Why Can't I Write? (Stop being afraid and start using your hands)
“If you wait for inspiration, you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” Dan Poynter
Bob Dylan was once asked where his songs came from. “No idea,” he replied, adding that he rarely looked. Mozart told Antonio Salieri the same thing. Symphonies formed as easily to Mozart as “a horse pissing on cobblestones.” He didn’t know whether to give credit to the horses, or the freedom they enjoyed urinating anywhere they liked.
Salieri was so jealous he killed Mozart. I’ve been jealous of Dylan for over fifty years. I’m sure thousands of writers and musicians feel the same way. You’d think at least one of us would snap.
When The Band was working on “Music From Big Pink,” they rehearsed in the basement of their pink house near Bethel, New York. Dylan was busy writing upstairs. Robbie Robertson sometimes sat with Dylan. He observed that Dylan wrote in a continuous flow, allowing the words to take shape on their own.
Most of us worry more about being a hack than we do about writing.
“I realized Bob was never saying to himself, ‘What should I write?’” Robertson said. “Everything seemed organic with him. I started trying to do the same thing. Just let the words and notes come at their own pace.”
So much of what stops our inspiration is us. We keep thinking our brains have a creative on/off switch. We say things like “I’m gonna write something really good today,” or “I’d better be brilliant now or I’m a hack.” Most of us worry more about being a hack than we do about writing.
When an interviewer pressed Dylan on where his inspiration came from, Dylan said, “It could come from God. I’m not all that spiritual, but it must come from somewhere. Maybe you should ask him.”
Neil Young once told Dylan that he couldn’t keep “Like a Rolling Stone.” As Young put it, “The song’s not yours anymore, Bob. It’s too good. You can’t own something that good.”
Even Michealangelo wondered where his inspiration came from. Sometimes he felt “outside himself,” like his hands were doing another’s bidding.
That same interviewer asked Dylan if he could write anything better. “Probably not,” Dylan said. “To be honest, I’m not even sure I wrote it. If you told me someone else did, I’d believe you.”
At least we know it wasn’t Neil Young.
Even Michealangelo wondered where his inspiration came from. Sometimes he felt “outside himself,” like his hands were doing another’s bidding. He tried explaining that to Pope Julius II. He was beaten with a stick. Popes weren’t big on crazy talk. Julius just wanted his Sistine Chapel painted.
Guitarist, Robert Johnson, could never explain his unusual and innate talent. Like Dylan, Johnson “allowed” the song to come to him. He “opened up,” making an entrance rather than forcing his creativity. People said he sold his soul to the devil at the “crossroads.” The devil gets credit for a lot of stuff.
In boxing, there’s a term calling “letting your hands go.” It means, don’t be tentative, don’t pause. Let your reflexes decide.” Famous fighters like Muhammad Ali did just that. When he fought George Foreman in Zaire, Foreman relied on strength, Ali relied on reflexes. Ali regained his title, Foreman named all his sons “George” and sold grills.
Watch any great boxer and you’ll see what I’m talking about. In the early rounds, they’re getting to know their opponent. It’s all information, the reach, how the feet move, whether they lean to the left or the right.
By the third round, though, you can hear the trainers telling them to let the hands go. It’s like the gates opening in a horse race. There’s a rhythm that takes over, a sudden release. Every great boxer knew when to let their hands go. Those who didn’t end up naming their sons “George” and sold grills.
When Hemingway said, “You learn to write by writing,” he meant we’re no different than boxers. The time spent in the gym, developing endurance, skill, rhythm and speed are just the fundamentals. From there, we have to stop thinking mechanically and start thinking spiritually.
Writers aren’t necessarily fearless. Even Bukowski was scared. He claimed that was the reason he drank.
Jimmy Page was accused of being a spiritualist. He even bought famous occultist, Aleister Crowley’s house. Page had Crowley’s “Do what thou wilt” inscribed in the run-off groove of Led Zeppelin IV. John Bonham might have taken that quote a bit too far. He smashed up a lot of hotel rooms. So did Page, for that matter. “Do what thou wilt” was hell on hotel rooms.
Whenever we read something we like, we think it’s the thought. It’s really the rhythm, the sense of fearlessness. Writers aren’t necessarily fearless. Even Bukowski was scared. He claimed that was the reason he drank. Hemingway drank a lot, too. They still knew how to at least sound fearless.
Fear isn’t something you overcome or ignore. “Soldiers who don’t know fear are usually dead,” Eisenhower once said. Great artists — like great boxers — realize fear is something you use. Otherwise you walk around shaking a lot.
Dylan is a great example of how artists use fear. Remember when he did his first electric set at the Newport Folk Festival? He risked losing all of his folk audience. Yet he did it because it was part of the exploration. He wanted to know if his words and music would translate into electric form.
When some folkies screamed at him to get off the stage, Dylan replied “I don’t believe you.” You can hear Robertson in the background, saying, “Shut up, Bob.” Those folkies were getting ugly. Pete Seger even pulled Dylan’s plug. Dylan ended with an acoustic set since Seger was being an asshole.
Which brings us back to the original question: “Why Can’t I Write?” All too often it’s because we’re not “channeling” fear. Worrying about what you write isn’t the issue. Neither is “Should I write in first or third person?” You’re paralyzing yourself. More importantly, you’re paralyzing inspiration.
Good writers are good because they’ve solved so many problems over the years.
When I say that inspiration is something you “allow,” it’s no different than a boxer letting his hands go. You move from a mechanical process to a reflexive one. Writers who don’t trust their reflexes sound mechanical and forced. They become Dan Rather.
William Zinsser said that every piece of writing is a “problem waiting to be solved.” Good writers are good because they’ve solved so many problems over the years. Along the way, sentence structure and character development stopped being planned. Reflexes and faith took over.
Can you learn this from courses or books? To some degree, perhaps. Reading Stanislavski’s “An Actor Prepares” or “Developing a Character” is probably the best place to start. Same with William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well.”
But, again, it’s like boxing. Boxers watch films. They study their opponent’s every move. Knowing your combinations, like knowing your words, is where you begin to find what to write and how to write.
The rest is letting your hands go.
Robert Cormack is a freelance copywriter, novelist and blogger. His first novel “You Can Lead a Horse to Water (But You Can’t Make It Scuba Dive)” is available online and at most major bookstores. Check out Yucca Publishing or Skyhorse Press for more details.
""
Articles from Robert Cormack
View blogA short story about winning, losing and small engine repair. · “A man is not finished when he’s defe ...
Fuck. · “I thought about reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never r ...
When you start dispersing crowds with James Blunt songs, it makes you wonder if the world is funny o ...
Related professionals
You may be interested in these jobs
-
Chef de Boutique
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 9 hours ago
L Brands Saguenay, CanadaÀ Bath & Body Works, tout le monde a sa place. Nous sommes déterminés à créer une culture diversifiée, équitable et inclusive, axée sur l'offre de fragrances et d'expériences exceptionnelles pour nos clients. Nous mettons l'accent sur le recrutement, le maintien en poste et la pr ...
-
long haul truck driver
Found in: Talent CA 2 C2 - 6 days ago
Triple Eight Transport Inc. Abbotsford, CanadaEducation: No degree, certificate or diploma · Experience: Experience an asset · Tasks · Load and unload goods · Oversee condition of vehicle and inspect tires, lights, brakes, cold storage and other equipment · Perform pre-trip, en route and post-trip inspection and oversee all ...
-
Warehouseperson
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 9 hours ago
Brandt Happy Valley-Goose Bay, CanadaBrandt is currently seeking a Warehouseperson for our Goose Bay Construction & Forestry location. This position is responsible for inventory control in a warehouse environment. · Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: · Work with all parts department and cu ...
Comments
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #12
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #11
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #10
"I'll with you when the deal goes down..."
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #9
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #8
Jim Murray
6 years ago #7
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #6
Joyce 🐝 Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #5
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #4
Knockouts ain't easy, Pascal Derrien
Robert Cormack
6 years ago #3
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #2
don kerr
6 years ago #1