WEBVTT - 9 Genius-Approved Ways to Avoid Writer's Block

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<v Speaker 1>I guess what will? What's that? Mango? So when I

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<v Speaker 1>was in high school, I went and I met this

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<v Speaker 1>relative who was in advertising, just to learn more about

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<v Speaker 1>it and to see if I wanted to be a copywriter.

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<v Speaker 1>And he warned me that the most terrifying thing I'd

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<v Speaker 1>have to face every day was a blank page. Like

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<v Speaker 1>the hardest part of the job is coming up with

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<v Speaker 1>fresh ideas every single day. And at the time, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I was cocky and I just kind of laughed. But

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<v Speaker 1>if you've ever suffered from writer's luck, you know how

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<v Speaker 1>daunting just starting a new project or coming up with

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<v Speaker 1>new ideas can be. Oh definitely. And you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>think about somebody like Harper Lee, of course from my

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<v Speaker 1>home state. Not everything has to be about your state

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<v Speaker 1>of Delaware on the show Mango. But you know, after

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<v Speaker 1>writing to Kill a Mockingbird, she had such a hard

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<v Speaker 1>time writing, and it was it was almost like she

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<v Speaker 1>was looking for distractions. And I found this great quote

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<v Speaker 1>from her. I had not seen this before, but but

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<v Speaker 1>she says, I found I can't write. I have about

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<v Speaker 1>three personal friends who keep dropping in for a cup

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<v Speaker 1>of coffee. I've tried getting up at six, but then

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<v Speaker 1>all the six o'clock Risers congregate. I mean, if you've

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<v Speaker 1>got three friends coming over for a coffee, like, don't

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<v Speaker 1>make coffee, make a smaller pot. But you know, writer's

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<v Speaker 1>block is really hard, and I've always been amazed by

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<v Speaker 1>like the people who can just crank out copy, like

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<v Speaker 1>Jerry Seinfeld, Like do you know his trick? I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think so, what is it? So? Jerry's a prolific writer

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<v Speaker 1>and he was asked how he stayed so productive, and

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<v Speaker 1>in this one interview he confessed he actually hates writing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just that he used to keep a calendar on

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<v Speaker 1>his wall. Oh that's right. Yeah, I think I have

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<v Speaker 1>heard this story before, but yeah, I keep going. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>And every day he'd right, and he'd marked this big

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<v Speaker 1>X on the calendar, and his motivation for ruining the

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<v Speaker 1>next day was just that he wanted to draw another

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<v Speaker 1>X and he didn't want to break that chain. But

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<v Speaker 1>that made me wonder, like, what are the tips other

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<v Speaker 1>geniuses have used to stay productive? Like can smells or

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<v Speaker 1>different clothing or certain tricks helped nudge you into finally

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<v Speaker 1>writing that great American novel you've always wanted to write?

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<v Speaker 1>Like what are the funniest ways to beat writer's block,

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<v Speaker 1>and us for today's show is all about let's dive in. Yea.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey there, podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Will Pearson and is always I'm joined by my good

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<v Speaker 1>friend Man Guesh had Ticketer and sitting behind the soundproof glass,

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<v Speaker 1>just furiously working on his latest manifesto. He is one

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<v Speaker 1>motivated dude. He is. That. That's our friend and producer

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<v Speaker 1>Tristan McNeil, So Mango, part of the reason we did

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<v Speaker 1>this episode was that you were telling me about how

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<v Speaker 1>some of the folks in Hollywood used to deal with

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<v Speaker 1>writer's block, right, Yeah, So I was on this website

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<v Speaker 1>where someone had pasted an interview from the Hollywood Reporter

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<v Speaker 1>with Joel and Ethan Cohen, the Cohen brothers, and uh,

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<v Speaker 1>they were talking about this Hollywood producer named how Roach,

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<v Speaker 1>who's apparently a legend. I didn't know about him, but

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<v Speaker 1>he did Larel and Hardy and Little Rascals and a

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<v Speaker 1>bunch of famous movies and shows. And one of his

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<v Speaker 1>tricks was when the writers were running out of ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>he brings someone called a wild ye into the writing room.

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<v Speaker 1>And what's a wild e? Exactly? So it turns out

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<v Speaker 1>a wild e is someone roach for recruit, either from

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<v Speaker 1>like a mental institution, or it could be just like

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<v Speaker 1>a drunk off the street, and he'd bring them in,

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<v Speaker 1>put them at the writer's table, and when things were

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<v Speaker 1>getting stagnant, like at a table reader a story meeting,

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<v Speaker 1>these people would just blurt out these wild phrases or

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<v Speaker 1>comments or sometimes just full stories whenever they felt like it,

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<v Speaker 1>which feels ridiculous, but it also provided this like complete

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<v Speaker 1>non secutor And as the Cohen Brothers pointed out, like

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes a good idea is a good idea no matter

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<v Speaker 1>where it comes from or who it comes from. And

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<v Speaker 1>I also think there were a lot of bad ideas

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<v Speaker 1>blurt it out by the Wilds. Cute, but I have

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<v Speaker 1>to imagine. But you know, speaking of the Cohen's, they

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<v Speaker 1>like to beat their writer's watched just by starting another project.

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<v Speaker 1>So while they were trying to write and complete Miller's Crossing,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a fabulous film, they actually switched to working

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<v Speaker 1>on Barton Fink, and then they just switched back and

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<v Speaker 1>forth until they had two scripts instead of just one.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, that's such an interesting way to beat writer's blog. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I kind of like the idea that like,

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<v Speaker 1>if you can't finish one script, just finished two, right,

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<v Speaker 1>So where do you want to go from here? All right? Well,

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<v Speaker 1>a very different direction. How about Dan Brown, who you

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<v Speaker 1>of course know, is the author of the Da Vinci Code,

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<v Speaker 1>and and it was reading about some of the ways

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<v Speaker 1>that he would deal with writer's block. So just to

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<v Speaker 1>keep his blood pumping, he would set an antique hourglass

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<v Speaker 1>for every half hour, and when the sand would run out,

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<v Speaker 1>he would do a bunch of push ups and stretches,

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<v Speaker 1>which actually feels pretty normal, like an interesting way to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with it. But when he's really out of ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>he does something a little bit more strange. So he

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<v Speaker 1>slips into a pair of gravity boots and just hangs

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<v Speaker 1>upside down bat style in order to work through the problem.

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<v Speaker 1>I told you this was a different kind of idea,

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<v Speaker 1>but it's actually more complicated than that. So he was

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<v Speaker 1>giving this speech at a New Hampshire Public Radio event

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<v Speaker 1>and he described how he does this. So apparently he

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<v Speaker 1>has this specially designed table where he straps himself in

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<v Speaker 1>and then the table rotates around so that his head

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<v Speaker 1>is where his feet should be, and his toes are

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<v Speaker 1>pointing to the ceiling, and apparently the guy's been doing

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<v Speaker 1>this for a while and it actually helped him come

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<v Speaker 1>up with, you know, all those anagrams he's used in

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<v Speaker 1>his books. That is so weird, And I honestly feel

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<v Speaker 1>like like having that much blood rush in my head

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<v Speaker 1>would make me less inclined to come up with a

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<v Speaker 1>good totally. That would be the only thing I could

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<v Speaker 1>think about is how uncomfortable I was. But I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess how you braised him as pretty personal, you know.

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<v Speaker 1>I I've read a bunch of people's bios, like um,

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<v Speaker 1>Louis Bunwell, the director, He had this chapter in his

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<v Speaker 1>autobiography where he uh talked about how like a certain

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<v Speaker 1>type of corner booth in a dark bar, and like

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<v Speaker 1>a certain type of martini with a very specific vermouth.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was normally pratt. He would say those

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<v Speaker 1>were the things that you need exactly for breaking through writing.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh, you know, you read his description and you think, like,

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<v Speaker 1>this is so romantic and it feels like such a

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<v Speaker 1>thing to do in the city, and you can see

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<v Speaker 1>how ideas just flow to him in the setting. But

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<v Speaker 1>for someone like me, like I hate writing when I've

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<v Speaker 1>had even like a sip of alcohol. It does not

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<v Speaker 1>work from me at all. Yeah, I would say the

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<v Speaker 1>same thing. But um, you know, well, one thing that

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<v Speaker 1>might work for you if you're looking for zero distractions

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<v Speaker 1>is to follow edgar Allan Poe and also Jack Carrolla's

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<v Speaker 1>advice for writing on scrolls mango scrolls. Yeah, neither of

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<v Speaker 1>them thought that it was smart to get up from

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<v Speaker 1>your seat and have to go get another piece of paper.

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<v Speaker 1>Now why they couldn't just keep a bunch of paper

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<v Speaker 1>near them, I'm not really sure. But anyway, they felt

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<v Speaker 1>like getting time. Yeah, but but they felt like getting

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<v Speaker 1>up to get more paper would spur these other distractions.

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<v Speaker 1>So Poe would actually attach pieces of paper together to

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<v Speaker 1>make these long spools, and then he just used some

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<v Speaker 1>wax to seal it up. And that's actually how he

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<v Speaker 1>delivered work to his editors. Can you imagine this. I

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<v Speaker 1>would be so pissed to someone turned into scroll to

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<v Speaker 1>me and uh and what about Jack Carroak, Well, it

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<v Speaker 1>was kind of the same thing. So he always said

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<v Speaker 1>that stopping to get more paper broke his concentration. So

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<v Speaker 1>on the road that was actually scrawled out on a

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred and twenty foot roll of paper. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>that feels like it should be in a museum or something, right, Like,

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<v Speaker 1>it's pretty incredible. You know what My favorite Caroac fact is?

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<v Speaker 1>What's that? So this is from when we did the

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<v Speaker 1>swimsuit issue for Mental Flass and we found a picture

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<v Speaker 1>of him in a bathing student and it just threw

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<v Speaker 1>some facts next to it. But it's that he skipped

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<v Speaker 1>his high school graduation to read Leaves of Grass, which

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<v Speaker 1>I just think it's so amazing. Meanwhile, I'm sure I've

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<v Speaker 1>told you this before, but like I was forced to

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<v Speaker 1>attend my high school graduation and the superintendent of our

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<v Speaker 1>school read out all the lyrics too, and I swear

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<v Speaker 1>this is true. What he referred to as the classic

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<v Speaker 1>song from the movie Space Jams. What what is the

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<v Speaker 1>classic song from the movie Space cham I believe I

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<v Speaker 1>can fly? Of course, So we were stuck in our

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<v Speaker 1>seats and and he treated like every word was so meaningful,

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<v Speaker 1>like he was like, I believe I can fly, God,

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<v Speaker 1>I believe I can touch the sky. It was it

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<v Speaker 1>was really inspirational, and we all left the school and

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<v Speaker 1>became pilots. Of course you did, all right, Well, back

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<v Speaker 1>to the facts. What fact do you want to go

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<v Speaker 1>with next. Well, one thing I think could be a

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<v Speaker 1>cause of writer's block is when you're too comfortable. My

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<v Speaker 1>mother in law actually has the story of when she

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<v Speaker 1>was in college one summer and she was selling vacuum cleaners,

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<v Speaker 1>and she said, like, on the weeks when she was

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<v Speaker 1>particularly hungry or she needs something specific, like on those weeks,

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<v Speaker 1>she'd somehow sell four vacuum cleaners, and when she wasn't,

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<v Speaker 1>she just sell two or three. And I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of the same with writing. And there's this great

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<v Speaker 1>story from Sherwood Anderson in nine six he quit his

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<v Speaker 1>job to focus on writing, and his publishers, who were

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<v Speaker 1>kind to betting on him, sent him these weekly advanced checks,

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<v Speaker 1>but he was having total writer's block, so he actually

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<v Speaker 1>asked him to stop. And when they asked him why,

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<v Speaker 1>he said, quote, it's no use. I find it impossible

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<v Speaker 1>to work with security stirring me in the face. Oh gosh,

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<v Speaker 1>that's pretty wild. I think I would find just the

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<v Speaker 1>opposite in that situation, you know. I I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if that's pretty interesting. Well, so, one thing I've read

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<v Speaker 1>about is how people love to find the perfect writing spaces.

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<v Speaker 1>So Roald Dahl had his you know, his writing shed

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<v Speaker 1>where he walked to and he throw a blanket on

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<v Speaker 1>his legs and right from an easy chair like that,

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<v Speaker 1>to me seems like a little bit more of a

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<v Speaker 1>good spot to do your writing. And there was some

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<v Speaker 1>writer was trying to I want to say it was

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<v Speaker 1>Colin McCann, who has this tiny space on the floor

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<v Speaker 1>between a bookshelf and the wall where he sits and types.

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's kind of like a little nook there. But

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most unusual spaces I've come across is

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<v Speaker 1>George Bernard Shaw's. And in many ways his Writer's Help

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<v Speaker 1>was full of distractions, like it had electricity and a

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<v Speaker 1>telephone and a bell so people could ring for him.

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<v Speaker 1>And but one thing like it had this advantage of

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<v Speaker 1>being one or two minutes away from the house, so

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<v Speaker 1>when visitors would come over, his wife could answer the

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<v Speaker 1>door and actually honestly tell them that he was out

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<v Speaker 1>even though he was just you know, a minute away

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<v Speaker 1>or so. But one of the most important things to

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<v Speaker 1>Shaw was good lighting. And his heart was actually pretty

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<v Speaker 1>ingeniously built because it was like this giant lazy susan,

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<v Speaker 1>so he could actually spin it and follow the sun

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<v Speaker 1>as he wrote, which seemed like a pretty cool setup.

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<v Speaker 1>That's ridiculous, but I like it. Okay, So I know

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<v Speaker 1>we've got two more facts to go. But before we

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<v Speaker 1>get to those, let's take a little break. Welcome back

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<v Speaker 1>to part time Genius. We're talking writer's blocked now, will

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<v Speaker 1>I know I can struggle with writer's block sometimes, But

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<v Speaker 1>do you actually ever deal with it? Oh? No question. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's definitely frustrating when it happened. So what what do

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<v Speaker 1>you do to deal with it? So? I like doing

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<v Speaker 1>my research ahead of time and getting all the books

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<v Speaker 1>and things I need. But when it comes to actually writing,

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes I have like a super hard time getting started

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<v Speaker 1>if I don't feel like I have a good enough idea.

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<v Speaker 1>But then I'd say, like five or six years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>I read this thing that Peter Kafka is this legendary editor.

0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:28.040
<v Speaker 1>He he told his writers and he said, just write

0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:31.160
<v Speaker 1>out some beginnings. And you know, the idea is, just

0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:33.800
<v Speaker 1>start something and write a beginning, and then write another

0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:36.440
<v Speaker 1>beginning to that story, and then another, and even if

0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:38.079
<v Speaker 1>you have to stop and all you have is a

0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.440
<v Speaker 1>page of beginnings, isn't that a beautiful thing? And I

0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.120
<v Speaker 1>love that quote so much, and somehow that works for me,

0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:46.960
<v Speaker 1>like just you know, you start three or four things

0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:48.719
<v Speaker 1>and pick one that you like and then just let

0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:51.600
<v Speaker 1>the words flow from that until they don't. But that's

0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:54.040
<v Speaker 1>sort of my trick, even though we're not here to

0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:56.320
<v Speaker 1>talk about my trick. So, well, what's your final fact

0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:58.439
<v Speaker 1>going to be for this? That's still a pretty good trick, though,

0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:00.440
<v Speaker 1>I don't think you've ever told me that, But or well,

0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:05.800
<v Speaker 1>how about something about Salvador Dolly, who perfected the power nap?

0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.280
<v Speaker 1>So I love napping, so go on. Well, Dolly was

0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:14.760
<v Speaker 1>obsessed with that dream space between falling asleep and being awake,

0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.280
<v Speaker 1>so he tried to figure out how to put himself

0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:20.160
<v Speaker 1>into that space for inspiration. So he had a little

0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:21.600
<v Speaker 1>trick for this. What he would do is he would

0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:24.320
<v Speaker 1>sit in a chair and put a tin plate on

0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:27.480
<v Speaker 1>the floor and then fall asleep holding a spoon, like

0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:31.200
<v Speaker 1>pretty specific so you know, or you know, maybe have

0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:33.600
<v Speaker 1>some keys over the plate or something like that. But

0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.320
<v Speaker 1>when the object that he was holding dropped from his

0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:39.720
<v Speaker 1>hand and onto the tin, he'd get startled awake, and

0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:42.480
<v Speaker 1>and his hope was that he'd have this new wonderful

0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.680
<v Speaker 1>idea in his head when he woke up. So that

0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:47.560
<v Speaker 1>sounds like the worst way to wake up, Like it

0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.480
<v Speaker 1>feels like you're almost falling asleep in his comfortable chair,

0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.719
<v Speaker 1>but it's not really a nap. But I am kind

0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.400
<v Speaker 1>of amazed. So so did it work well? He swore

0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:59.280
<v Speaker 1>by the method. In fact, in his book Fifty Secrets

0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.520
<v Speaker 1>of Magic Crap Aftsmanship, he he actually writes here's the quote.

0:13:02.520 --> 0:13:05.400
<v Speaker 1>He says, the moment the key drops from your fingers,

0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:07.600
<v Speaker 1>you may be sure that the noise of its fall

0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.400
<v Speaker 1>on the upside down plate will awaken you. And you

0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:13.120
<v Speaker 1>may be equally sure that the fugitive moment, when you

0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.320
<v Speaker 1>had barely lost consciousness, and during which you cannot be

0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:20.520
<v Speaker 1>assured of having really slept, is totally sufficient, inasmuch as

0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.000
<v Speaker 1>not a second more as needed for your physical and

0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:27.520
<v Speaker 1>psychic being to be revivified by just the necessary amount

0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:30.440
<v Speaker 1>of repose. So I don't I can't say that I

0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:34.040
<v Speaker 1>know exactly what that quote means, but it just sounds

0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:40.080
<v Speaker 1>weird and fascinating. Yes, yeah, I mean. Dolly was also

0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:42.040
<v Speaker 1>afraid of trains, and he used to sit in the

0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:43.760
<v Speaker 1>front of the train because he thought it got into

0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:47.320
<v Speaker 1>places faster. He used to make his own cologne out

0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.120
<v Speaker 1>of fish glue, so I can't say that I trust

0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:54.760
<v Speaker 1>all his ideas. I mean, those seems smart to me. Well,

0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:57.400
<v Speaker 1>my last fact is about Charles Dickens, who needed a

0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.600
<v Speaker 1>few simple things on his deskins firearms, so wherever he

0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.480
<v Speaker 1>went and he often wrote from the road, he needed

0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:08.080
<v Speaker 1>five bronze animal statues, a paper knife, a green vase,

0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:12.280
<v Speaker 1>a desk, calendar, blue ink, and only blue ink, and

0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:15.360
<v Speaker 1>some quills. So if you're really struggling to write something,

0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.440
<v Speaker 1>it's probably because you don't have enough quills or bronze

0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:20.800
<v Speaker 1>animal statues watching you as your right. I imagine its

0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.320
<v Speaker 1>sounding a little bit like the Steve Martin scene in

0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:25.440
<v Speaker 1>The Jerk where he just needs the ass tray and

0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.720
<v Speaker 1>the land. But I'm curious that why blue ink, Like,

0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:33.560
<v Speaker 1>was he o c D about writing or what? Uh? Maybe,

0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.920
<v Speaker 1>but you know, I've actually read it's more because he

0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.800
<v Speaker 1>realized blue ink at the time dried faster, So it

0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:41.040
<v Speaker 1>was this trick he used to keep himself moving and

0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.600
<v Speaker 1>not smudging or having to block the pages as much.

0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:46.760
<v Speaker 1>M that's interesting. Well, you know, I'm not sure if

0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 1>you had the best facts today, but you definitely had

0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:52.920
<v Speaker 1>the best story about a terrible graduation speech, and it

0:14:53.040 --> 0:14:55.360
<v Speaker 1>made me feel a little bit bad for you. So

0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.440
<v Speaker 1>I'm just gonna give you the trophy this week, a

0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:01.080
<v Speaker 1>pitty trophy. I like it. You know. I believed I

0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:05.280
<v Speaker 1>could fly, and today I did flies. Thank you, I

0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:10.080
<v Speaker 1>changed my mind. That's it for today's episode from Will

0:15:10.240 --> 0:15:12.440
<v Speaker 1>gave Tristan and the rest of us a part time gunius.

0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:14.440
<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for listening. M