N is for Naked Writing
“In writing, when you are truly on,
there’s no writer, no paper, no pen, no thoughts. Only writing does writing
–everything else is gone.” –Natalie Goldberg
No, I’m not talking about writing in
the nude. But if you want to, I’m not stopping you. Just don’t tell me about
it! :P
What I’m talking about is letting down
all of your walls, forgetting rules, and writing from your heart, your soul.
That is naked writing, because nothing is holding you back or restricting your
ideas, thoughts or creativity process.
How can you write like this?
Well, there isn’t a real solution.
Some people can sit at their computer, mentally strip everything away, and
write from their core. Others may need a little help getting into this zone.
You could try these techniques:
·
Meditate
for 30 minutes before you begin writing. (Even ten minutes of quite time can
help.)
·
Turn
on moving music. This could be classical music or songs with lyrics that fill
you with emotion, like Only Time by Enya.
·
Don’t
edit while you write. This is something I do, but this can stop the flow
of words and hinder your creativity process. Just keep writing! Don’t worry
about it being perfect.
·
Write
whatever comes to your mind. Don’t filter your words. You can cut out all the
crap later, but you may be surprised at the gems you’ll find in your
unrestricted writing.
·
Pretend
you are writing in a journal. This technique can help you to write freely and
not hold back.
·
(Thank
you to Donna for reminding me about this technique.) Try training your eyes on
something other than the page, such as a pretty picture or out a window, and
let your hand flow across the page with your thoughts.
Now what are you waiting for? Try these
strategies immediately, and let me know how they work. :)
SHARE: Your tips for writing from your core.
QUESTION: How do you get into a writing zone?
A to Z Blogging Challenge:
Great tips, Chrys. I always call this free writing, but I guess it is sort of naked, isn't it? :-) I love following your blog!
ReplyDeleteDeb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
It is like free writing, but I like calling it naked writing. ;)
DeleteThank you, Debi! :D
I love that Natalie Goldberg quote! I find that sometimes I just have to start writing to get to that core place where the words pour out. Kind of like digging down into a well then being rewarded with cool, clear gushing water. :)
ReplyDeleteMadeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
Minion, Capt. Alex's Ninja Minion Army
The 2014 Blogging from A-Z Challenge
So do I, Madeline. :)
DeleteFor me to write from my core, I have to sit a while in silence with only my thoughts. Then while my thoughts are rolling and tumbling in my head, I let my hand just move across the page and let all of my thoughts and emotions pour out. :)
I like to write while listening to music because it gets me in the zone. At first I always end up humming along, but then it will flit to the back of my brain and just keep the random part of my thoughts distracted. I've heard naked yoga is good for self-esteem, wonder if the same can be said for naked writing ;).
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)
When I write I also listen to music, but if I need to get to the place where I write from my core, it's better for me to turn off the music and let the silence bring out all my thoughts and emotions. :)
DeleteNaked writing could be like naked yoga. I just won't try either one. haha
Just let it flow, the way to be at ones sea. I may have wrote naked a time or two too, whoops told you lol
ReplyDeleteJust let it flow is right. :)
DeleteDarn you, Pat! LOL!
This is something I need to do more often, but it's so difficult to break through the chaos of daily life just to find that place where I can write from my core. I'm sure it won't always be that way, but for now I write to distraction. =)
ReplyDeleteTrue Heroes from A to Z
I need to do it more often too. I remember doing it once when the heroine in my series was going "crazy". And also during a scene when a character committed suicide. Both these moments required naked writing.
DeleteIt is hard to find your core when life is crazy. Right now, I wouldn't be able to find it if I tried!
I'm stuck right now so I really appreciated reading this blog post. I think I need to get naked today and write, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this post helped you, Stephanie. Go ahead and get naked! ;)
DeleteI hadn't thought of this before. I guess you can say my approach is I start each writing session fashionably appareled. I also like to break rules. :)
ReplyDeleteYou can be fashionably appareled while also stripping away the things that block your creativity. :)
DeleteThis is hard to do as we often self edit. I find I can do it after a couple of glasses of wine because I'm totally relaxed and usually I'm writing from the heart. I can fix the typos and junk later. I hope I don't sound weird. I also like your idea of having music on in the background and some meditation! Thanks for another inspiring post, Chrys.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am one of those self-editors. lol
DeleteWine can certainly help! It helps us to let go and when we can let go of our troubles that's when we can find our naked thoughts.
This is a great post. Loving your talk here.
ReplyDeleteI am at my writing best when I just let my fingers go and I am looking off into somewhere else, not at the page.
It helps if my husband doesn't start humming or coming into the room talking to me. It helps when the phone is shut off. And whem <u cat is NOT rubbing agaings my fgingers like hw now (ok, he stopped - "when my cat is NOT rubbing against my fingers like he is now"). Or when he stands on the power button and shuts my computer down - must remember to save frequently! He deleted a bunch of stuff this morning...
Donna Smith
The A-to-Z Challenge
http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com
Mainely Write
Training your eyes on something else, such as a pretty picture or out the window and letting your hand go really is a great technique! I've done that too, and it does work. I'll add that to my list. Thank you for reminding me! :)
DeleteNaked writing or free writing is a fav of mine, as long as I don't have a deadline. Music is usually the muse which takes me there. I'm always amazed at what I come up with while writing freely like that. It's actually relaxing.
ReplyDeleteWhen you write freely, your mind is open to anything. :)
DeleteI have trouble doing this. I always have such great thoughts when I'm running but then when I sit at the computer, I can seem to put them down.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it can be difficult to calm down and remove ourselves from our hectic lives.
DeleteWe used to do freewrites in Creative Writing Club, with prompts or advice from Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and some book by Peter Elbow. It's been a long time since I did a freewrite.
ReplyDeleteMy ex never understood how annoying and selfish he was being when he interrupted me when I was in the middle of writing. He had no idea what it takes to get into that uninterrupted flow, and how long it can take to get back into that mood after being interrupted.
I love Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones! It's a great book.
DeleteA lot of non-writers don't understand how difficult it actually is to write.
These are great tips. I love taking part on NaNoWriMo because you have to write this way if you want to get it done.
ReplyDeleteI've never done NaNoWriMo, but I hope to one year. When I have time. lol
DeleteAnd here I thought there'd be pics of naked writers...never mind. That could be ugly... ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm very bad about editing while I write, even to writing with a pencil so I can erase. Your suggestion about meditation works great. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens as I try to fall asleep - the story starts flowing and I have to write it down or forget it. I've gotten really good at writing on a pad of paper in the dark. Sometimes it's even readable!
Sorry to disappoint you, River. haha
DeleteI'm also quite skilled at writing in the dark. ;)
I'm in such a habit of editing as I go that I don't know if I can ever break it completely. My writing is usually pretty naked though as I tend to write fast when I get into the zone and put down what flows from my mind.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog
Me too, Arlee! And we aren't alone. You're lucky then. :)
DeleteI find myself editing while I write despite my best intentions, but I see from the comments I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteNo, you're definitely not the only one. I am with you, too. :)
DeleteI do listen to music, but the perfectionist in me slows me down to select the right word.
ReplyDeleteNo writing in the nude, although author Hart Johnson writes from her bathtub and is still aiming for world naked domination. I'll just watch.
Sometimes I search for the perfect word too, and it can take several minutes.
Deletelol I also do that . . . perch a notebook on the rim of my bathtub. :P
I disagree with that editing while writing thing. I sort of hate it when people say that stuff about it hindering the flow of creativity. Just because it might hinder their flow doesn't mean it hinders mine. NOT editing while I'm writing hinders my flow. It's part of how I work, and I find it a little more than presumptuous that people want to say that my style is "wrong" just because it isn't their style.
ReplyDeleteSo you shouldn't feel bad about editing while you write, either, if that's how you write.
Editing while writing can hinder other people's flow of creativity, so it's not all together false. Many techniques work for some but the same ones don't work for others. I don't think anyone is saying it's wrong, or at least not here. I do it, and I don't feel bad about it. Even if I get into the zone of free writing I still edit while I go by reading over paragraphs. It is how I write and I'm not changing it. :)
DeleteI like telling stories, I think about what I want to write for a long time before I write it, but I do love it when the words just flow. It doesn't happen to me very often. I think if I tried some of your techniques, I'd like to try it early in the morning, when there's a beautiful misty sunrise out the window and everything is still. :)
ReplyDeleteSophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic
It doesn't happen to me very often either. I really have to beat the words out. lol
DeleteI have been telling my son this all week. Just write, get it all down and we can worry about editing later.
ReplyDeleteEasier said than done sometimes!
--
Timothy S. Brannan
The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches
Definitely easier said than done. :)
DeleteIt's hard to turn that internal editor off, but when I do, I tend to get my best ideas out there.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Melanie! :)
DeleteGreat tips, Chrys. I will try all these strategies! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNas
Awesome! You're welcome, Nas! :D
DeleteUsually I don't get into my zone until I've been writing for 30 - 45 minutes and not editing as I go definitely helps get there. I LOVE the idea of just staring out a window or a picture and letting my mind go.
ReplyDeleteIt does take time to get into the zone, or at least for me. Next time, I'll have to time myself. :P
DeleteThis happens to me when I'm in the zone.
ReplyDeleteThat's great!
DeleteI do feel like, for the most part, I write "naked" - as in, I don't let anything hold me back from what I want to write. But I can say for sure that when it comes to writing any sex scenes in any of my stories, I usually fade to black or if I want to add a bit more detail than that, I do struggle a bit. :P
ReplyDeleteSex scenes are tricky. I'm not sure if anyone could write a sex scene while free writing. lol
DeleteThis is part of why I love NaNoWriMo so much. Because of the time constraints, I can't second guess and edit myself like I normally do. I just have to let go and let the words pour out of me, even if they are crappy. :-)
ReplyDeleteHope you’re having fun with the A to Z challenge,
Jocelyn
Another commenter mentioned that. I've never participated in NaNoWriMo, so I don't know what it's like to have to write so much in such a short amount of time. I'd love to give it a shot one year. :)
DeleteI like the concept, Chrys. I mean the writing while not feeling bound. I have found that silence allows me to do this as well (as opposed to listening to something). With just the sounds of pecking on my keyboard, I find myself more focused with my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I love music and like to listen to music when I write, but if I want to get into this zone I prefer silence. :)
DeleteGreat ideas, Chrys. Harlan Ellison wrote in the nude until he caught pneumonia! Now, not so much! :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd ever write in the nude. lol
DeleteInteresting post. Writing is the most difficult for me when it feels like I'm making stuff up. Usually, I'll get an idea--often a "what if" scenario. Then, in the next few days, a character will pop into my brain and introduce himself. My job is to write down his story as fast as I can. I'm always surprised by the outcome, but everything works out in the end and every stupid little detail ends up meaning something.
ReplyDeleteThe trick is, I can't take more than a few days off. If I do, the guy leaves and it's hell to get him back. Absolute hell. Kind of like if you left a friend hanging on the phone for days…they wouldn't be too happy, would they?
That's naked writing for me. Although, never literally naked. That may change when I live on an island where it's always humid and hot, though. :)
That's interesting Holly. I write stories based on what my characters tell me and what the plot needs, but I still feel like I'm making it up because . . . well I am! lol I've never had a hard time getting a character to come back if I haven't written a few days though.
DeleteForgetting the rules is important..and not editing as you write. That slows everything down and makes it possible to start over thinking it.
ReplyDeleteIt is! Sometime we let rules and what others tell us weigh us down too much. We just need to let it all go. :)
DeleteSuper tip to overcome writers' block, Chrys.
ReplyDeletehttp://ragtaggiggagon.blogspot.ie/2014/04/p-is-for-poetry-az-blogging-challenge.html
Oh yes, these tips can help you overcome writer's block. Funny, I hadn't thought of that. :)
Delete