Since the Paris Review put all their author interviews online, there’s no reason for a writer to ever be bored. I love reading interviews at night, before sliding off to Dreamville.
The other night before going to sleep, I read this interview with Haruki Murakami.
If you’ve never read a Murakami novel, the best way to describe them is like reading a dream.
Murakami’s Mind
While I really liked Murakami’s memoir about running and writing, it’s his novels that floor me. Not so much in their craft (that’s not to say they aren’t well crafted, because they are), but there’s something about the dreaminess and flow to a Murakami novel that I really enjoy. (Not that I can claim to be an expert on his books, having only read several things he’s written.)
There’s a section of the Paris Review interview that seemed particularly telling to me in explaining the dreamy aspect of Murakami’s writing.
Murakami’s Process
If you want an in-depth glimpse into how Murakami’s structured his life in order to write, pick up What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (Vintage International)
One thing new to me that was discussed in the interview is how Murakami just jumps into a book, planning be damned! He uses the example of opening a novel with a murder:
“I myself, as I’m writing, don’t know who did it. The readers and I are on the same ground. When I start to write a story, I don’t know the conclusion at all and I don’t know what’s going to happen next. If there is a murder case as the first thing, I don’t know who the killer is. I write the book because I would like to find out. If I know who the killer is, there’s no purpose to writing the story.”
– Haruki Murakami
Don’t Wait
I know everybody is different in the way they approach writing. Some writers must have a detailed outline before they can begin writing. Others focus on their environment — they must write in the same place each day. Still, others wing it, writing wherever and whenever they can.
I would never insist there is one way to write…but I will say this: if you’ve been talking about writing more than actually writing, put your ass in a chair and write!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where you’re going; clearly, if you’re not producing, what’s it going to hurt to be like Murakami and just do it!
It Really Does Work
A confession: I usually don’t know where I’m going when I write — even when I think I have it all figured out.
I don’t know how the novel I’m currently working on ends. I’m okay with that, though, because the last thing I wrote…ended differently than planned. My first novel didn’t end entirely as planned, either — and the novel I shelved after writing my first novel? Same thing: the ending wasn’t what I thought it would be.
It’s not that I believe the characters take over and tell their own story or anything like that; I just believe you can’t truly know a story until you sit down and actually write it.
And that means much of your time is spent moving into things you didn’t plan, whether you’re working from a detailed outline or not.
Read it Again
If this is good enough for an international, best-selling novelist, isn’t it at least worth trying if you’re not doing much more than only thinking about writing?
“I myself, as I’m writing, don’t know who did it. The readers and I are on the same ground. When I start to write a story, I don’t know the conclusion at all and I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
A dream can’t happen until you make it real, and the only way that happens is by finishing things.
I rarely know where I’m going when I’m writing. I plan, I think of scenes I want to write (some of which I never actually do, because the story goes a different direction) — but most times, I just sit down at the computer and see what happens.
Shawn: I initially start with a vague idea and just write. Like you, I plan along the way and things change.
There’s something to be said for sitting down and just seeing what happens. Because at least then — something happens and you eventually have a draft you can work on and THEN really think things through if needed.
Yay for no outlining. I love that Murakami quote. That’s what it’s like – you can truly surprise yourself, and therefore your readers. For me, outlining is something you do after you’ve put your heart on the page – it’s editing.
Just jumping in is the only way I actually enjoy the writing. Not that I jump in without a clue; I usually start with an idea about the character, what they want, and then go from there. I think it’s amazing how the material just comes to you, and you really do feel like you’re not the creator of the work. It’s humbling and rewarding.
Tony: Thanks for the reply! I like having a rough idea where I’m going at times, but I’ve found that any amount of detailed planning usually backfires on me, so I’ve long given up trying to do it. When I’ve tried plotting everything out, I’ve noticed I’ve tried forcing things to those plans when something better developed on its own. It’s worth the effort, for me, to go back and change things based on something new and better than trying so hard to make things fit what I’ve planned, but not fully tinkered with. There’s an E.L. Doctorow quote about writing being like driving in the dark…how you can see as far as the headlights, and that’s enough to get you there. I always liked that.
Those times that things just happen and it feels like you’re along for the ride are wonderful! I agree that it’s one of writing’s greatest rewards.
Hope all your writing in 2014 is humbling, fun, and rewarding!