MD
Because I'm sure I'm not the only aspiring writer or musician out there:
My favorite musician is Keith Jarrett, a classically trained jazz
pianist with unparalleled knowledge, skill, and dexterity. He's got CDs
of classics, of other peoples songs, and of original compositions that
are mighty fine, but what makes him the king of the hill are his solo
piano concerts. He meditates for an hour before each concert to clear
his mind of everything he's ever played. He steps onto the stage, sits,
and literally one second before his fingers hit the keys, he has
absolutely no idea what he's going to play. It's the purest form of
improvisation imaginable. They recorded a tour he did in Japan. When
they listened to the tapes to figure out which night to use, they found
that he didn't repeat himself once, so they released the ENTIRE TOUR as
one 10 record set.
When I sit down to type, I'm Keith Jarrett. I have no idea what I'm
going to say before my fingers hit the keyboard. That's how I write a
script. That's how I'm writing this letter. I have no idea where it's
going. Right now, all I'm working on is this very sentence, and I'm not
going to put a period on it until it's the very best that this sentence
can be. Only when I'm done do I sit back, look it over, and see if it
works. That's when my knowledge comes into play. I see what structure I
have inadvertently created, compare it to other structures, and go back
to add some filigree here, shore up some support beams there. It's okay
to use your brain while editing and re-writing, but when you're doing
the actual work, creating words that have never existed before in this
particular order, it's way too easy to over-intellectualize. That's what
causes writer's block, thinking about it too much.
Musicians pick up musical instruments to play songs, but sometimes they
also pick up an instrument just to play the instrument, to see what it
sounds like. If you're a wordsmith, then use words to express something
from your heart. Fill pages and pages. THEN go back and look at what
you've done. See how it fits some ancient paradigm, secure in the
knowledge that all creativity comes from the same place. Make up your
own rules. Discover the freedom of doing whatever the hell you want.
Nobody's going to grade you on anything other than how much they like
what you have done. If you like it yourself, that's the only start.
http://www.wga.org/mentors/BestMentor.html
Diana
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