Inhabiting the Words
Erik Satie in 1909
Writing about the composition of an early piano suite, composer and pianist Erik Satie said that:
“‘The beautiful and limpid Aperçus désagréables... are written in the most superior style and enable us to understand why the subtle composer is justified in declaring: 'Before writing a work I go round it several times accompanied by myself'”.
Innovative, iconoclastic and eccentric, Satie expressed an important thought here which is worth reflecting on in the context of the writing process. For what he’s doing is viewing a composition in three-dimensional terms. A bit like a sculptor or an architect. Which I find absolutely fascinating.
Developing new insights
Traditional descriptions of the writing process (whether blog post, article, essay, review or even book) are often stripped down to a series of steps which go something like: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, publication. It’s seen as an essentially linear process. Where, once you’ve developed your initial ideas, you proceed logically from the title to the introduction, through the main body of the text, and on to the conclusion.
But out in the real world, the writer moves forwards and moves backwards. And maybe even sideways. The writing loops back on itself, original assumptions are challenged, new ideas emerge, passages are rewritten.
Sometimes writers don’t even begin with the brainstorming stage. They just plunge in and get started. Letting the ideas flow and creativity bubble to the surface as they follow the germ of an idea wherever it wants to take them.
Deciphering the chaos
The truth is that the writing process rarely conforms to a pre-determined pattern. Stages can be revisited. Stages can be undertaken out of sequence. It’s messy. But it allows you to mix things up. It allows for the fermentation of ideas as you revisit your thinking and your arguments. Until you’re confident that you’ve got to where you want to be.
This brings us back to Erik Satie. Looking at your written compositions three-dimensionally helps you take a holistic view of the piece. Identifying gaps. Resolving contradictions. Making connections.
Getting to the essence of the piece by accompanying yourself around the work. By stepping inside the work. By observing yourself creating the work.