Jack Grapes, Author/Writer/Instructor/Poet/Actor: And you're not in any creative process at
all I would never tell anybody to outline your story except there's two exceptions…
Film Courage: Creativity is a process not a…
Jack: Prescription for product.
Yeah I don't say you know here's the finished product let's work to make the product and
a product has this, it has that, it is this, it is that.
That's what most writing classes do matter of fact that's what most literary criticism
in the 19th century did and in the 20th century literary criticism even shifted to what what
are the techniques or the devices that the author used not what is his life about and
the freudian implications and the social milieu of the time but what are the devices that
the artist use to make that product well I kind of go further back and go the devices
are something that we write in in the process toward product but we don't aim for the finished
product we don't know where we're going to go the creative work is about the process
working on the concepts the exercises not on a prescription for a finished product so
the concepts I teach in method writing are not the end product they are the process impulse
so all the concepts I teach not just in level one and two that we kind of talked about but
in level three four and five and then the levels beyond I have a whole bunch of levels
um it's it's about the process I'm always wanting the artist to honor the process the
way you work not what you're aiming for but just let the truth of the impulse of your
process find its way and then when you finally get your novel or your story or your poem
you won't have headed there and my analogy in sports is in golf you don't aim you don't
aim to get the ball in the hole you hit the ball correctly you get the right club and
you swing correctly and if you do that it'll go where it's supposed to go but you don't
aim to put it in the hole so you you go through your process and let the end result take care
of itself so that's what I mean when I say the creativity is about the process matter
of fact isn't that the term they use they say the creative process so if you come from
the process the product will emerge and it will always surprise you it will be unexpected
you didn't expect to be stuck.
We started out with I'm really thinking about da da da and by the time we got through going
through some of the techniques of the other side of the coin and and other things I didn't
bring up you end up being stuck and writing about that subject that you didn't expect
to write about so that's what I mean by it's not a prescription for product it's a it's
a process.
Does it make sense?
Film Courage: It does.
Do you see a lot of writers that come in with the product mindset?
Jack: Everybody.
Film Courage: Everybody, you think everybody starts out that way?
Jack: Sure, we're all human.
We all have you know ideas things we want to do most people have some kind of idea what
they want to write about and they're always surprised that in some way they did do it
but they took a route they didn't expect and if they had gone straight for it, it wouldn't
have been what it ended up being and that the you know the unexpected path there was
what makes it interesting not where they got.
Film Courage: Why is it important to outline the story before you start writing?
Jack: It's not important, I would never suggest anybody do that, that's exactly what I just
finished talking about that's where you you're looking at your product and and you know fitting
your feet into the shoes of the right size and you're not in any creative process at
all.
I would never tell anybody to outline your story except there's two exceptions.
You would make an outline of your story if you're being paid.
And this is the other component because if you're just being paid and this other component
isn't there then it doesn't apply you're being paid and there's a deadline tomorrow or at
the end of the week.
Well okay they're paying me they want me to write a story about ballistic missiles okay
I’ll do the best I can with my talent I’ll outline what I need to do blah blah blah I’ll
get it done in a week and I’ll make five thousand dollars but if they're not paying
me and there's no deadline why would I go with an outline for the product when the creative
process is much richer and holds so many unexpected marvels.
That's what I want to bet on I want to bet on that horse the unexpected marvel that will
come from the unknown and the unexpected of the creative process.
Why would I do if no one's paying me and there's no deadline why would I purposely sabotage
my genius which doesn't come out all the time anyway if ever I'm not going to make an outline
because then I'm bound by the outline.
Film Courage: So you don't need to know where you're going when you when you're writing
a story?
Jack: It's not about needing to know you are better off if you don't know if you know you're
probably going to be in trouble it's like love…I'm not going to fill that blank.
Film Courage: Tell me, I want to hear it.
Jack: If you have a card and every time with your date you keep looking at the card already
say something funny okay you know it's it's got a list of things you should do that will
make your date want you I mean that's ridiculous you have to be in the moment and you have
to just be there be in the moment see what happens love always happens when you don't
expect it to happen, right?
Film Courage: Yeah, that's true that's true.
So you don't think blind dates work?
Jack: What?
Film Courage: You don't think blind dates work?
Jack: If they're kept blind, if you are open.
As a matter of fact I'm saying the opposite, I'm saying blind dates can work.
Listen to the stories that people tell of how they met you know people who've been together
for three four five years at least I’ll say you know I never expected that he was
my uncle's neighbor and it was a wedding and he was there and and he's not anything like
the person I thought I would fall in love with I thought it was going to be this this
and that and I don't know just something happened and the next thing you know we got five kids.
Jack: You can’t…oh there's a…is it The Supremes [1966].
You can't something about love what is it?
It's just very love can’t.
Film Courage: You can't hurry love, you just have to wait.
Sorry you don't want me to sing.
Jack: No you don't want me to sing it.
You I would be happy to hear you.
Film Courage: Okay we can we can put a link to the video for the song.
Jack: You know if something is going to be written it's going to be written don't be
afraid yeah you got that story about you when you went fishing with your fight it'll it'll
come through don't don't worry about it go with the unknown and it'll come in when you
least expect it but go with the unknown that's the creative process unless someone's paying
you right and there's a deadline well you know you're not you're not stupid someone's
gonna give me money to write about ballistic missiles okay i'll do it but otherwise I'm
gonna go with the unknown.
Film Courage: So what about the people that say you must have a road map for where you're
going if not your story will not turn out?
Jack: And I’ve got a Uranium mine that you must invest in somewhere out in Nevada.
You give me ten thousand dollars of your hard-earned money and I’ll make you a million.
What would you say to that?
Film Courage: Can I go visit the mine?
Can you take me on a tour?
Jack: I would say, I would shut the door.
So the same is true for the story you I don't worry about it it'll come through and anyone
who says you must know your story you might if you want to put your money in a Uranium
mine that's that's your business but you know it's not what I teach.
So I'm not saying my way is the only way but it's what I teach.
Question For The Viewers: Do you personally write better with or without an outline?