Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Writing is Math

I know what you’re thinking…no it’s really not but hear me out.

The story idea is the only purely creative part of writing, the rest is about numbers and how we apply them. It’s about the length of your chapters, the word count of your manuscript, even the amount of adverbs you use. It’s about structure, balance, and intersecting lines.

Writing is an art form and comes from the heart. Numbers are logical and come from the reasoning parts of our brain. But one cannot exist without the other. There is a beauty and rhythm to them both.

Maybe the accountant and the artist aren’t so different after all.

6 comments:

  1. :) This makes me laugh, but I think there's lots of truth to it. Math can also be a hugely creative thing, I think. :)

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  2. Well, the accountant usually makes better money.

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  3. You'll probably be the only writer on the block to understand their royalty statement. :)

    But I think you're right about the two sides of the brain working together during the writing process. It takes a certain amount of logic and clear thinking to make all that creative mush make sense.

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  4. Oh yeah...I feel like I spend my life looking back to where the previous chapter was to see where my next chapter break is supposed to be!

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  5. Ooh, math and writing? You curse in my ears.

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  6. I agree with this. My stepdad has been a professional musician his whole life and can play anything you ask him to. He's also phenomenally good at math. I always thought math and creativity were related.

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It helps to know I'm not just talking to myself.