In Book 3 of his Confessions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau writes (among much else) about his struggles with writing:
It is with unbelievable difficulty that my ideas arrange themselves into any sort of order in my head. They circle there obscurely, they ferment to the point where they stir me, fire me, cause my heart to palpitate; and in the midst of all this emotion I see nothing clearly; I cannot write a word, I must wait. Imperceptibly, the great movement subsides, order succeeds chaos, everything finds its proper place; but slowly, and only after a long and confused agitation.
This passage reminds me of some advice Johannes Brahms is supposed to have given once regarding composing. You should begin work on a piece, he said, but then set it aside for awhile without thinking about it. Upon returning to the piece later, you will often discover that some of the problems that first presented themselves have been worked out, and you will have a clear sense of how to proceed.
From a psychological point of view, Rousseau and Brahms both highlight the importance of the subconscious in the creative process. In their view a successful composition is fashioned, in part, outside the realm of conscious intention. I wonder if there is any place for this creative “non-practice” in college composition courses. Perhaps there are ways to foster a productive subconscious creativity with practices that extend beyond the act of writing itself.
I happen to be re-reading Annie Dillard’s ‘The Writing Life’ to re-inspire myself as I struggle through the last gasps of my dissertation. She is not what I would consider the most comforting of writers on writing, but at one point she notes that Octavio Paz has cited the example of “Saint-Pol-Roux, who used to hang the inscription ‘The poet is working’ from his door while he slept.’”
I notice that between bouts of writing, I have to lay down and let things sift around in my head. After about 30 minutes, things clarify a bit and I get back up and can write again.
I do think it is important to talk to students about processes like this. If nothing else, so they don’t think they’re crazy when facing the fact that writing is difficult. There’s no harm in their knowing it is difficult for us too, and that it often comes from unconscious spaces.
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