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Writing Intuitively, Part Two: Intuition Rationalized
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I made a conscious effort to snuff the flames, despite an urge to incinerate things in almost every chapter. Thousands of words later, I caught myself writing a scene in which an entire prairie burns. Then it hit me: fire was the solution to motivation problems my protagonist had been struggling with since the novel's inception. Intuition was trying to clue me in, but my rational mind, with its insistence on reason, wouldn't listen. How can intuition be accessed and employed in writing? What role does it play in the writing process? I asked a poet, a nonfiction author and a novelist how they harness their intuitive power. Here's a summation of what they said: Warm up. Read something before you write, to create an aura of intuition and give yourself an opening into an idea or feeling. Take a word, phrase or mood and transfer it to the first moments of writing. Something emerges onto the page intuitively, in the context of your project, and then you can develop it. Listen. Open up to your inner voice and hear what it's saying. It might be the voice of a character, or a wiser version of yourself. Don't force it, just wait for an idea, snip of dialogue, image, etc. that grabs you. If it rings true, use it. Pay attention. Be aware of urges and hunches while you write. If you feel a pull in some direction, go that way. When you're having trouble making a decision in your piece, there's usually an intuitive wisdom that knows what to do. If you pay attention, the decision's already made. Play. Intuition comes through most easily when you're having fun. Stress and worry shut it down. If one chapter seems more fun than another, work on that one, even if your rational side doesn't like the sequence. You have to stay loose to open the door. Interpret. It's not always obvious what to do with intuitive insights. Sometimes you have to zoom back and ask yourself how they fit into the big picture. What do they mean? How can they contribute? Allow intuition to come through first, then let lefty figure out what to do with it. Intuition is the spark that ignites great writing, but like the smell of distant smoke it's easy to ignore and rationalize away. In most of us, the rational mind is well developed, while intuition is largely suppressed. But where's the logic in that? If both are needed to produce our best work, doesn't it stand to reason that we should develop intuition? Next time, with help from Shakti Gawain's excellent book, Developing Intuition, I'll outline some steps you can take to get rational and light a flame under yours.
In the novel I'm writing, fire images recur ad nauseum. Boats burn, yards burn, dogs leap through flame, etc. The repetition eventually caught my attention, and my rational mind recoiled. Why so much fire? This is nonsense, man, stop it!
Coach, columnist, author and workshop facilitator Doug Kurtz is certified through the Coach Training Alliance and earned his MA in creative writing from the University of Colorado. His compassionate, results-driven coaching helps writers find the inspiration, motivation and tools they need to move dynamically forward through every phase of the writing process. How would it feel to release doubt and resistance, and free the undaunted writer inside you? www.writelifecoaching.com; (303) 499-0519
Books by this Author
Mosquito
fiction/thriller): Adventure tour guide Ben Baxter blames himself for a disaster in his past: Three of his clients were killed in an accident that Ben feels was his fault. While preparing for his "comeback" eco-tour, Ben meets a charming but distressed young woman named Poppy, unaware that she is carrying a satchel full of cash and some suspicious photographs belonging to a murder victim. When he innocently invites her on the tour, he unwittingly sets the wheels in motion for a desperate showdown between Poppy and the homicidal guard who is pursuing her and her money. Ben's faulty judgments begin to snowball, until he must confront the fact that he has trapped himself in a situation beyond his control. Now the welfare of the wildlife in the national parks is in jeopardy, as well as the safety of his clients. This creative, suspenseful thriller holds the reader in a vise-like grip from beginning to end.
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Keywords: intuition, creativity, writing tips, writing tools, the zone, gut impulse, organic writing, fiction, book, writing, novel, author, talent
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