The Right Brained Writer

By Robin "Red Hot" Kaye


I love taking courses and just began re-taking one of my all-time favorites. It’s called Empowering Characters’ Emotions and is given by Margie Lawson. It’s not a new class for me—this is the third time I’m taking it. You might wonder why I would take the same class three times. I tried explaining it to my husband and he just didn’t understand. The class forces me to look at my words under a microscope, and after writing five books, I fear falling into rut. I worry that I’m just going through the motions. Every time I take it I feel as if my writing gets fresher.

Today I took a test to see if I’m left brained or right brained. I found out I’m incredibly right brained. I guess that’s not too unusual for a writer. As a “strong right brainer,” I look at the whole of something before examining the details. I go with my gut instead of going with something that makes perfect sense. I realize now why my husband, a “strong left brainer,” can’t figure out why I feel it necessary to take the same class three times.

A writer who is left brained tends to be a plotter. Left brainers know where they are going and how everything works in the story before they write the first word. Me, I’m like a fart in a windstorm—I have a general story line and an idea of the internal and external conflicts, and then I jump in with both feet and see where it takes me. It’s exciting. It keeps me guessing and forces me to keep looking over my shoulder, wondering what else is going to happen. I do envy those lefties though. I think that knowing what I’m going to write every day would take a lot of the guesswork out of my so-called writing schedule. Still, I can’t imagine writing a book and knowing how it’s going to end before I even begin. What keeps the left brainers interested?

I’m in the process of sharpening my writing, making it fresher, testing my imagination, giving it a much-needed workout and I love the process. My next book is due in September, and as usual, I have no clue as to what it’s about. Sure, I know the hero, sort of…definitely not well enough. The heroine is a mystery and as for the story… Yeah, well, let’s not get into that. I’m sure you get the picture. I’ve learned after five books that my right brain will eventually elbow me in the ribs with an idea (hopefully sooner rather than later) and I’ll jump in and get caught up in characters, the story, and the writing. The resulting story will be a more imaginative book than had I not taken the same class three times with a fabulous teacher like Margie Lawson.

If you'd like to test your brain, here's a link to one of the many available. Here is one of my favorite left brain right brain tests and only takes a second. It's the dancer. Have fun!