Many things are on my mind, almost too much for me to sit down and focus on writing. I’m starting a new book project, which makes me nervous because I can see it, but I can’t feel it yet, and deciding on the tone of the work is a serious proposal at the moment. When working on a big project, there are many roadblocks or detours on the route to complete one’s writing, and it is nerve-wracking to duck, dodge, and move around in front of obstacles. Writing and taking notes on writing a book is a lonely procedure. It is also the most intense relationship one has to do with themselves.
One issue is that many little things get in the way, such as things that must be done around the house, and although small, they can take up your day. The frustration and disappointment in oneself are severe when choosing between writing/creative work and fixing an internet connection. Especially when you have to put brain power and a great deal of focus on getting something fixed. The real me wants someone else to deal with it so I can return to having that intense relationship with myself.
There are zones in the house that must be honored. When I’m at the desk, and my fingers are on the computer keyboard, I can’t be called away or even have the presence of someone who will whisk me away from the writing. It’s funny to note that writing is a communication of sorts, but one has to avoid a public or even private conversation to focus on what is important to you. One’s thoughts as they approach the empty computer screen or notebook are genuinely a beautiful correlation between writing and the other. It is a deep dive into the consciousness or, at its worst, the darkness that entails the writer.
Here, I want to point out the importance of libraries. I wrote most of my memoir TOSH in a Los Angeles and Tokyo public library. One doesn’t need a library card or any identification to sit in a chair with a desk in a quiet environment to work on one’s book. That, and having endless books within feet of your writing area, is also a significant plus. Doing a little research online, I discovered that Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 on a rented typewriter in the basement of the U.C.L.A. library. Other writers who wrote their books in libraries are Isabel Allende, Terry Pratchett, Nicolson Baker, and Zazie Smith. Charles Bukowski is rumored to have written his works in the Downtown Los Angeles Library, which I also used.
Last night, I went with a friend and my wife, Lun*na, to see the new Wim Wenders film Perfect Days. A film with very little dialog is one reason I loved it, but primarily due to the lead character’s duty to schedule. He is a public toilet cleaner for Shibuya ward, Tokyo. Similar to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samurai in that it follows a hired killer’s life in quiet detail, so does the Wenders film, in that we see the importance of schedule concerning doing his daily job chores, but also it has almost a spiritual quality for every day that is planned out in advanced. When a change does happen, it can sometimes cause concern but also a deep appreciation for that change. I see writing as a very formal structure I must follow if I want to complete that work on hand.
funny you mentioned Wim today, I just finished a great book by the actor Peter Falk, called 'just one more thing'.. Peter did a part in a Wim film called 'Wings of Desire' where he plays an ex-angel, you have to see the movie.. but Peter explained that Wim would work w/o a script.. he was into ideas, sudden themes.. one long quote.. "when I first started directing and after I hated having to follow a script, I'd see some fantastic location, someplace so unique I had to tear myself away, I wanted so badly to shoot it, likewise a sudden fresh approach for a scene.. so I hated scripts.. they cramped me. Falk had a love/hate being a pro with this.. but he worked many years with Cassavetes who had a similar approach..
I need more, please More about writing and more about Perfect Days.