acting; I become them, or they me. I’ve been writing professionally for some time and teaching creative writing for 27 years; I distilled my knowledge in this article here, which many people are finding helpful. I hope you do too, Remy. https://open.substack.com/pub/rosbarbernews/p/the-creative-process-in-a-nutshell?r=aywda&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
When the writing flows, I feel like I'm there in the head of the character/s. I am breathing the air in their space, and feeling their stressors. I think it is what makes a good reading experience too. I don't lock myself in a room to provoke it, but I do write daily. If something clicks, I lean in and keep going. If not, I write for my alloted time block and stop. Yesterday it worked--I was off in Grambois, and wrote for six hours without looking up. BTW, Dame Judi Dench speaks about that exact same acting experience in her recent book, "Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent." If you want a light read with important Shakespearean wisdom throughout, I highly recommend it.
This is right up my street, exactly what I've been thinking about here, in my summer house in France, where I digest the year that's been, recover and repair. All I can hear from the voices that possess and guide me constantly is Let Go. It's application is universal. But to the detailed version of art, acting and writing, yes, a thousand times over, and specifically this application of method in fiction. At drama school (a brief year) we practised "going limp" as a way in to become the character, their thoughts our, our thoughts set aside, and as a writer I've experienced many times the takeover of characters. I'm fascinated by the trust it requires, and by the effect and efficacy of total immersion. The deeper I go, the more faith I have, the clearer and cleaner the work translates into the hands and minds and feelings of others. That link between character and reader, with me getting out of the way.
I wrote poetry for a bit after a bereavement that felt like pure flow - I’m not a poet but I needed a way to think and the form worked for me in that moment. That has kind of led me to a sense of creative flow being working with the desire to express something being more important than HOW it is being expressed.
Love the essay Remy! For one thing the drive to understand how it works is a major block, any desire to reproduce will keep you away. The letting go is not just the moment (I think there is even a good level of control necessary, especially in the body) but much more a letting go of expectations, of wanting a result. The place where flow happens is pre-results. I think it can be practiced but it is very hard to combine with an analytical mindset. The surrender needs to have a I-don't-give-a-fuck-about-what-happens quality. That's probably the main reason why many of the ones great at flow end up poor, homeless or dead.
I can get into flow relatively easy, but had to learn the practice of being in a very un-flowy society the hard way. I think the big secret is to be able to switch. To go in and out. Back and forth between writing mode and editing mode and never confuse the two.
This rings true, Remy. I had a writing teacher once who had us watch Charlie Sheen’s hotel room “freakout” scene from “Apocalypse Now,” which is a master class in method acting. The assignment was to do something similar with a character - put ourselves in their body and see what happens. The imagination is powerful, if only we let go and give into it. (The hard part, yes.) It’s interesting to experiment to find what works to get into that space. Meditation, exercise, music, binaural tones, microdosing. I appreciate this reminder.
I have found my "letting go" by performing at story telling events in front of a live audience (it helps if they are a drinking audience, i.e. at a bar). You find yourself in a productive relationship with an audience which can take you to dizzying heights, when you hear someone gasp in the audience at the moment of tension, or laughing at an unexpected part. You learn from an audience and also get immediate external feedback. I highly recommend live story telling as an adjunct to writing.
Letting go and not caring what happens is exactly how one gets into a flow state. You can create this state at will, with a little practice. I totally ‘channel’ my characters and have often thought of what I do as the equivalent of method-acting; I become them, or they me. I’ve been writing professionally for some time and teaching creative writing for 27 years; I distilled my knowledge in this article here, which many people are finding helpful. I hope you do too, Remy. https://open.substack.com/pub/rosbarbernews/p/the-creative-process-in-a-nutshell?r=aywda&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
When the writing flows, I feel like I'm there in the head of the character/s. I am breathing the air in their space, and feeling their stressors. I think it is what makes a good reading experience too. I don't lock myself in a room to provoke it, but I do write daily. If something clicks, I lean in and keep going. If not, I write for my alloted time block and stop. Yesterday it worked--I was off in Grambois, and wrote for six hours without looking up. BTW, Dame Judi Dench speaks about that exact same acting experience in her recent book, "Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent." If you want a light read with important Shakespearean wisdom throughout, I highly recommend it.
Thanks Marjorie.
This is right up my street, exactly what I've been thinking about here, in my summer house in France, where I digest the year that's been, recover and repair. All I can hear from the voices that possess and guide me constantly is Let Go. It's application is universal. But to the detailed version of art, acting and writing, yes, a thousand times over, and specifically this application of method in fiction. At drama school (a brief year) we practised "going limp" as a way in to become the character, their thoughts our, our thoughts set aside, and as a writer I've experienced many times the takeover of characters. I'm fascinated by the trust it requires, and by the effect and efficacy of total immersion. The deeper I go, the more faith I have, the clearer and cleaner the work translates into the hands and minds and feelings of others. That link between character and reader, with me getting out of the way.
I think I've come to experience it a few times as a writer. But I'm fascinated by these processes. Thanks for your comment!
I wrote poetry for a bit after a bereavement that felt like pure flow - I’m not a poet but I needed a way to think and the form worked for me in that moment. That has kind of led me to a sense of creative flow being working with the desire to express something being more important than HOW it is being expressed.
Love the essay Remy! For one thing the drive to understand how it works is a major block, any desire to reproduce will keep you away. The letting go is not just the moment (I think there is even a good level of control necessary, especially in the body) but much more a letting go of expectations, of wanting a result. The place where flow happens is pre-results. I think it can be practiced but it is very hard to combine with an analytical mindset. The surrender needs to have a I-don't-give-a-fuck-about-what-happens quality. That's probably the main reason why many of the ones great at flow end up poor, homeless or dead.
I can get into flow relatively easy, but had to learn the practice of being in a very un-flowy society the hard way. I think the big secret is to be able to switch. To go in and out. Back and forth between writing mode and editing mode and never confuse the two.
I think you're right, switching on and off is key. In fact when it comes to acting, that's exactly it.
This rings true, Remy. I had a writing teacher once who had us watch Charlie Sheen’s hotel room “freakout” scene from “Apocalypse Now,” which is a master class in method acting. The assignment was to do something similar with a character - put ourselves in their body and see what happens. The imagination is powerful, if only we let go and give into it. (The hard part, yes.) It’s interesting to experiment to find what works to get into that space. Meditation, exercise, music, binaural tones, microdosing. I appreciate this reminder.
Yes, it's a fascinating angle to look at things through. Thanks for you comment Julie!
Remy..where have you been??^^
I have found my "letting go" by performing at story telling events in front of a live audience (it helps if they are a drinking audience, i.e. at a bar). You find yourself in a productive relationship with an audience which can take you to dizzying heights, when you hear someone gasp in the audience at the moment of tension, or laughing at an unexpected part. You learn from an audience and also get immediate external feedback. I highly recommend live story telling as an adjunct to writing.