There are times to plan writing. There are times to stop and think about what you’re writing. There are times to write.
When you stop to think about it too long then you get in your own way. Trust in the process.
I came to know the author Liz Byrski after I’d graduated university. My post-grad supervisor’s office was next to hers, and she would often come into the café I worked. One day we were talking about the book she’d just had published – I forget the title. The book followed four women and, while writing it, Liz wondered if it should be better to just focus on three women. There was one character who didn’t seem to belong. She didn’t do much. Liz trusted her original creative decision to have four women and thought she could fix it in the rewrite if it was still an issue.
Later in the draft she needed a character to underpin a key plot point. The fourth character’s purpose was revealed.
When making Twin Peaks, David Lynch was fascinated by the muscular physique of one of the crew members. Lynch put him in a scene but without knowing why. Through Lynch’s meditation practice, he had learnt to give into the creative process. It would often call him with strange requests – which doesn’t really come as a surprise.
Later, while shooting, Lynch thought he had a shot done but the cinematographer told him that the same crew member had been caught in a mirror reflection. It’s the climax of the first episode. Now the decision to film the crew member made sense.
Brian Eno famously said, “honour thy mistake as a hidden intention.” Trusting the process brought together some accidents that weren’t consciously put in place.
Learning to trust the process also means you can focus more on writing when you need to write. Stopping to question each point means you’re not writing. You’re doubting. You’re blocking yourself. Tapping into that flow means you can push through the obstacles to just write.