1
BANG THE KEYS!
4 Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice
by
Jill Dearman
Represented
by
Janet Rosen
Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc.
212.244.3353
JanetRosenBee@aol.com
2
BANG THE KEYS!
4 Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice
(approximate length: 225 pages)
Book Proposal (36 pages)
By
Jill Dearman, The BLOCKS-Busting Writing Coach
I. Overview
Big Bang theory: In astronomy, a theory according to which the universe began billions
of years ago in a single event, similar to an explosion.
"Punch the keys for God's sake!" -- Sean Connery, as a Salinger-esque reclusive writer
wildly hollers this line at a tentative young scribe.
BANG THE KEYS! 4 Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice rests on the belief that
all creations begin with a big bang like the grand one that began the universe, or the big
bang between our parents (eww…sorry) from which each of us began. All writers know
that our creations begin with an explosion of inspiration, but in order to harness that
inspiration and develop it into a finished work of any kind, whether a short story, a
memoir or a play, we need to bang the keys frequently and fervently to bring the universe
we imagine in our minds to life on the page.
But how can a writer follow through on his vision and bring his work to fruition
in the world … and then hunker down and do it again on his next project? And again after
that? In my work as a writing coach and university writing professor I have seen many
scribes throw potentially good material in a drawer because they lacked the confidence
and craft to complete it. Yet conversely, any writer can go the distance if he can build the
3
foundation of a strong writing practice, based on eternal and true principles that work
every time. My highly popular "Bang the Keys!" writing workshop is based on a practical
system I adapted from ancient mystical wisdom.
I once attended a Torah lecture in which the creative process (according to ancient
Jewish mystics) was likened to the process God used to create the universe. I have
adapted what was first communicated to me in an esoteric way, into an accessible
method, using four easy to remember steps that form the anagram, BANG!
The progression of steps in the creation of the universe, the rabbi said, was very
much like steps in the creative process. Each step was aligned with a letter in the Hebrew
alphabet. Each letter, he explained, contains deep primordial meaning: Yud, Hei, Vav,
Hei.
Yud, the spark that began the universe is now the "B" for "Begin", for the only
way to begin is simply to begin; Hei, the form the world takes, is now "A" for the
arrangement of your ideas into a concrete shape (whether novel or nonfiction book,
screenplay or sitcom script); Vav, which means "connection" is now "N" for the
nurturance needed to nourish the creation, because if you don't love your work who will?;
and the final Hei is now "G" for go, the final letting go that will allow the work to live on
in the real world.
Step 1: BEGIN with your strongest idea.
Step 2: ARRANGE your work into a concrete shape.
Step 3: NURTURE your project with love so that others can love it too.
Step 4: GO! Finish and let it go so it may live independently in the world.
4
The book will be broken up into four sections that correspond to the four steps.
Each section will focus on one of the thematic building blocks and will include many tips
and anecdotes from established writers and artists which will tie in to the section's focus
… along with writing exercises aplenty. By the end of the book, readers will have the
tools and the inspiration to show up regularly for their work, and ultimately finish the
writing projects they start … or bust their fingers trying!
The book will be useful for all kinds of writers, from newbies first beginning a
story or script, to experienced professionals who must face the blank page again. I've
worked extensively with all kinds of scribes and I am described (on the street!) as "the
BLOCKS-buster." The tone of Bang the Keys! is decidedly fun; my references veer from
high art (surrealist artists to the prose poetry of Proust) to low art (even my favorite
writer––Patricia Highsmith––wrote for Superman comics early in her career); the tone is
sometimes gently bawdy, but the basic message is nurturing and encouraging. The hook
of the book is the mantra of the title: Bang the Keys! The four steps are the tools that
writers will learn and repeat throughout their lives, and the exercises, ruminations and
rants are the tasty treats that will make this process fun and energizing.
Folks who have taken my workshop can provide sidebar quotes commenting on
what's worked for them, how they've used the tools provided to face their demons and
build their own writing practice. The easy layout of the book will also make it simple for
readers to use to create their own Bang the Keys! workshop.
II Table of Contents
5
Introduction
"Which Type of Writer are You?" (See attached Writer Magazine article by the same
name).
Some writers are blessed with ever-multiplying ideas but have a hard time completing
them. Others are strong on form and structure but short on emotional connection. How
can you work with your strengths and challenges? In my popular article of the same
name, published in the November 2007 issue of The Writer Magazine (and blogged about
across the country), I lay out four common writer archetypes: The Dictator, The
Distractionist, The Commitment-Phobe, and The Perfectionist. Which type are you?
Section 1 - The First Step: B for BEGIN with your strongest idea.
Without the initial idea, nothing can be created. This is where we will focus on the spark
of your strongest idea.
Chapters
1. "Run, Sparky, Run!" Exercises for connecting to that brilliant spark.
2. "Commitment 101 for Commitment-phobes". The moment the wedding ring is on
your finger a feeling of dread arises. Discussion and exercises to help you commit
to your idea. The key is getting obsessed and staying obsessed. From naming your
creation to treating your creation like a lover not a spouse.
3. "Goals". Here's the bitch-slapping / get your ass in chair / bang the goddamn keys
part. Setting a deadline and writing hours and dealing with one's natural resistance
to doing the work. In 1957, Flannery O'Connor wrote this advice to a young
scribe: "I'm a full-time believer in writing habits, pedestrian as it all may sound.
You may be able to do without them, but most of us only have talent and this is
6
something that simply has to be assisted all the time by physical and mental habits
or it dries up and blows away." Anecdotes from writers and artists woven in.
4. "Sponsors (or Partners-in-Crime)." Finding a writing buddy, someone who will
hold you accountable, check in on you and maybe even trade wake-up calls with
you in the morning.
5. "Cahiers". Using special notebooks you keep to help you stay connected to your
writing projects all the time. Patricia Highsmith, author of The Talented Mr.
Ripley and Strangers on a Train always kept two cahiers, or notebooks, by her
bedside. One was for a "record of emotional experience", to be used in her fiction,
the other was a notebook specifically for the project she was working on.
6. "Get A Cue". Using your environment, totems and rituals to help you begin your
writing hours with energy and end them on a high note. Actors know the show is
about to begin, and when it is over by the rise and fall of the curtain; you can
come up with your own rituals (with or without applause).
Section 2 - The Second Step - A for ARRANGE your work into a concrete shape.
This second section is all about finding the right form and shape for your writing
project.
Chapters:
7. "Actor/Writer/Singer/Waitron/But I Really Want to Direct". Exercises and rants
to help you find the right form and shape for your piece. This includes the process
of trial and error to test: "Is it a novel or a play or a screenplay, etc.?"
7
8. "Finding the Internal Structure". Every piece of writing has its own spine, its own
natural structure. These discussions and exercises help you to uncover yours as
well as help you to plod through plot.
9. "Shape-Shifting". Been hammering away for awhile now and feel like you are
too close to your subject, perhaps missing some key detail? Do you worry that
you are so immersed now you can't see the big picture of how all the elements in
your project fit together? These exercises help you to draw your story out …
literally. Practical elements of story and plot are broken down -- so you don't have
a breakdown.
10. "Cleaning House". From slacker buds who want you to bang vodka shots during
happy hour with them instead of getting your writing done, to all-consuming
freelance gigs that sap your creativity, this chapter concentrates on cutting the
dead wood from your life, so that you can focus more happily on your writing.
Volunteering for the Witness-Protection Program is definitely an option.
11. "Pay Yourself First". A motto all financial wizards understand. This chapter
emphasizes strategies to make you focus on your writing before all the other
distractions in your life.
Part 3 - Step 3: N is for NURTURE your project with love so that others can love it
too.
In Part three we'll delve into forming a true emotional connection to your work. If you
don't love your baby who else will?
Chapters:
8
12. Character exercises using questions from friends, family, writing group
members, etc. to help you discover what other people connect to in your main
character/story.
13. "Paging Dr. Freud". Discussion and uber-concrete exercises for working with
your dreams to help your writing.
14. "La Obsession". Treating your writing like a secret lover.
15. "Sex and Money". Exercises that focus on the most intimate areas of your
characters' lives.
16. "Psychological Types". Exercises using the nine psychological defense
mechanisms including depressive, compulsive and (not to make you paranoid but
…) paranoid, to help you to better connect to the inner lives of your characters.
17. "Do the Opposite". Sometimes what makes us cringe makes our readers read
on, excited, compelled. If you fear your writing is too melodramatic and you want
to go towards irony, do the opposite! Up the drama. Wish your words weren't so
precise, and want your prose to be more lyrical instead? As George Costanza
discovered on Seinfeld, sometimes it's best to go against your every insecure
instinct. Do the opposite! Go staccato, a la Mamet, or pared down like
Hemingway. See what happens. Sometimes going towards your shadow, what
you fear most, helps you to loosen your inhibitions and write what you really
want to write, and what people really want to read. Don't get so attached to your
style that you can't mix it up a little. (Hint: apply this maxim to your sex life too,
for double the fun!)
9
Part Four - Step 4: G is for GO! Finish and let it go so it can live independently in
the world.
This final section is all about seeing your project, and your process, through to the end.
It's easy to choke at the finish line, so this part will help you to rally your forces, work up
your courage and get to "THE END". And then, release your creation into the world.
Chapters:
18. "Famous Last Words". When Roger Angell, esteemed author and fiction
editor at The New Yorker came to speak to my writing class at New York
University School of Journalism he said he wasn't much of a believer in spending
a lot of time suffering over your lead; instead he thought about his last line, and
worked backwards. Author John Irving also begins with the end. As we approach
the end (but still have far to go), take a chance and create your final image.
19. "Morning Papers". Not to be confused with morning pages! Write a scathing
review of your project and a full-on rave. The process of letting both voices in
your head (the one that picks at what isn't working and the one that glows over
your brilliance), may ultimately lead you to a more balanced and precise selfreview of your work. Plus it's just plain fun. First pretend you are an evil critic
and skewer your every weakness. Then turn around and build yourself back up,
buttercup.
20. "Up the Ante". What have you not written that you are afraid to write? Focus
on what's not being said. Are you afraid of hurting your family, friends or simply
humiliating yourself? This chapter is all about taking risks.
10
21. "Finals Time". When you were in school you had to take finals, party all
night, get laid, have a breakdown, hang out with random people, and somehow
you pulled it off. Ditto: in your professional work, you somehow manage to show
up on time and meet your deadlines. On the home front, you don't space out when
you have to pick up your kid from school, or pay your bills. How can you apply
the same discipline and grace under pressure techniques to your writing process?
Use your own past experience to help you through this final leg of the race.
22. "Planning the Future". It's time to apply what you've learned to the next draft
of your project, or your new work. Mazel Tav and Bon Voyage! (And NOW you
can bang those happy hour vodka shots with your bozo buddies).
Part III: Competition/ Marketing
Bang the Keys! is the witty, modern cousin to The Artist's Way and Writing Down
the Bones. Since the blockbuster success of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, the boom
in the cottage industry of MFA in Creative Writing Programs, and the ever-growing
expansion of blogs, consumers are hungry for new ways to access the muse. Unlike
playing the piano, everyone has access to the written word.
Many successful books with different angles already exist:
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. A terrific, pioneering book but very new-agey, based
in huge part on an AA recovery model. My book weaves in more humor. I wrote two
successful astrology books for St. Martins and have studied Torah and Kabbalah. I have
the mystical background to give my book depth, but I slip these tidbits in the background
rather than focusing on the spiritual.
11
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. Another great book, but about creativity in general.
Tharp is a famous choreographer. My book is a writerly book for writers.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. A beloved classic which has had its time.
Like Cameron's book it is very crunchy-granola. My book is also chock-full of writing
exercises but is way more urbane and will appeal to a more sophisticated reader, along
with the more middle-of-the road folks.
Reading Like A Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and Those Who Want to
Write Them by Francine Prose. A surprise best-seller. However, my book is focused on
writing, while hers is on reading. Ms. Prose, whom I taught under at The New School,
has already offered up a potential blurb for my book.
Story by Robert McKee. A classic. But only for screenwriters. Bang the Keys! can be
used by every type of writer. The strong but true voice of my book has a similar writingguru vibe (see my client blurbs at the end of proposal), but with more humor.
One Continuous Mistake: Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher. A similar focus on
four truths, but her book takes a Buddhist approach only. Carnivores are welcome at my
table.
On Writing by Stephen King. Another great book by a true master, but most of it is a
memoir.
***
I am an avid marketer who has built a hugely successful business as a writing
coach and seminar leader by networking and word of mouth through my articles, classes
and website (www.jilldearman.com). I write regularly for The Writer Magazine, and
Writer's Digest is interested in publishing my articles too. I am also in the process of
12
creating a syndicated column, "Write Now!", for newspapers throughout the country. My
writing articles have been been blogged about from coast to coast and I am about to begin
a regular blog (also titled "Bang the Keys!") for a large, international blog: "The Joy of
Living Creatively."
I am connected to "urban writers colonies" in New York City such as The Writers
Room and Paragraph, and the well-known MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, as
well as with Writer's Relief, a national submission service for writers. I have curated
many a reading series in New York City and as a writing professor at New York
University and an alumnus of The New School's Creative Writing Department I have
access to the intricate web of writing school students and graduates. As a journalist I also
have connections in newspapers and magazines which I am eager to utilize to promote
this book. My website, which includes my writing coach column, "Bang the Keys!"
includes interviews with famous writers who bring gravitas (and celebrity) to the work I
do. Finally, I am in talks to teach my "Bang the Keys!" Class at New York University
and possibly at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, and plan to continue to teach
my workshops in more cities, to more people … and then expand my brand with future
writing books and workshops.
Potential blurbs may be obtained from all the folks who have been quoted on my
website (see below), along with Francine Prose, Chris Downey (screenwriter and
television writer/producer, The King of Queens; author/journalist Pete Hamill, awardwinning novelist Julia Glass, and award-winning playwright/screenwriter Craig Lucas, all
of whom I have interviewed for the "Bang the Keys!" writing advice column on my
website. I also curated New York Times bestselling author Augusten Burroughs, when his
13
book Running with Scissors was just in proposal form, and will ask him to blurb as well;
my good friends Alison Smith, author of the award-winning memoir, Name All the
Animals, Brooke Berman, playwright, Smashing (optioned for the screen by Natalie
Portman), and Cecil Castellucci (award-winning and prolific Young Adult novelist), are
also able to blurb the book; and I will happily approach my New School teacher/friends,
all of whom are well-respected authors and writing instructors, including: Susan Bell,
Susan Cheever, Phillip Lopate, Dale Peck, Helen Schulman, Robert Polito, Zia Jaffrey,
Part IV: Author Bio/Platform
Jill Dearman writes regularly about the craft of writing for The Writer Magazine
(sample article attached). Her columns have been blogged about from New York to
California. A feature about her 4 Step Writing Method will be published The Writer in
fall 2008.
Dearman's prose has been published in North Atlantic Review, Lilith, The
Portland Review, New York Stories and numerous other literary magazines. She is writing
an essay for the upcoming book of New York City essays, Towards an Old Architecture.
Other contributors include famous essayists: Phillip Lopate, Luc Sante and Thomas
Beller. Her essay, "The Rehearsal Man" has been submitted for consideration in Best
American Essays and nominated for a Puschcart Prize. As a journalist, Dearman's arts
and culture features have been published in New York Daily News, Time Out New York,
Publishers Weekly and numerous other publications. Her books, Queer Astrology for Men
and Queer Astrology for Women (both from St. Martins) were on the gay bestsellers lists
for over a year.
14
Her website includes: impressive testimonials from high-end students of
Dearman's Method (see below), many of whom are editors at major magazines, and
established authors, TV and screenwriters; and a writing advice column which includes
interviews with writers Julia Glass, Pete Hamill and Craig Lucas. Dearman's initial
popularity began in 2003, through word-of-mouth, when fellow members of The Writers
Room in New York City (an urban writers' colony) began to study with her.
ENDORSEMENTS FROM A CAVALCADE OF CLIENTS BELOW:
"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I
discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that,
for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance, and resistance coming not so
much from the cold-shouldered world of publishing or the tone-deaf ear of the reading
public, but from me. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic
Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times
Magazine, New Yorker, New York, Gourmet, Details, etc.), and finding the time to work
on the novel was always 'difficult'.
"Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took
care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only
forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push - or series of pushes - that
got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book.
"Jill's gift is not just in making you write; she's also a fantastic reader, and gives excellent
feedback. She's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few
seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. I'm in good
15
shape for my deadline, now, and Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state
that I'm sure I'll finish strong. That said, as soon as I sell the next one, I'll get back with
the divine Ms. D. I'm plenty confident now, but heck, even Tiger Woods has a coach,
right?"
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood, published by Harper Collins, November,
2007.
"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life,
place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your
Mother and your Whore."
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of the Writers Room, New York City,
Urban Writers Colony
"Jill Dearman is the shrink and rabbi every writer always wanted. The exercises she's
developed will make you question your methods, throw a few out the window, and
master new ones. And her entire process, which is both dark and hilarious, is consistently
laced with the subliminal message that discipline, although you may not know it yet, is
your best friend."
--Nanette Maxim, Senior Features Editor, Gourmet Magazine
"Jill Dearman's workshop got me writing again after a long brown-out. Her method ––
original, practical and insistent ––involves both inspiration and self-discipline. I think it
would be useful to writers at any stage, beginner to pro."
16
--Judith Pinsker, scriptwriter and six-time Emmy Winner, General Hospital
"Jill Dearman is a terrific writing coach. She understands the numerous obstacles a writer
can face, on both the story end and the personal end, and she manages to finesse them all.
Insightful, inspiring, invaluable."
--Panio Gianopoulos, Editor, Bloomsbury Books, whose writing has been published in
The Bastard on the Couch, The Encyclopedia of Exes, Nerve, Tin House, Five Chapters
and numerous other anthologies and magazines.
"Dearman is the Captain Kirk of writing teachers; she supplies all the tools to develop a
committed practice so writers can boldly go where they least want to go: the dark, weird,
and uncharted corners of the psyche."
-- Alex Porter, Maxim Magazine, MTV
"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or
Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps
into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining
and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers
into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the
end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra
Writer & Director of the award-winning Indie Film, Chutney Popcorn; director of the
big-budget feature, Cake, starring Heather Graham.
17
"I have found Jill Dearman's classes, in particular her exercises, immensely helpful in
fostering my own respect for my craft, and in creating a focus for my work and the
characters that embody it. No matter the genre, the simple act of approaching your piece
in these new and accessible ways will prove indispensable to any facing the block."
--Heather Bourbeau, journalist: Vanity Fair, Financial Times, New York Observer and
Open City poet.
"Jill Dearman is a wonderful teacher who is dedicated and enthusiastic in her work with
writers. Her ability to motivate, uncover, and focus creative energies is truly unique. I
recommend her services for any writer who wants to take the next step forward in honing
their craft."
--John McCaffrey, Author, "Words" included in the 2007 inaugural collection of Flash
Fiction published by W.W. Norton & Company.
"Jill's talents –– as a writing coach and editor, as a fiction writer and essayist, as an
astrologist and Kabbalist, to name only the obvious ones –– cannot be
compartmentalized. She is a fully integrated and fascinating human being who shines her
warm, revelatory light onto your work, a light which inevitably spills over into your dayto-day existence. For the mystical Jill Dearman, talking about how to make your writing
more effective is talking about how to make a more vital and soulful life."
--Stanley Richardson, playwright, Veritas, produced by Classic Stage Company, New
York City; graduate of the Edward Albee Playwright's Workshop.
18
"Jill makes me want to write. She makes writing possible and inviting with a subtle
blend of humor, spirit, enthusiasm, irreverence, precision of language, and a seemingly
endless bag of techniques to help my ideas weave seamlessly into prose. I particularly
enjoying reading what I have written to her and watching the ideas light up in her eyes
like a struck match."
--Dr. George Russell, Gay City News, Israeli Dance Quarterly, Juice, Less Hot Air on
Dance, Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, LGNY
"Jill Dearman is a writer's secret weapon ––BLOCKS-buster, master
strategist, incisive editor, staunch & sympathetic supporter ––Jill's
like your personal Sun Tzu! Jill coaches every stage of the process - getting a project off
the ground or beating one into submission. I've gotten more writing done over the past
year with her than I ever have before. I've rewritten a novel, crafted a nonfiction book
proposal, now with a major New York literary agent, and finished a short story and
innumerable magazine pitches. Jill Dearman rocks!"
--Lalita Khosla,
Writer, Country Living, Paper, Forbes; Producer/Director (Bravo, VH-1, PBS,
Lifetime).
"Jill Dearman's writers' workshops have helped me to create a structure for my writing
practice that is practical and doable on a daily basis so that my ideas actually make it onto
19
paper where they count. The exercises proved to be playful, mischievous, and ultimately,
enlightening."
--Barbra Long
screenwriter of the upcoming Biopic, Song of Life ,based on the relationship between
singer Norah Jones and her father Ravi Shankar
"You can have anxiety and fear about what it is to write, or you can have depression
about what it is you have written or would inevitably write; or in many cases you could
have both – for years. Jill Dearman helps writers to meaningfully accomplish their
collective goal: to write and to finish their projects. She is expert in the midwifery of
what is necessarily a long birth! Bang the Keys! works like no other writing tool."
--Robert McVey, New York City psychotherapist in private practice and author of Brides
of Hollywood, performed at The Cherry Lane Theater in New York City, starring
Gretchen Mol
"Jill Dearman's writing workshop was a treat. By the time I finished it, the act of writing
had gone from feeling like I was sitting on a bed of nails for hours to feeling like I was
laying on silk sheets, immersed in a rollicking escapade with a secret lover. Who knew
the writing process could be so sexy?"
--Sakina Jaffrey,
Screenwriter; Actress (Raising Helen, The Manchurian Candidate).
20
"Jill Dearman is an utter original: hip, smart, hilarious, and endlessly insightful. Her
workshop is a kinder, gentler boot camp, nudging you along until you find yourself
happily writing away, more productive than you've ever been, miraculously liberated
from the mental shackles that were holding you back in the first place. As someone who
has worked in publishing for years, I can honestly say, her proposed book fills a need in
the marketplace, like no other. Writers will tap into their powers of obsession (and
artistry) in ways they never dreamed of."
--Lisa Sklar, Senior Copywriter at Penguin USA
21
Part IV: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
From Section I (BEGIN)
"Goals"
Deadlines.
In Roman Polanski's classic horror film, Rosemary's Baby, John Cassavetes
circles two dates on the calendar and tells Mia Farrow, his anxious-to-conceive bride, that
he's been a real beast as of late and he promises to make it up to her… by impregnating
her on one of those dates. (He's actually planned a date with the devil for poor Rosemary,
but you can rent the fab DVD for all the delicious deets!) The point, dear writer, is to set
a date.
Newspapers work on deadlines for a reason. My friend Beth Greenfield, who
writes for The New York Times and edits the weekly magazine, Time Out New York, came
to speak to one of journalism classes at New York University; a student asked her how
she manages to get all her writing done. Without hesitation she said, "I procrastinate." I
admit I was shocked! I always looked up to Beth as a model of professionalism.
Mercifully, before they had to medevac me out of the classroom Beth added: "But that's
what deadlines are for. Let's face it, without deadlines we wouldn't write." Perhaps not
true for all, but certainly a good mantra for most.
The late Donald M. Murray, Pulitzer-prize winning Boston Globe journalist, gave
many talks on the theme "writing to deadline". He said that he'd been told that the word
22
"deadline" originated from an actual line drawn outside a prison's walls. When the
prisoners crossed that line they were shot down dead. He honored deadlines as a great
impetus to write. If he did not meet them he imagined himself, like a prisoner, facing a
firing squad, facing professional death.
Yet there is much within a deadline to make us feel alive, young, free. The
pressure is on, so we've got to perform. It never gets any easier to face a deadline, and to
face a blank (or messy, convoluted) page, but it's always stimulating and likely to
produce great surges of creativity. Murray died recently at age 82 and his obituary
included one of his ruminations on the writing process:
"Each time I sit down to write I don't know if I can do it. The flow of writing is
always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting to
write and not knowing if I can."
Whether you are a cocky kid just starting out, or a Pulitzer-prize winning pro in
your golden years, or somewhere in between, it never gets any easier. And that's the
beauty of it. Remember: If writing were predictable it wouldn't be much fun. But keep
this in mind too, gentle scribe: If you don't sit down to do it, it won't get done!
So the final step for this chapter is to set a deadline. In my writing workshops I
have found that six weeks is just enough time, but not too much, for most writers to
handle. Clearly a major work cannot be completed in that time. But a short piece can, and
a section of a larger work can too. I tend to veer towards being cautious rather than
ambitious when it comes to length. So don't be a size queen. Rather than aim for six
essays in six weeks, how about two? Instead of a whole draft of your screenplay, how
about act one? Lord knows if you meet your deadline and have time to spare you should
23
use that extra time to write more, but I'd rather set you up for success rather than failure
(I'm just sweet that way).
On a more sour and perhaps even nausea-provoking note, think of the work that
you do during this period as your "vomit draft". Scott, a student of mine from my very
first workshop came up with that moniker and everyone immediately connected to the
disgusting yet true image. Most writers write their first drafts by spewing onto the page,
without looking backwards, letting their unconscious do the work. Then they do their
shaping, refining and polishing in the revision process. Yes, some writers must make
their work perfect before moving on, and if that's your way, fine, but then I would
suggest setting a very small goal size-wise. You may want to spend six weeks on six
polished pages, or an individual scene in your short story, if that's your way.
We'll get into structure later on, but some of you may already be set on coming up
with an outline before doing any work. The effectiveness of this approach depends on
your nature, and the type of work you are doing of course. For traditional screenplays and
television scripts, which rely much more on a set formula, you may want to outline. For
fiction, or creative nonfiction you may want to follow your imagination.
The brilliant Southern writer Flannery O'Connor wrote sentence by sentence, not
knowing exactly where she was going. She famously recounted being nicely surprised
when a bible salesman simply showed up on the page while she was writing her classic
short story, "Good Country People". It was only after writing a draft that she would
access the narrative threads which she would then weave through the piece. But only by
spitting out that draft, and struggling through its initial ugliness, could she leave us with
eternally enduring tales.
24
Whatever your writing method is, one thing is for sure: some element of
accountability will help to ensure that you meet your goal. We'll get into "writing
buddies/sponsors" in another chapter, but something you can do even before connecting
with a buddy is to tell people your plan. That way instead of having bored slacker
colleagues nag you to go to lunch, your real pals will nag you with emails asking "Did
you finish your chapter yet?" Another thing that works as real motivation is making a
deal with yourself, and asking a friend to hold you accountable for following through on
the contract. A student of mine promised to write a check for $100 to the Republican
National Committee if he didn't finish a revision of his play by Halloween! No trick; no
treat, right? He just had to do the work. His trick helped him reach his goal. Finally, let's
go back to first principles, simplicity. Pick a date and mark it on your calendar in blood
… well, if you're not the Satanic Ritual type, a red magic marker will do.
Writing Hours
In chapters one and two you decided what you were going to write. The next
question is: How are you going to make yourself do it? For this next exercise, you don't
need to light a candle. You just need to light a fire under your ass. Do I sound harsh? I
don't mean to. Come here. Let's kiss and make up. But first, let's just do one more little
thing … this next particular exercise, though simple, is the most important one of all.
We're talking about the time that you carve out to actually write. The writing
hours. The building block upon which everything else depends. I am a big believer in
starting small and building up your writing practice incrementally. As an astrologer, I
liken this approach to how one should work with the planet Saturn. This particular planet
25
has a harsh reputation. Even folks who know nothing about astrology may have heard of
"the Saturn Return" (or maybe the No Doubt album "Return of Saturn" at least)? The
Saturn Return comes once every twenty-nine years. The first one, around age 29, is
usually the most significant. That is when all the many varied lovely fabulous options of
life start to dry up. After spending your 20s with all doors open, in terms of relationships,
career, money, etc., you then face 30, and see that if you don't choose, you'll lose. It's
about commiting and doing the time.
Saturn is all about how we budget our time and how we bring our goals and
dreams to fruition in the real world. Whatever it is you want to do: from learning Italian,
to paying off debt, to writing your novel, Saturn can be a very helpful (if crotchety) old
chum of a friend. How to work with this wise curmudgeon? Common sense! First, make
a decision, and hopefully share your decision with your inner circle, who will then nag
you about your progress. Next, set aside the time to make your goal a reality. If your aim
is to play guitar and you only practice an hour a week, that's how good (or lame) you will
be. The more time you put in, the more you frontload the hard work and commitment, the
sooner you will become Jimi Hendrix. And don't panic yet: you won't die at age 27,
choking on your own vomit: I can almost promise you that. Although if you read over
your own rambling first draft too soon you may want to hurl!
The great Italian writer and thinker, Italo Calvino (If On A Winter's Night A
Traveler, Invisible Cities), heavily referenced Saturn in an essay on writing called
"Quickness" (collected in the esoteric writing book Six Memos for the Next Millennium).
He understood that although Mercury symbolizes the swift thoughts that run through the
26
brain, it is Saturn, the concentrated, dedicated craftsman who brings those inspired
thoughts into a permanent form.
Just remember this, excited scribes: consistency works much better over the long
haul, rather than working at a fever pitch, merely to prove that you can. Approaching
your writing in a manic way is a lot like going to the gym for the first time and picking up
a 400-pound barbell. You may be able to do it. And the victory, for one second, will be
sweet … until you are in the hospital moaning and groaning and swearing to never work
out again. So before you end up in traction, eating Bon Bons (is that physically possible?
someone fact check, please), I need you to commit to a series of writing hours.
Flannery O'Connor wrote this in a letter to a young writer friend, back in 1957:
"I'm a full-time believer in writing habits, pedestrian as it all may sound. You may
be able to do without them, but most of us only have talent and this is something that
simply has to be assisted all the time by physical and mental habits or it dries up and
blows away. I see it happen all the time. Of course you have to make your habits conform
to what you can do. I write only about two hours every day because that's all the energy I
have, but I don't let anything interfere with those two hours, at the same time and the
same place. This doesn't mean I produce much out of the two hours. Sometimes I work
for months and I have to throw everything away, but I don't think any of that was time
wasted. Something goes on that makes it easier when it does come well. And the fact that
you sit there every day, the day it would come well, you won't be sitting there." (from
The Habit of Being, letters from Flannery O'Connor).
O'Connor said it half a century ago, and all committed writers say the same thing,
you'll find. O'Connor who died at age 39, fought lupus and other physical problems
27
throughout her life, so she literally did not have the energy to write for more than two
hours at a time. But that schedule worked out pretty well for her, wouldn't you agree? In
this same letter she goes on to advise her young writer friend to approach her writing
hours when her mind and body are fresh, for instance, not after a day of teaching.
You need to choose times that will be the most productive for you. Figuring out
those times is a process, but you have to start somewhere. You can always adjust your
hours later.
That's the long of it, and here's the short:
• Choose either two 3-hour blocks or three 2-hour blocks that you will commit to
as your "Writing Hours" over the next six weeks. During those hours you cannot answer
the phone, go online, do the dishes or do time-filling "research."
• Specify where you will do your hours and with what tool. Example: In the
library, on your laptop. (Sounds like the boardgame Clue, doesn't it? Fine. The fact is you
can do it on your fire escape with your mother's lipstick just so long as you do it)!
• Write down your hours in your notebook and on your calendar.
Keep in mind, the point here is commitment. Flexibility is fine. If you have to
skip your Tuesday from 8-10pm slot one evening, because of theater tickets bought
months ago, or some other lame excuse (yeah, yeah… I know, I know) that's fine. Just
make sure you make up those hours to yourself before week's end. Too much wiggleroom demeans the schedule, and gets the boss lady's Irish up. Don't make me violent.
And I guarantee you, once you make this commitment all sorts of strange and
confusing distractions will line up to get in the way of you and your writing hours. A few
28
months before starting my first writing workshop, I read a profile in the New York Times
of surrealist painter and writer, Leonora Carrington. The journalist who journeyed to
Mexico to interview the great artist, then 85, encountered many mischievous misfortunes
on this assignment and noted: "The Hasidim believe that when you are embarking on a
spiritual quest, which in a way I am, the forces of impurity do their best to interfere."
When I was about to begin an advanced version of my writing workshop, I bought
a painting from an abstract expressionist painter whose work I passionately connected to.
The artist, Iris Lezak, (the former partner of Jackson Mac Low, the esteemed poet and
part of the John Cage school of "chance art" of the 1960s) impressed me with her work,
and with her working habits. This tiny, dynamic woman, who was pushing 80, got up at 5
a.m. to paint … for decades … and still follows this stoic routine.
I asked her if she had any helpful thoughts for my workshop participants in
regards to developing an artistic practice. I wanted to know: How does she stay so
disciplined? How does she "show up" for her practice even when she's not in the mood?
This was her reply:
"Consciousness is work, so I'm always working. Even when I'm sleeping my
unconscious is working to give me dreams that illuminate my awake time. I'm always
either coming down from finishing a painting or preparing to start again. Even when I'm
not actually doing something, there seems to be a constant undercurrent of speculation
about what to do next. Discipline and mood are not words that enter into my thinking
about my process. Desperation does, and that has often been some physiological and
psychological impasse that I can clear up only by painting. Take the pain out of painting
and I'd be out of a job. Recently, and this possibly has to do with the mellowing of age, I
29
rarely have to work from that kind of motivation. Now its more restlessness: nothing is
happening, and nothing is going to happen unless I make it happen, so I do."
Soonafter I received complementary words of wisdom from my friend Chitra who
works high up in marketing, in the publishing world. I told her that I was quitting a tired
freelance writing gig which I had held onto for too long. This gig was something I could
do easily but which no longer had meaning in my life, and which took away from the
writing and teaching that mattered most to me. Simply put: I was whoring myself out!
My wise old friend validated my decision to quit, and told me, that in her profession they
had an expression for this:
FOCUS ON YOUR CORE BUSINESS.
GET RID OF THE DISTRACTIONS.
Begin to take note of the distractions that exist in your life. When you can identify
them, you can eventually extract yourself from their hold on you and then you can truly
begin your project, and your writing practice.
ANOTHER SAMPLE CHAPTER
From Section Three (NURTURE)
"Psychological Types"
30
Several years ago, while working part-time as a counselor at the AIDS Hotline in
New York City, my friend Jim asked me to a favor for him. He was studying for his
Psy.D degree (in psychological research) and needed volunteers to submit to a five-hour
personality test, rorschachs and all. "After I've studied your responses," Jim said, with a
mischievous look. "I'll diagnose you!" That was all I needed to hear. I agreed to be a
guinea pig, all in the hopes of finding out what type of sicko I really was (sorry…am)!
One Saturday afternoon he came to my apartment armed with several folders filled with
questionnaires, and a big blank yellow legal pad upon which he noted my responses. By
the time it was over, I was haunted by spiders doing push-ups, impressed by my own
short-term memory and disturbed by my lack of spatial skill.
Several months later he'd completed his project and set up a meeting with me to
discuss the results and give me my diagnosis. Over cappuccino he sugar-coated the
findings. "The point of the study was to determine your defense mechanisms …and by
nature, there are no 'good defense mechanisms'. They all sound rather negative."
I'll save his actual findings till the end; by then you'll already have diagnosed all
your characters, along with yourself, your family and friends.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TYPES EXERCISE
Preparation: Below you will find paragraph descriptions of the nine psychological types.
Take a sheet of paper and rip it up into nine pieces. On each piece write down the
numbers one through nine. Toss them into a hat.
31
As always, light a candle, close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes, then
begin. When you begin writing do not stop until time is up; let your unconscious lead you
and just keep your pen moving on the page.
Part I
Pick a number from the hat and read about the corresponding "type". After reading it, ask
yourself which of your characters seems most like this "type". Pretend you are a detective
trying to clue into your characters hidden motivations (I pray you've watched enough
Law & Order, CSI, etc. to really inhabit this role). Write an analysis of your character
now that you know his underlying defense mechanism.
Part II
When you are done, pick another number from the hat. Now pretend that another
character, someone who reminds you of this other type, has run into your first character
on a train. Take another five minutes to write down a scene between these two characters.
Part III
Pick a third number from the hat and think of a corresponding character from your piece.
What would happen if this person entered the scene? Play out the triangular dynamic and
see where it takes you.
Part IV
32
Write down some concise notes describing what you learned from the above experiment.
How can you apply it to your project, next time you sit down to write? (And heck, since
you're sitting down already, why not write a little bit more right now? You can handle
half an hour can't you? Add this time to your writing hours and then reward yourself with
a cup of joe, a shot of whiskey or an extra session with your shrink. After this exercise
you'll need it!
Below are the nine types. Bear in mind that these are all different types of internal
defense mechanisms. What is fascinating about them is that they may not be obvious,
people may not wear their defenses on their sleeves. We all dip in and out of many of
these defenses all the time. Depending on a situation we all behave in a depressed or
narcissistic way. The "types" refer to the primary defense mechanism that each person
uses as a default response, regardless of external circumstances. Also, there are many
degrees to each defense from functional to neurotic to psychotic! Someone could have a
slightly compulsive drive which he can integrate into a normal day-to-day life or be
compulsive in an extreme way, veering into severe mental illness. For most of us these
defenses are subtle, almost invisible to the casual observer. Here they are …
1. Schizoid Personality Defense:
The schizoid type is prone to fantasy, withdrawal, hypersensitivity and receptivity and
fears engulfment more than anything else. The schizoid needs to hide within his own
head, but sometimes finds it very lonely there, so he pulls others into close cocoon like
relationship, shutting out the scary real world. He experiences a constant push-pull cycle
33
between wanting intense closeness and feeling an intense need for space. When pushed
against the wall, his need for complete autonomy and space trumps his need for
closeness, but generally his life is all about the struggle between the two extremes.
2. Paranoid Personality Defense:
The Paranoid is driven by a deep fear of being humiliated. She is always expecting this
humiliation to come, and unconsciously seeks out confirmation of her paranoid fantasies.
She tends to induce the reaction she fears most. Paranoids need a lot of eye contact and
reassurance that the listener agrees with her extreme view of herself and the world. This
type is often plagued by shame and guilt over the overaggressive, powerful part of her
nature. She may project this aggressiveness onto others whom she fears being persecuted
by.
3. Narcissistic Personality Defense.
There are two types of narcissists. Empty narcissists feel an extreme emptiness, vague
sense of being false, inferior, incomplete, accompanied usually by shame and envy;
Grandiose narcissists experience a compensatory self-importance, vanity, superiority.
Narcissists view others as extension of themselves not as separate human beings. Empty
narcissists need others to fill them up. Grandiose narcissists need others to mirror them
and provide constant re-enforcement.
4. Hysterical (Histrionic) Personality Defense.
34
Hysterics tend to exaggerate intense feelings in a theatrical way in an attempt to protect
against being humiliated for having those feelings. They are likely to make a big,
inappropriate show of mocking themselves, rather than wait for someone else to mock
them. They fear the mercurial nature of powerful people in their lives who may
sometimes be kind, sometimes cruel.
5. Psychopathic Personality Defense.
The psychopathic (also known as sociopathic) personality possesses a primitive envy: the
desire to destroy that which he desires most. He lacks emotional experience with love or
empathy and is driven by the desire to exert power over others, but often expresses this
drive in subtle, masked ways. The psychopath is very seductive and capable of reading
others and telling them what they want to hear … but then turning on a dime and
becoming extremely cold and cruel.
6. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Defense.
This type exerts a rigid need for control and a strong desire to keep more animalistic
feelings at bay by acting as an upright citizen. The obsessive-compulsive is defined by
the belief that controlling one's thoughts and behavior can control outcomes in a chaotic
world. She tends to be very self-critical of her own "immoral" or sadistic thoughts. These
types are often heavily prone to intellectualization and emotionally going "blank".
7. Depressive and Manic Personality Defense.
35
These types are driven by a belief in their inner badness. Their losses and rejections are
attributed to some inner lack or having "driven people away." They are extremely selfcritical and sometimes driven to help others in order to feel worthy and good.
8. Masochistic (Self-Defeating) Personality Defense.
Like depressives, they believe they are supposed to be punished because they are bad.
However, this type also derives some pleasure from the moral superiority they feel over
their victimizers because they (the masochists) do not give in to the urge to express
aggression.
9. Disassociative Personality Defense. (Multiple Personality)
In these types, the personality is fractured into multiple selves, each one serving a
different function. They are usually the victims of real trauma and have mastered the
ability to "shut off" a feeling or a side of themselves that is too threatening to experience;
while in a disassociative state they take on the personality of one of their "alters"
(alternate personalities).
Well, that was informative. Hopefully you learned something about your
characters and gained the ability to obnoxiously (mis)diagnose everyone in your inner
circle. Now my big reveal; although I wish I could be a Hannibal Lector-like psychopath,
I was merely diagnosed as schizoid. "Many creative people are schizoid," Jim reassured
me. "Henry James was a famous schizoid." This did assuage my ego for the moment.
36
Then Jim revealed that he had to take the test too, and also came out schizoid. Insanity,
loves company. We ordered some food then immediately needed some space from each
other.
In truth, Jim referred me to the book, Psychological Diagnosis by Dr. Nancy
McWilliams, upon which the findings were based. It was a riveting read, and I found
myself recognizing my family members, lover, friends, etc. I read the schizoid section
and never felt more understood in my life! If you want to truly understand your
characters, their motivations, fears and defenses keep playing this little game. Best case
scenario: you will create a richer, deeper, more nuanced character-based work of art.
Worst case: off to the loony bin! (But hey, that's where your mega-hit memoir may begin
…) Whatever you do, you can be sure that by engaging more deeply with your
characters, you will nurture your relationship to them, ensuring that your readers will
connect deeply as well.