Wow. I'm thinking I'm not producing stories of that import any time soon, but nothing will happen if I don't listen to Kazuo's counsel.
An article in The Atlantic broke down Kazuo's advice. In a nutshell?
- Block out the world.
- Park your butt in the chair.
- Allow yourself to write crap.
My use of the words "butt" and "crap" is a hint I won't be winning laureates this year, but sitting until my butt goes numb and writing horrible sentences provides a scintilla of hope that maybe one could be in my future if I just keep at it. (Using "scintilla" is my way of redeeming myself for using base and cloddish words. I added "base" and "cloddish" for insurance.)
Blocking out the world is key to Kazuo's writing as he wants his writing dream state to become more real than his actual world. I've heard this from many of my writer pals as we compare notes on experiences and techniques. We experience this dream state differently, but we share the shock of looking at the clock and realizing the day has gone by, kids were left at school without rides, or appointments were missed because our characters had beguiled us into their worlds.
Wouldn't you know the Germans would have a word that sums up Kazuo's advice? Enter "sitzfleisch" into our lives. Even the sound of it fits the concept of flesh going numb from sitting.
NaNoWriMo is fast approaching. You know what you have to do, and no one is going to do it for you.
