“I don’t know [expletive] about words. The reason the language comes out that way is, it’s me just trying to get out of the way.” This provocative quote from Irish playwright Enda Kenny (from a recent Washington Post article by Peter Marks) speaks to an important concept that I am continually stressing to students. Writing is about ideas; words serve the story. Too much writing instruction and critique-group feedback focus on the superficial level of the sentences. A fiction writer who is too conscious about constructing beautiful or clever sentences puts his/her mind into the inkwell of pen, instead of into the heart/mind/soul of the character, which is where it needs to reside in order to write a story.
2 responses to “Getting Out of the Way”
Goodness! This was written just for me. I’m trying to let go of holding onto a preset storyline. Now this makes sense too! The whole process of perfecting a sentence detracts from the spontaneity of the moment.
Enjoyed your tips and the blog!
The quote is exceptional. Be fearless and write what comes out. If you don’t like it, re-word it. I’ve always believed that if you like your work, it will show up within the work itself. I don’t (expletive) about words either but I do know that I feel much better when I’m true to the nature of a song by telling the story how I want to tell it.