Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Books & Such Literary Agency Main Office, Rain-soaked Santa Rosa, Calif.
The comments you wrote about outlining on Monday’s blog left me wondering a couple of things. First, I was wondering (and have no way to prove it) if the need to outline would be different if you wrote fiction or nonfiction. Perhaps I wouldn’t outline a novel, but I think I’d need an outline to complete a nonfiction project. Somebody else might be the opposite.
This thought lead to my contemplating ideas about our brains’ right and left hemispheres. In general, the right side of the brain has been shown to be the more creative, emotional side while the left side focuses on logic. Would right-brained thinkers choose not to outline while left-brained thinkers would outline?
Here are definitions of left-brain and right-brain thinkers:
Left Brain: Objective, analytical, looks at parts, logical, sequential, rational
Right Brain: Random, intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, subjective, looks at wholes
Click here for more on right- vs. left-brain thinking.
In this article, I found reference to a case study done by Gott, Hughes and Whipple in 1984. They studied one woman who supposedly could switch between being a left-brain thinker and a right-brained thinker. She described the left side as her “business woman side” and the right as her “gardening side.” Wouldn’t that be a unique gift? It’s almost a superpower. 🙂
Are you a right-brained or left-brained thinker? Or a dual-thinker like the woman in the study? Here’s a quiz that can help you to find out. (I’m not sure of the accuracy of it, but it’s fun!) According to the quiz, I’m left hemisphere dominant. I answered 11 questions with left-brained answers and 7 questions with right-brained answers. I would have guessed that I am a left-dominant thinker.
Once you’ve figured out which side you tend toward, please feel free to post a comment! I’d love to know
what kind of thinker you are;
if you outline before write;
and if you think you’d outline fiction, nonfiction, both, or neither.
If you’re interested in tapping into the other side of your brain while writing, I found a site with prompts for both types of writers. It’s also fun!
To inspire left-brained writing.
To inspire right-brained writing.
I’ve really enjoyed your comments so far this week. Thank you for participating.
I took the test. I scored 18-0, Left brain. Seriously. Why didn’t somebody at Books & Such TELL me I was not the creative type?
Dale, we didn’t tell you because we didn’t know until now! Thanks for posting your results. Were you surprised?
We’re laughing in the office. I’m 11 right, 7 left–which means the “framing” system of writing I wrote about earlier this week suits me well: a sort of outline with lots of freedom to color in or outside the lines. 🙂
Now, back to the financials . . . 🙂
Astonished. Spelling and math have always been natural for me; in high school I scored dead even in the math and language parts of the SAT but I’ve always been disorganized and creative. When they talk about thinking outside the box my answer is always, “What box?” I guess now I’ll have to give up writing and become an accountant.
Dale, don’t you dare give up writing! I did write in my post that I wasn’t sure of the accuracy of the quiz. It’s not supposed to be a life changer. 🙂
Hmmm… I scored 10 on right brain and 8 on left. Like Michelle, I like to frame my stories and have lots of room to play. Fun post!
It’s too late, Rachel. I’m crushed. All this time I wondered why it was so hard for me to write a book, and now I know. I don’t have a creative bone in my body. I’ve got half a mind to quit… if it weren’t for this chicken.
I came out 9/9 — which I’ve gotten on right/left brain tests before. Amusingly, I just noticed even my website is split down the middle. I outline for detail-heavy non-fic and not at all for something like poetry. For essays and novels, I do a similar thing that others have mentioned: I have a framework in mind and “color it in.” I do believe in allowing and celebrating the unexpected characters, scenes, etc. that pop up while I’m writing. I always follow those hunches!
Dale, drop your accounting books right now, listen to the chicken and keep pretending you’re writing books! Your readers need you, I need you!
For those of you reading these comments, the “chicken” stuff is an inside joke so don’t try to over-analyze (for you left-brainers) or get too imaginative (for you right-brainers) about what it means.
I predicted I would come in at 9/9–and I did. So I’m a totally balanced, disorganized-organized schizoid. But I guess that ultimately means I’m good at negotiating contracts, working deals and appreciating good writing. Hey, maybe I should be an agent!
I scored 13-right and 5-left. You should see my office…
I came in with 11 left and 7 right, but there were at least two questions where I could have answered the other way just as honestly. Like Dale, I scored dead even for math and language on my SATs, and I majored in architecture, which is half artistic and half engineering. When I write non-fiction, I outline meticulously. When I write fiction, I frame the major plot events and then let the characters take over.
I’m noticing that most of us don’t have a clearly dominant hemisphere. (Except for Dale, and even he has “half a mind to quit,” which means he has, by default, half a mind not to. So in a way, he is of two minds, as well.) I wonder if maybe fluid communication between reasoning and creativity, big picture and details, isn’t common to many writers?
10 right, 8 left.
I personally think I’m pretty darn close to being both, right down the middle. I can’t outline to save my life, and would be bored if I had a whole plot already figured out before I started to write. The surprise is part of the fun of writing!
But… I’m also a payroll manager by day, LOVE Math, and am as analytical as they come.
But… I’m also messy and disorganized (to people looking on… not to myself! I know where everything is, and that’s what counts!)
I guess maybe I’d just be called dysfunctional?? *grin*
I tested 8-right, 10-left brained, making me delightfully imbalanced. For the record, my answers are the correct ones.
I’m balanced. I never outline, and my organizational skills are erratic, but I have my own order! If I outline a book, I never finish writing it because I’ve already fulfilled my needs. But if I don’t have a working plot in my head, I won’t ever finish it, either.
I’m completely left brained, but I’m not sure that’s accurate.
I got 18 left brain, 0 right brain. I knew I was left-brained, but not that strongly! I guess that makes sense considering my family’s math/engineering background, though. And I’ve always been an analytical thinker.
I used to think I hated outlining, but while working on new projects lately I’ve noticed things turn out a lot better when I do. I don’t always stick to outlines but they help me point myself in the right direction.
I’d definitely outline nonfiction. And, as I said, I partially outline fiction.
Thanks for the interesting exercise!
I’m with Julie Carobini–13 right, 5 left.
I do outline. But have no problem changing the story as I go.
Here is an interesting post that says the left brain/right brain theories are rubbish, but suggests we can boost creativity by making the two sides speak to one another. http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/?p=2021
I’ve never really believed much in the left brained/right brained thingy, but I took the test, and was 9 and 9. I think that fits. I seem to be able to both see the big picture and figure out the details of how to make that happens. Problem is, I too often see the big picture about 11:00 PM and then lie awake for hours working out the details in my mind. I’ve “outlined” a dozen novels that way, only 1 1/3 written so far.
All of you who were 100% left, if you did the quiz on an Apple with the Safari browser, it’s likely wrong.
I think that might explain a few things…
Sorry about that!
Ah ha!!!! I knew I wasn’t 100% left brained. But this does go to show that Macs are 100% percent left brained and therefore more orderly, efficient, on time, etc.
Yes, Macs are the logical choice. 😉
>>All of you who were 100% left, if you did the quiz on an Apple with the Safari browser, it’s likely wrong.<<
NOW you tell me. I guess this means I shouldn't have signed up for the online accounting course, right? Oh, the humanity. Bill, how about sending me the right answers so I'll know how I REALLY scored.
I got 50:50, although I found many of the options didn’t reflect what I truly wanted to say – so I’m probably just plain awkward! Really like this and am tweeting!
I didn’t look at my numbers (probably typical right-brained behavior) but the quiz said I am right-brained. I do have some definite left-brained traits though, and certain things I do are strictly left-brained jobs. Interesting stuff! I’ll have to come back later to look some more at those left- and right-brain inspiration links. Thanks for sharing this!
9/9, but some of the questions were analogous to the courtroom lawyer requiring his witness to “only answer yes or no”. I do think I’m left-brain dominant, although I never outline before starting to write.