David Milch teaches a writing class

It’s 1981 and David Milch is an English literature professor at Yale University.

He is known for his cerebral and unorthodox approach to writing, for the profanity of his dialogue and for the precision of his plots. His teaching style is also unorthodox.

In one class he is lying on the floor at the front of the classroom. Twenty students are leaning forward, looking down on him.

‘Do you all have your notebooks out? Are your pens at the ready. It’s time for a writing assignment, a writing exercise.’

Students scramble for their writing equipment.

‘For the next five days, find a time each day, preferably the same time, and sit down and write for not less than twenty minutes and not more than fifty minutes. Five-zero. Don’t think about it, don’t set it up on the computer, don’t think about what you’re going to write before you do it. No exceptions.’

Students are jotting down the assignment.

‘Two voices, one and two. No names. No description. No description. That means no description. Voice one and voice two. The setting? Don’t say what the setting is. No description. Write for not less than twenty minutes with those two voices. Just follow, just hear what they say. Not more than fifty minutes. Put it in an envelope, seal the envelope, and shut up. Don’t talk about it. Don’t think about what it means. Don’t think about who they are.’

One student wearing glasses starts thinking.

‘The next day, preferably at the same time, sit down and do it again. They may be the same voices, they may be different voices, don’t worry about it. Whatever comes out is fine. Don’t think about it. Just do it.’

That student stops thinking. David smiles.

‘In the course of these exercises, the true categories of your imagination emerge, and they are absolutely different from what you think they are. What the exercises do is build certain neural pathways and shut down certain other neural pathways.’

David becomes serious.

‘It’s a physiological and a behavioural sequence that creates neurological changes. It is a way of habituating yourself in a different fashion, and you can’t fool around with it.’