The state of not-knowing

    "Often, before I go to bed at night, I’ll think of a question - either about a novel I’m working on, or about my own life - and when I wake up, I’ll have an answer. During sleep, the unconscious mind can range freely, and often the information we access this way can be very helpful.

    I find that when I set the proper conditions, the voices will come, but they will only come if I make time for them and if I listen. If I create regular occasions for listening, my unconscious mind grows to trust that I’ll be ready and receptive, and only then will it allow the voices to arise.

    So I try to create these occasions. I set a daily time to work on my novel - usually in the mornings - and then I sit down at my computer and wait. Sometimes I’ll noodle around in my process journal, asking myself questions and trying to answer them. Sometimes I’ll reread something I’ve already written. Sometimes I’ll move commas around. I sit there even if I don’t know what comes next, because not-knowing is important. And even if all I manage to accomplish in a day is deleting a paragraph or a couple of pages, that’s okay, too, because I trust that I’ll be back again tomorrow.

    So much of novel writing is about learning to tolerate and abide in the state of not-knowing. I suppose you could say that life is like that, too."

    Ruth Ozeki.

    Read the rest of the interview here.

Comments

[Toffeeapple]

I remember reading her 'My Year of Meats' - a rather powerful read. I shall try to take this method on board, it could help my chaotic mind.

[Freda]

I've been pondering on something like the same process for decision-making. For someone with a very active (over-active?) mind it is a revelation.