Give Yourself Permission to Write Trash!

As writers we’re so focused on success (getting published) that we rarely give ourselves permission to simply write trash. The notion of transcribing something truly raw from our subconscious or filling pages with topics that’ll never be in a finished product is cringe-worthy.

Take into account the growing constraints on our daily lives — work responsibilities, family obligations, and social commitments — and suddenly any free time we have needs to be spent finishing a polished poem or short story for submission. The fact is we need to give ourselves permission to just write sometimes, to express our feelings on paper because we need the psychological or spiritual release. Maybe what we jot down will be of use, maybe not, but that’s okay.

When I first got interested in creative writing about two decades ago, I did what college students do and I bought a few how-to books from Barnes & Noble. One of them was Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. I’m mentioning this book now because there’s a section about the writing process that I often think about.

Her book focuses heavily on the creative process and connecting Zen meditation with journaling, so don’t expect many straightforward lessons on craft. But what you should get from this book is a boost to your imaginative thinking and process. And more importantly, Goldberg’s insights help free the mind from the self-imposed expectations of having to write masterpieces each time pen hits paper.

Your Writing Instruments Set the Tone

One of the first chapters of Writing Down the Bones explains the importance of choosing writing instruments: pen and paper. “First, consider the pen you write with. It should be a fast writing pen because your thoughts are always much faster than your hand. You don’t want to slow up your hand even more with the slow pen. A ballpoint pen, a pencil, a felt tip, for sure, are slow. Go to a stationary store and see what feels good to you. Try out different kinds. Don’t get too fancy and expensive.“

While many of us draft everything on a keyboard, writing by hand can provide an intimate alternative. At the end of the day do what feels good for you, no. judgments. The part of this chapter I still recall today is about selecting notebooks, and how such a simple decision can affect your writing mojo.

“Think, too, about your notebook. It is important. Sometimes people buy expensive hardcover journals. They are bulky and heavy, and because they are fancy, you are compelled to write something good. Instead you should feel that you have permission to write the worst junk in the world and it would be okay. A cheap spiral notebook lets you feel that you can fill it quickly and afford another.”

Unless given to me as a gift or free promotion, I avoid buying notebooks with leather or moleskine covers because I feel guilty about even cracking them open. The pressure of filling an elegant notebook is too much to bear and writer’s block has set in for far less.

Goldberg describes how she purposely buys spiral notebooks with silly designs or cartoon characters, and waits for back-to-school sales to stock up for the entire year. The cover designs also help her to identify specific notebooks based on topic or timeframe.

Writing is About Experimentation, And Experimentation is About Fun

Albert Einstein once said “creativity is intelligence having fun.” You shouldn’t be writing or pursuing any artistic endeavor if you’re not having fun doing it or feeling fulfilled along the way. As an artist you’ll never be open to trying something new if you don’t give yourself permission to produce trash once and awhile.

This includes reading what some would consider “trash.” Every book you pick up doesn’t need to be high-brow, three inches thick, and the winner of every literary award under the sun. Sometimes it’s reading comic books (many of which are of a high literary caliber), 99-cent pulpy crime novels, or Twilight fan fiction (Disclaimer: I don’t think these books are trash, but we all know how they are viewed by the wider literary world).

William Faulkner once said: “Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.”

And don’t forget that one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Reading all of these books should be enjoyable to you, at the very least, but you’ll also be exposed to a broad range of writing styles that’ll make you a better writer.

The big lesson here is giving yourself permission to take it easy and have fun with your art.