The Writing Process. Or, how to make OCD work for you.
Many of you know me. Some know me
well, some a bit, and some of you not at all. Some have read all of
my books, some one or two, others have not.
I was in business
in one form or another my entire adult life. I retired in 2010. For
hobbies, I started doing what I always loved and wanted to do but
never had the time. Writing, and photography.
Photography:
You've seen the photos I post almost everyday. Ad nauseam. Latin
for “to nausea”. I keep posting photos, day in and day out. I'm
sure many of you are tired of it and just scroll on by. Yet I do it,
day after day. Why?
Writing: First it was magazine
articles, then it was blogs, and now books. When I decide to write a
book, I generally don't have not much of an idea as to what it is. I
always have a vague idea, like “I think I'll write a novel about
Sasquatch”. Then I sit down and write it. And write, and
write,and write, and write, and write, and write, and write. Ad
nauseam.
Here's the problem. I can't stop.
Now
understand that we all have two brains. No, really. We have a
conscious brain that gets you through the day. But then we have an
unconscious brain. That's the one that runs in the background all
the time. You can't stop it, or even pause it. You can't remember
something and so you move on with other things. Your conscious brain
stops thinking about it. Your subconscious doesn't stop and
continues working. It comes up with the answer. Example; you can't
remember someone's name. You go on with your daily business. And
then the name suddenly pops into your head. Maybe days later.
I love to write, but there's a problem.
Once I start, I can't stop. I'm obsessed with writing. I'm
compulsive about it. Obsessive. Compulsive. Obsessive-compulsive.
OC... D. That's it. OCD.
So when I start goofing on people on
Facebook, or imparting my political wisdom, my unconscious brain is
still working on writing say, a book. I can't turn it off. Not
until I finish the book. So I might flip from FB suddenly and go
back to the book. I write and write, wondering where is this stuff
coming from? My unconscious brain.
I can write day or night.
It doesn't matter. I'll be sound asleep and my unconscious brain
wakes me up with a really great idea. The best idea. Only I can
write this. It should have been written long ago, but that's OK.
OK, I'll stop Trumping now. Hey, I just made up a word. Good one,
unconscious brain!
I have two novels on the market. Each
is about 80,000 words, which is a full length novel. Each one took
me only three weeks to write. Some people can't even read a novel in
three weeks let alone write one.
But when I'm OCD writing, I tend to
keep weird hours. I do bizarre things. I can slip into one of my
characters and post strange things on Facebook. I'm writing. That
is part of the process for me. My conscious brain is on Facebook
while my unconscious works on the book. It is all part of the
process.
OCD writing must be why so many authors have
retreats. So they don't bother those around them. Like Hemmingway.
He isolated himself in Key West. But, like Hemmingway, they may
crash and burn. They may go nutty and shoot themselves. Like
Hemmingway. To prevent that, I have to physically leave my apartment
retreat. I walk, I might watch TV (on my laptop. I don't have TV), I
might shoot pool. Anything to get away.
I'm on my eighth book, and to ease up
on the OCD writing I'll do anything. Yesterday, I walked about a
mile and a half to give one of my books to our town library. I
stopped at our post office to mail out a book. If I don't
consciously step back, I'll start OCD writing again. And when I do
that, I have a book done in three weeks. That's a problem. I rarely
sleep and when I do, it's odd hours. I might not eat, being too busy
writing to stop and eat. Not eating puts me in the hospital.,
besides losing weight like crazy. I've lost three pounds in a month
writing my current book project. I might forget things, like
appointments or doing my taxes. It's all part of writing.
It's the process.
