A QUICK ZEN GUIDE TO THE PAIN OF WRITING
Here at Filmarket Hub, we talk a lot about reading and writing. This is probably the most repeated piece of advice given to writers everywhere.
Read and write. Read and write. Read and write. Read and write.
Today I want to talk to you about something related but not quite the same. You see, this advice has always sounded slightly condescending to me. I know I have to read and write, that has not been the problem. The problem is the pain.
The pain of writing.
Taking something from the world of ideas and downloading it into our reality is, a lot of times, a slow and imperfect process. The unholy amount of hours we have to spend thinking about a story, writing it down, realizing that not everything you thought was going to work works, doubting your story, doubting yourself, contemplating giving it up, and finally finishing, is the regular process for a lot of folks.
Have you ever felt this way?
Well, you might feel a little bit better realizing that you are not alone. Only a quick google search of “writing + pain” will give you enough content to procrastinate all day.
But where is this pain coming from? Is not coming literally from writing, is it? If your fingers hurt while typing, please stop. Have them looked at by a professional. The pain we are talking about here is a philosophical one. A strange form of heartache.
Which professional can take care of a philosophical pain? I believe psychologist Robert Moore, writer Ray Bradbury, and philosopher/emperor Marcus Aurelius might have the medicine we so desperately need.
Robert Moore writes a lot about the male psyche, his book “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine” was a smash success when it first came out in the 90’s. Moore says that anyone who embarks on a challenging creative process must embody, or be embodied, by the Warrior archetype.
The Warrior archetype is charged with vigorous energy, purpose, discipline, and (most importantly to me) is emotionally detached. You all recognize these are “advantages” that could come handy while writing.
How can you embody the Warrior? Slow down, kiddo. First off, you have to update the operating system you’ve been running on, a.k.a. The Hero archetype.
The Hero archetype is the immature version of the Warrior. Difference between Hero and Warrior? Dr. Moore says that the Hero acts primarily for glory, for himself.
The Hero archetype might fight for some ideals but is ultimately self-serving, the Warrior knows he works for something bigger than himself.
So if the Hero archetype is embodying us, we’re in a way linking the task at hand (writing in our case) with our self-worth. We’re glory seeking. The grandiosity of one’s ego might be the one hurting while writing, not oneself.
How can we embody the Warrior archetype while writing? Try detaching yourself from your work. Work is work; you are you.
Ray Bradbury has similar thoughts in his book “Zen in The Art of Writing.”
Let’s analyze two quotes, both on writing.
First:
“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”
Bradbury is arguing for the disassociation of oneself with the writing. With the work. He is saying ‘get yourself out of the way and just do what needs to be done.’
Very “zen” indeed.
Doesn’t it remind you of Yoda? It does to me.
Why is there this link between thinking and tripping over oneself? A lot of athletes and artists say similar things. They are not thinking while doing their best work.
They are in a state of “flow”. Their mind and body are working in complete unison. No “me” disturbance to trip over.
Let’s take a look at another quote:
“The writer who wants to tap the larger truth in himself must reject the temptations of Joyce or Camus or Tennessee Williams, as exhibited in the literary reviews. He must forget the money waiting for him in mass-circulation. (…)”
He’s saying: Let go of your ego and grandiosity if you want to write truthfully.
Big dreams, greeds, hopes, and desires weight us down. They have nothing to do with the work itself. For Ray Bradbury, they get in the way of truth. Being such a prolific writer himself is easy to understand why his approach worked, his ego stayed intact before and after writing. A true warrior, truly emotionally detached.
Are we making progress here? I think we are. We have identified the source of the problem. The pain comes with the ego. The future hangs above us, we fear it. Writing that perfect story will make you immortal and revered, just like Joyce or Camus or Tennessee Williams (or Ray Bradbury).
Ego, the future, and fear are the perfect combination for the rise of anxiety within you. That creates indecision, self-doubt which turns into our subject of study today: Pain.
How can we face the future without fear? Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, has some thoughts on the matter.
In his sleepless nights, the Roman emperor took time to write down his thoughts. A sort of ‘how to live guide’ directed solely at himself. After his death, the writings were found, and they were turned into a book called “Meditations.”
In these writings, he ponders the question of death and how to live life knowing that it will inevitably come to an end. He concludes that one can only focus on the present, the now, which is the only thing we have some power over.
The outcome of your work (your writing) is out of your control; you can only focus on doing it the best you can, without pretense or arrogance. The outcome of the work is out of your hands. Revered author or forgotten wordsmith, it doesn’t matter because is out of your mind, which is the only thing you can always control.
What have we learned from these great minds today? Maybe that we should stop worrying and just write the damn thing, and try to enjoy it if we can. The rest is for the gods to worry about.
I leave you with the words of Marcus Aurelius.
“If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgment of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.”
Go forth warriors! Let us work (write) truthfully and in peace!
