THE CONCEPT OF THE FIFTH BRAIN
In the fifth brain metaphorical paradigm, I propose that there are multiple levels that function in a writer's brain, five kinds of rumination. These brains offer a way to conceive of how your imagination works. Which brain we tend to operate from defines our writing style and choices about textual content, but this might change over time. In the infinity of books on the shelves of the world, you will find styles driven by different functions of the brain.
We are looking at the fifth brain, which everyone has, and which is a main source of each individual's creativity (I'm repeating myself because I want you to believe me).
I see the functions of the brain this way:
The first brain of the writer is interior/emotional space, how a person feels in any moment.
The second brain deals with the external space, the physical, geographical details.
The third brain attends to any relational constructs. Is there a person present, are they talking, or are you/the character alone?
The fourth brain is associative, pulling from memory and applying these ideas to the moment.
The fifth brain makes the connections between all these things, is the meaning-maker.
FIRST BRAIN
INTERIOR SPACE / EMOTIONS
How do you feel right now? Emotions, anxieties, thoughts…
I feel like I’m waiting for something.
SECOND BRAIN
EXTERIOR SPACE / PHYSICAL DETAILS
Where are you? What time is it? What objects are near you?
I am seated in a hard chair in a window-filled room on an island in the Mediterranean, and evening sun brightens the white village buildings across the valley.
THIRD BRAIN
RELATIONSHIPS / CONVERSATION
Who/how are you in relation to other beings around you?
I am alone.
Or: The neighbor's tabby cat is always at the edge of the door, staring in.
FOURTH BRAIN
THE MEMORY COLLECTOR
What do you remember? This is detail, sensory or concrete, and accesses the files of associative memory.
The village bread smells like nutmeg, and it reminds me of the mulled wine we used to serve at the bookstore.
FIFTH BRAIN
MEANING MAKER / ZONE / MYTHICAL ABILITY
/ INTUITION / INSPIRATION / MUSE / LOVE
This is the brain that makes the connections, takes the strings between all of the above, and develops and pulls from your philosophies, your sensory memory, your relationships, your physical situation, your memory. The fifth brain pulls material from all previous reading and thought.
In Cyprus, seven thousand miles from my home, I realize I have put myself on pause. If I were a machine, it's as though all my wires have been detached and replugged in new places. I don't know what time it is, what is culturally appropriate, what's the right way to spend a day, how much to clean, how much to write, when to turn left or right, when to go get Wi-Fi.
Should I wash those towels, how long have I been here, when do I go make friends with the people Mom knows and who said to stop by anytime? What should I eat? When should I eat? Did I already eat? Who do I pay the 2.50 Euros for this sunbed? Should I stay at the campground longer? Should I go home? Is it time to go do something brave? I know I did this on purpose, yanked the machine of my life out of its rack. It’s like I’m hitting an enormous RESET button, and it’s too late to not hit it. I’m already there. I’m in that long minute where I must sit still and let time pass before I restart the thing. It’s all dark and I’m waiting, fingers crossed.
(This example is from a letter I was writing to friends when I was alone in Cyprus for five weeks. I didn’t know what this paragraph was about when I began writing, but once I wrote the paragraph, it taught me that I was resetting my life after some massive changes had occurred. Fifth brain magic!)
Fifth brain work is about learning your own inclination, your own material, your own themes, habits, and rituals. It's about loyalty to your own imagination, your own process, to find out how to articulate your view of the world. It's about trusting that you have everything you need to create something particular for yourself and your own interests.
Want to learn more?
This is an excerpt from the FREE online course, How to Access Your Fifth Brain!
The concept of the “fifth brain” was developed by Frankie Rollins through her book, Do You Feel Like Writing? A Creative Guide to Artistic Confidence.