The Storyteller, The Brain and The Winner

“What Fancy sends, the writer must order by Judgment.” — James Gardner

This week in the Book Writing World, we are talking about the Storyteller and the Brain, aspects of the writer’s anatomy that both serve the writing but which can sometimes seem to be in conflict. The Brain can have a hard time letting the Storyteller jump in and intuit, follow the threads of the imagination and see what appears . . . The Storyteller can resist being penned in by the analysis and order of the Brain. But both are necessary and working together they will get the job done. Some folks lead with one, some with the other. Turning to one from the other if you are stuck can get you unstuck.

In order to support my Storyteller, I’ve developed certain habits or rituals or perhaps rules. Of course, it is the Brain that compiles and enforces rules. But these rules are designed to support the Storyteller: in the mornings, I do not check email or the happenings in the Book Writing World or any other communications from the outside world. I do field inquiries and conversation from my kids, of course, and I make breakfast and unload the dishwasher, but by avoiding the demands of the electronic force field, I nurture the space where my Storyteller muses. Gentle soap bubbles of imagining are so easily popped. Gone.

In my interview with July’s featured author in the Book Writing World, Rabih Alameddine, which will be out by early next week, he mentions that he often writes at night, when he is tired. This is another way to relax and let the Storyteller rule. Just one sentence, he tells himself, and on a good night, he looks up and three hours have gone by.

The Brain keeps track of time, so when the Storyteller dominates, time slips by without measure.

Of course, Rabih’s most recent book is called The Hakawati, which means, The Storyteller. And boy does he tell stories in that book!

In other news, Lori Falchi won a signed copy of Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s The Big-Bang Symphony (chosen with the aid of  random.org’s service of random number generation). Bledsoe will be in conversation with the members of the Book Writing World after our conference tomorrow night. For everyone else, our interview is here.

And if you missed it, check out the interview with Kate Moses, too.

Do what you can to nurture the good will between your Storyteller and your Brain. Encourage conversation between them as well as a healthy division of labor.

Happy Writing!