Sorry to be late to this, but just wanted to add that Milch's process reminds me of Brene Brown's. She has said that she finds the process of writing alone in a room absolutely torturous. Just contemplating it gives her total writer's block. So, in order to trick herself into writing, she invites a crew of folks to a house together and then she talks through the different sections of the book out loud, telling stories and making arguments. The group takes notes on everything she says (I don't know if it's dictation or just notes.). She then takes the notes, retreats to a room and types it all up herself in narrative form and then they do it all again until she's worked her way through the whole book.
Oh, interesting! I'd never read about her process — thank you. It kind of reminds of the advice for stuck/frustrated writers to compose a letter/email to a friend (you don't have to actually send it) about what you're trying to say — I've found that effective in the past!
Yeah I saw her talk about this too, it's how she got her first book over the line, right? With her friends. When I watched it I was like, "Damn, I need me some better friends!" Haha
“Act your way to right thinking”—reminds me of two related quotes: “Clarity comes not from thinking but ENGAGEMENT,” and “Don’t wait for inspiration to act. Inspiration comes when we take action.”
Precisely what I was going to comment: clarity comes from engagement, not thinking. A friend of mine blessed me with that one... not sure where it comes from originally. I return to it often because it's SO TRUE and so easy to forget sometimes.
Also... just like everyone else is saying... fascinating post! Thanks!
A fun read here Mason. Thanks for this one. I love this guy's (Milch) writing process. It's not unlike a group of musicians sitting in a jam session where entire new songs come out, even if lead by only one of the musicians.
I encourage this with our teams of product designers at the company I work at—I encourage folks to sometimes practice their craft as if they were jazz musicians riffing off of one another rather than orchestral players who stick to just their instrument and only play the notes they're given. I think the method of creating in the open, etiher with an audience who gives feedback (direct and indirect) or as a collaborative activity like a workshop, helps to sharpen ideas in ways that individuals can't quite achieve on their own—or at least can't get to the sharpened state as quickly. These activities also have the side-effect of sharpening those individuals who participate—as they come away with new perspectives and mental models for both their creations and the act of creating.
As a woman in film, all I could think while reading this piece was: 🫠Men. In. Hollywood.🫠 Nowhere else have I encountered even a fraction of the entitled-big-baby-needs-things-a-very-specific-and-comedically-inconvenient-way-to-be-a-genius where everyone just goes with it… I cringe with my whole body thinking about being one of the people made to circle around him while he rolls around spilling coffee on the floor…
Thank you for this comment, which: Yeah. That's the flip side for sure. Imagine being a younger/junior person on this show, having to accommodate this process — I think your full-body cringe is totally appropriate. And Milch was notoriously late with pages, forcing not just the production but the cast to adjust too — actors had to get into the habit of learning their lines *just* before a scene started shooting. In the documentary about NYPD Blue I linked to, one of the lead actresses announces that she's leaving the show for this very reason — because Milch's process prevents her from getting to bring her own creative process to bear on the character (because she's just memorizing his lines at the last minute / doesn't have time to understand scenes and interpret them, etc.)
Thanks Mason! I always enjoy your writing and found the ideas in this piece super interesting as well, but… IMAGINE! I think this element of eclipsing your team’s genius, of not allowing your collaborators to bring their own artistry to a group process, is very spot-on. And something we can also learn from.
Yes — I'm really glad you brought this up. A lot of creative practices involve this push-pull, I think. There *is* an element of making something that requires a kind of selfishness/indulgence, at some stages — but if it eclipses your collaborators' artistry, or just sucks all the air out of the room and makes you closed off to other influences . . . well, then your collaborators and the final product both suffer, for sure.
In the case of Deadwood I think it was a good thing that he didn't have much input from the team. Deadwood is as original and perfect as a script can get. Even if his process was inconvenient, the cast is so stellar that it always works. If they weren't on board with his process then it never would have worked. I wonder though, whether it was his process and his obstinance about it that caused HBO to cancel it after the third season, forcing the last few episodes to wrap the whole thing up way too quickly. I mourn the loss of seasons four and five that could have/would have been.
For those of us who spend so much time in our heads, it's hard to realize that thinking isn't always the answer. That was such a revelation for me when I first heard the saying that you quote! Also, really love this exercise. I feel like there are constant conversations in my head, and it would be nice to tease them out on paper.
Great read. thanks for introducing me to this guy. this quote makes me want to experiment with his exercise: "What the exercises do is build certain neural pathways and shut down certain other neural pathways."
This is an amazing post! Thank you! David Milch is one of my favorite writers. Deadwood might be the greatest TV show ever! And the movie is pretty good too.
Yes—lying down is weirdly crucial sometimes? I definitely find that I enter a different, more contemplative, free-associating headspace when writing in bed or at least in a reclined position. And there are tons of stories about writers who needed to lie down to write (Patricia Highsmith, Truman Capote, Proust, others).
I have not tried voice-to-text software. I'm not actually that keen on dictating—I prefer typing to speaking aloud—but I'm also trying to be more open about different methods/approaches, so maybe I'll look into it.
I’ll let you know if I have any breakthroughs or insights. I prob won’t do Milch-on-the-floor either. I’ll get as close as I can without breaking a hip. Cheers.
Good one. I laughed at the line about smoking crack—it’s well known that Aaron Sorkin used to lock himself in a hotel room with a crack pipe and write the early seasons of The West Wing. That’s one way to do it, I suppose?!
Sorry to be late to this, but just wanted to add that Milch's process reminds me of Brene Brown's. She has said that she finds the process of writing alone in a room absolutely torturous. Just contemplating it gives her total writer's block. So, in order to trick herself into writing, she invites a crew of folks to a house together and then she talks through the different sections of the book out loud, telling stories and making arguments. The group takes notes on everything she says (I don't know if it's dictation or just notes.). She then takes the notes, retreats to a room and types it all up herself in narrative form and then they do it all again until she's worked her way through the whole book.
Oh, interesting! I'd never read about her process — thank you. It kind of reminds of the advice for stuck/frustrated writers to compose a letter/email to a friend (you don't have to actually send it) about what you're trying to say — I've found that effective in the past!
Yeah I saw her talk about this too, it's how she got her first book over the line, right? With her friends. When I watched it I was like, "Damn, I need me some better friends!" Haha
I don't think her very first book, which she self-published and sold out of the trunk of her car. But definitely her later ones, yes.
Right? It sounds like a big ask!
May we all find those kinds of friends!
“Act your way to right thinking”—reminds me of two related quotes: “Clarity comes not from thinking but ENGAGEMENT,” and “Don’t wait for inspiration to act. Inspiration comes when we take action.”
Ooh, I'd never hear that first one, about clarity and engagement — I will be mulling that over. Thank you!
Precisely what I was going to comment: clarity comes from engagement, not thinking. A friend of mine blessed me with that one... not sure where it comes from originally. I return to it often because it's SO TRUE and so easy to forget sometimes.
Also... just like everyone else is saying... fascinating post! Thanks!
I'm just coming here to say: The 3 seasons of DEADWOOD are the closest thing TV got to Shakespeare. Essential. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqcf0cb_paQ
OK, I'm convinced! Will make time for it. Thanks for the nudge.
A fun read here Mason. Thanks for this one. I love this guy's (Milch) writing process. It's not unlike a group of musicians sitting in a jam session where entire new songs come out, even if lead by only one of the musicians.
Thanks, Brian — yes, a similar dynamic to a jam session! Maybe more writers should work like musicians?
I encourage this with our teams of product designers at the company I work at—I encourage folks to sometimes practice their craft as if they were jazz musicians riffing off of one another rather than orchestral players who stick to just their instrument and only play the notes they're given. I think the method of creating in the open, etiher with an audience who gives feedback (direct and indirect) or as a collaborative activity like a workshop, helps to sharpen ideas in ways that individuals can't quite achieve on their own—or at least can't get to the sharpened state as quickly. These activities also have the side-effect of sharpening those individuals who participate—as they come away with new perspectives and mental models for both their creations and the act of creating.
This is a fantastic piece on process!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed!
As a woman in film, all I could think while reading this piece was: 🫠Men. In. Hollywood.🫠 Nowhere else have I encountered even a fraction of the entitled-big-baby-needs-things-a-very-specific-and-comedically-inconvenient-way-to-be-a-genius where everyone just goes with it… I cringe with my whole body thinking about being one of the people made to circle around him while he rolls around spilling coffee on the floor…
Thank you for this comment, which: Yeah. That's the flip side for sure. Imagine being a younger/junior person on this show, having to accommodate this process — I think your full-body cringe is totally appropriate. And Milch was notoriously late with pages, forcing not just the production but the cast to adjust too — actors had to get into the habit of learning their lines *just* before a scene started shooting. In the documentary about NYPD Blue I linked to, one of the lead actresses announces that she's leaving the show for this very reason — because Milch's process prevents her from getting to bring her own creative process to bear on the character (because she's just memorizing his lines at the last minute / doesn't have time to understand scenes and interpret them, etc.)
Thanks Mason! I always enjoy your writing and found the ideas in this piece super interesting as well, but… IMAGINE! I think this element of eclipsing your team’s genius, of not allowing your collaborators to bring their own artistry to a group process, is very spot-on. And something we can also learn from.
Yes — I'm really glad you brought this up. A lot of creative practices involve this push-pull, I think. There *is* an element of making something that requires a kind of selfishness/indulgence, at some stages — but if it eclipses your collaborators' artistry, or just sucks all the air out of the room and makes you closed off to other influences . . . well, then your collaborators and the final product both suffer, for sure.
Absolutely!
In the case of Deadwood I think it was a good thing that he didn't have much input from the team. Deadwood is as original and perfect as a script can get. Even if his process was inconvenient, the cast is so stellar that it always works. If they weren't on board with his process then it never would have worked. I wonder though, whether it was his process and his obstinance about it that caused HBO to cancel it after the third season, forcing the last few episodes to wrap the whole thing up way too quickly. I mourn the loss of seasons four and five that could have/would have been.
For those of us who spend so much time in our heads, it's hard to realize that thinking isn't always the answer. That was such a revelation for me when I first heard the saying that you quote! Also, really love this exercise. I feel like there are constant conversations in my head, and it would be nice to tease them out on paper.
Wait—there's a way to exist *other* than being in your own head all the time?? This changes everything . . .
"I went through a six-month period where every day I rewrote the same twelve pages almost word for word.” A relatable king.
All too relatable 🙃
Great read. thanks for introducing me to this guy. this quote makes me want to experiment with his exercise: "What the exercises do is build certain neural pathways and shut down certain other neural pathways."
This is an amazing post! Thank you! David Milch is one of my favorite writers. Deadwood might be the greatest TV show ever! And the movie is pretty good too.
I love your daily rituals books! Thanks for this post too!
Thanks Mason. Love it.
I'm on day two of Milch's no-description-dialogue ritual. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
Great post, Mason. I'm a huge Milch fan and have already ready Life's Work twice.
Briilliant man. I wish we could follow his vision for a little while longer. Life is strangely merciless.
I agree that lying down does sometimes summon he muse. Have you ever tried "Voice to Text" software?
Yes—lying down is weirdly crucial sometimes? I definitely find that I enter a different, more contemplative, free-associating headspace when writing in bed or at least in a reclined position. And there are tons of stories about writers who needed to lie down to write (Patricia Highsmith, Truman Capote, Proust, others).
I have not tried voice-to-text software. I'm not actually that keen on dictating—I prefer typing to speaking aloud—but I'm also trying to be more open about different methods/approaches, so maybe I'll look into it.
Brilliant. I’m going to try it out, I’ll send reports from the field.
Please do! I'm not going full Milch-on-the-floor, but I've been trying out his "two voices" exercise all week, and it's been interesting/worthwhile.
I’ll let you know if I have any breakthroughs or insights. I prob won’t do Milch-on-the-floor either. I’ll get as close as I can without breaking a hip. Cheers.
Good one. I laughed at the line about smoking crack—it’s well known that Aaron Sorkin used to lock himself in a hotel room with a crack pipe and write the early seasons of The West Wing. That’s one way to do it, I suppose?!
Oh, I didn't know that about Sorkin! Maybe that's what Milch was referencing (though he definitely had his own history of drug abuse too)