Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

Meet your brain
Why you hate writing
The setup

As a writer, it helps to understand this grey matter inside your skull. After all, it’s your single most important tool, right?

Now, technically, scientists are already discovering that what I’m about to say isn’t quite right. But for our purposes, it’s the perfect analogy. And it’s a great way to understand why you hate writing so much. So I’m using it. Science be damned.

In simplistic terms, your brain has two sides.

The Right-brain and the Left-brain.

The Right-brain is the creative, intuitive, free-thinking, artistic side of your brain. Your Right-brain is the side that plays the guitar and thinks about art, and comes up with crazy ideas and has lots of “hunches.” It even drives your car for you, until you suddenly snap out of your trance and realize you can’t remember driving those past ten minutes.

The Left-brain is the side that snapped you out of it.

The Left-brain is the analytical, logical, problem-solving, scientific side of the brain. Your Left-brain is the side that organizes your desk and plans your day, and decides you’d better not have that extra piece of chocolate. It does the math and keeps you from making a total fool of yourself in public (mostly).

Everyone has (and needs) both sides. Some people may tend toward one or the other, but both sides work their magic at all times. It’s an elaborate dance of give-and-take.

But can you see the problem for writers?

The problem is that both sides are always dancing with each other. Interfering. And writing demands the effective use of both sides of your brain. Not just one. Both. Each side in turn.

And the reason you hate writing so much is because you start analyzing your work before you’re done pouring it onto the page. Your Left-brain won’t let your Right-brain do its job.

That may work well for daily living, but it’s a killer for your writing. Because you can’t write effectively without giving both sides their chance to shine.

Your Right-brain gets the words on the page. The Left-brain makes them sing.