Dispatch from the Front Lines: Rob Hoskins on Resistance and Permission

Dispatches from the Front Line is an ongoing series of first-person accounts from writers and filmmakers who are on the front edge of breaking into the business. Today: Rob Hoskins on resistance and permission in the writing process.

I can tell you, as a would-be creative with a day job, I have had my fair share of difficulties overcoming various forms of what Steven Pressfield calls “Resistance”. This can mean anything from procrastination to a dearth of ideas to a lack of peer/family support to a paralyzing, inexplicable fear of the unknown. To move myself and my current project forward I have spent quite a bit of time absorbing everything possible on the creative process and overcoming Resistance, i.e. what it takes to become “unstuck”.

Ironically, the same professional rules I learned as an engineer and businessperson have not necessarily served me as a writer. In fact the mindset I’ve developed over the years that has allowed me to check items off a list and meet deadlines has not served my creative self. Not in the least.

I imagine my fellow “repressed creatives” will be able to relate to many or most of these “permissions” I have given myself.

I use these permissions like affirmations, to remind myself of the creative freedoms I have, particularly with respect to screenwriting:

First and foremost, permission to play. Not work. Play.
Permission to write crap. To start, at least.
Permission to write scenes without dialogue. To be added later, or not at all.
Permission to write out of sequence.
Permission to write without an outline, without key details or plot points.
Permission to steal great ideas and make them my own (see Austin Kleon’s book).
Permission to write sentence fragments and “grammatically-challenged”, less-than-stellar prose (while seriously abusing hyphens).
Permission to start fresh, e.g. not trying to make up for missed deadlines.
Permission to set smaller goals, e.g. the Professor Scott one page per day rule.
Permission to break the rules from time to time, e.g. rewriting a nagging sequence vs. pressing forward. For some of us, it’s obsessive, like straightening books on a shelf, but can also help e.g. clarify plotting. For the writer it can help clear the mind and ease the tensions.
Permission to use any desired media, physical or electronic, for brainstorming and working things out. doodling in a sketch pad, on colored card stock, on your significant other’s forehead.
Permission to be an anal writer, engaging in (empowering) rituals and superstitions which lie somewhere on the spectrum between OCD and witch doctoring. E.g. washing your hands and straightening pillows before starting, a la Stephen King. Personally, I light candles, wear a favorite sweater, start with a prayer, and light a candle.
Permission to start with bad ideas. Bad ideas are the paving bricks for the road to good ideas. (Not trying to come up with a corny quote here. I really believe it.)
Permission to think meta, top down approach. For example, plotting sequences in “three acts”, beginning/middle/end. (This is a obviously a topic that deserves its own post.)
Permission to act ridiculous, which allows for a state of play, which in turns leads to a creative frame of mind. This could mean starting with something silly, like writing a comedy sketch for one’s own amusement, before returning to “serious” dramatic work.
Permission to dabble and work on other projects, i.e. “stack”. This is especially helpful when one of the projects feels “easy”, and by starting with it there is creative flow. Again, whatever induces state of play hence creativity.
Permission to just show up at the page. Show up, without any earth-shaking insights that will provide enlightenment or salvation or any other discernable social benefit for the betterment of mankind.
Permission to write on the nose… for the first draft anyway, especially for difficult scenes and sticking points. Subtext and general cleverness can be added later.
Permission to forgo a deposit on an old idea, and start fresh with a new one.

In conclusion, lighten up, I tell myself.
Act a little more “Brazilian”. Be playful, frivolous even. Meet your story, even on a silly level.
Remember that “engagement leads to clarity”, not thinking.
Participate in rituals.
Allow your quirks free reign.
Give in to OCD… sometimes.

Recommended Reading:
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield
“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon

I’m sure Rob’s words go straight to the heart of what often confounds us, maybe even most of the time. Giving ourselves permission to “get messy” with our writing and all the other suggestions offered by Rob… that’s key to our success.

If you have a story of your own about your struggles to write and break into the business you feel like the Go Into The Story community would enjoy reading, please contact me via email with details.

Comment Archive