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Whenever I sit down to write I tend to quickly trail off into an unrelated subject. I tire of plowing through to finish what I intended on writing. I realize this is a result of open-endedness: when I lack purpose when writing, I don't have anything to say.
Previously I wrote about the importance of being free to write long-term essays. I discussed the possibility of freedom from external restraints such as marketability or social status. I believe these are all vital to writing genuinely. I also realize that some boundaries are necessary.
To speak with someone effectively, the participants must stay on topic. All ideas must be presented clearly and as completely as the context permits (I can get away with far longer monologues here than face-to-face with my friends). As conversation continues, the idea solidifies the participants' minds and they are able to pursue further understanding more easily. Changing the subject interrupts that buildup, restarting the mental bridge-building process.
Such restrictions are essential to supporting a cohesive thesis throughout an essay or a branch of conversation. Wander too far off course and the argument fails to build any longer. This can be entertaining in cordial conversation, but can be insufficient for building a shared understanding of a concept.
Creativity suffers under some constraints, but it thrives under others. Some pressures put on creation direct its results. That direction can take the form of self-enforced limitations.
In fiction writing, a story generally follows some kind of plot. This plot can be a specific plan or a general idea. The story is strengthened as different sections build on that plot. Over time, the structure is built and the story becomes a cohesive whole. Every part is attached to another, letters to words, words to sentences, sentences to paragraphs, and so forth. Each part is cohered to another. Every choice limits some options, and opens others.
In any kind of writing, structure is necessary for effective communication. You can't install the roof of a house before having a foundation, or the rest of the building.
Sometimes restricting the kind of writing you're doing directs creativity to take more concrete forms, such as a poem, a letter, or one of these posts. For example, using rigid metrical patterns in my poetry can powerfully aid expression. It helps pull out by ideas from my mind and onto the page. Considering how rhyme or rhythm fit into the poem requires looking at the concept from different angles.
Other kinds of restrictions can be utterly arbitrary and seemingly nonsensical: such as writing a novel without using the letter "e" or explaining the theory of general relativity within a haiku. The former has been done; the latter is left as an exercise to the reader.
Additionally, having structure without a concept to share lends itself to vapidity. It's like filling a jug of water with whatever liquid you can find throughout your house without using a faucet. Its contents most likely won't be appealing. Conversely, if you simply use a faucet to fill it, the jug will likely contain good water and you'll have plenty to spare. (This analogy only works in areas not afflicted with drought and with running water, of course). A jug also needs boundaries to keep the water from spilling outside of it.
I notice that I tend to have more to say about something I've considered for a while. The concepts in this very post are a combination of ideas developing for over a year now. I start with a full jug of idea water, and then pour a little on this capsule to help it blossom. The capsule flows from my creativity.
I could continue with my similes and metacommentary, discussing the nature of opinions and the concept of packaging ideas, but I'll leave that to a future post.
Communication requires structure, that structure can be arbitrary and spur on creativity in unexpected ways.
Now go write yourself a haiku about general relativity.
~ Josias, 2022-08-23 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
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