johnmdemarco posted on May 30, 2010 20:09
The writer must pay attention. The writer must tell the truth.
These are the two rules. They are the only rules that ultimately matter. All else is window dressing, logistics, details. This “all else” certainly matters, but without the foundation of the two rules it proves irrelevant.
The writer must pay attention to what is being said and not said. He or she must notice the seams as well as the fabric, the nuances as well as the proclamations. The writer must hear rhythms that are unnoticed by the lazy ear, and taste distinctions in the grapes that fall flat on the palette of the harried wine drinker. He or she must, most of all, exercise ruthless self-examination in especially paying attention to what is going on with the writer.
The writer must tell the truth about what he or she is feeling, perceiving, thinking, seeing, understanding or not understanding. The writer must open up his gut and spill what is there onto paper or digital screen. She must touch the nerve of something indigenous to the human condition, be it strength or frailty, and be wary of erecting any guise in doing so. He must first tell the truth to himself, before he can tell it to others in a meaningful, transformative way.
The two rules go hand in hand, symbiotic essentials, unbreakable chains.
To pay attention but not tell the truth is to be flagrantly disingenuous; something inside the soul begins to rot away, for the writer cannot fool himself even at the most subconscious level. To tell the truth while lacking careful observation of feelings, textures, colors, facts, etc., is to have a misshapen, naive angle of limited truth and a perspective that is ultimately faulty and falls short of its potential to unleash fresh insights in the reader.
The wonderful news for the writer: To fully pay attention in each and every moment leads the writer to no longer have to “strive” to tell the truth. The truth is a natural, powerful by-product of the enlightened attention. Surrendering to the moment in its fullest detail is in and of itself a commitment to becoming immersed in the truth. Commit to the truth now, and you become one with it.
The next opportunity for the writer to commit is the moment that is at hand. You might have already decided.