“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have
imagined.” --Henry David Thoreau
For me, the beginning of a new year is like the beginning of a new book. The pages are blank and it’s up to me to fill them. But, alone, at 5 a.m. with only the computer monitor for light, that blank page staring me smack in the face can be scary. The thought of writing thousands of words that will somehow flow into a fresh, exciting work of subliminal prose can be daunting, challenging and/or a joyous release of creative energy. Most of the time, it’s a combination of all of the above, and how I feel about it changes as I go through the writing process.
There are as many ways to write a book as there are ways to fill our lives. How we do it, and how we feel about it, is entirely up to us. When writing, some of us fly by the seat of our pants (aka pantsers). We simply sit down with an idea and let ‘er rip. Some of us outline our plots from beginning to end and use detailed description charts of characters, setting, subplots and even word choices that fit the tone of our stories. Many of us do both... outlining just enough to get down the major elements, and then we let the story develop organically. There's no right or wrong way, and I’ve done them all.
But, after writing 13 published novels and 5 that have found better use as doorstops, I’ve developed my own writing process which is a combination of both pantsing and being somewhat OCD about outlining certain elements. I seem to follow the same pattern in life. I love to be spontaneous, to do things on a whim and let things develop as they may. But, at other times, I need to know everything, I need to organize and make plans. What I do works for me.
We all need to find our own writing process and for many of us, that takes time. It takes writing book after book. Some books won’t work no matter what you do and they should only be thought of as a reminder of how far you’ve come...and as a lesson in what worked and what didn’t. Like those books, it takes time to find a comfortable place in life. Some of what we’ve done, works. Some not so much, and we get a lesson. Like the beginning of a new book, the New Year, a symbol of new beginnings, gives us a point in time to reassess, to take a look at what worked in the past and what didn’t. It's a time to stare down that blank page in front of us and forge ahead. We decide what to do with it.
What will you do this year? Will you write the same type of story as the year before...or take a risk and write something entirely different? Will you continue to do the same things in life that will only get you the same things as you got before...or will you revise and redefine? Will you take a risk? Will you allow your imagination to soar and give your dreams the potential to become real? Will you live the life you imagined?
Our stories are up to us to do with them what we will. I plan to make mine spectacular! I hope you do the same.
Wishing you all a fabulous New Year!
Linda
P.S. I’m curious. Does your writing process/style mimic the way you approach life?
8 comments:
Good morning Linda. Happy New Year. I'd say yes, my writing mimics my life. I plan and plot and make detailed lists in both areas. Of course, I always allow room for pleasant surprises along the way. Wishing you may contracts this year.
Hi Linda. Wonderful post. Coincidentally, writing in 2011 was the main topic on my mind as I walked the dog this morning. Definitely, my writing mimics my life. I outline and try to stick with it. Surprises aren't always wanted and it takes time for me to accept that they're exactly what I needed. Happy New Year!
Hi Kim. Nice to see you here...and thanks for the good wishes. I think no matter how much planning one does, you have to make room for the surprises. Some of my most intriguing characters just popped up in the middle of a book and then went on with stories of their own. Wishing you many contracts this year, too!!
Hi Donna. It's interesting to hear you say surprises aren't alway welcome. But then, if you're a by the book outliner/plotter, I can imagine it would be somewhat distracting, and it is important to stay focused and not let the story wander...a problem many of us have in the beginning. It's good to develop the skill to know when to listen and when to ignore the surprises.
Happy New Year to you, too!!
Hi Linda. Thought I would respond to your questions.
My name is Robert, I am an unabashed pantser. But I also have to admit that once I get comfortable in my jeans, I also send them to the cleaners and have’m pressed.
Fortuitously, stories play for me like a movie in my head. As a writer I am constantly trying to keep up with the film playing there. Having said that, once the story gets going, I want to keep track of its various elements and begin to log plot points, action, scenes, time and place, and the weirdness impelled by characters doing things you hadn’t planned, etc., on a spread sheet. I also keep track of word count. For instance, if I’m writing a novel of approximately 85,000 to 108,000 words, I know I’ll write approximately 250 words per page. That equates to a mss of 386 to 432 pages. So as I go along, I am consciously and subconsciously aware the arc of my story. There are times when I am shortstopped from writing and look to my spreadsheet to enter brief information somewhere in the time line. Then if there is a ‘scene’ that comes to me, independent of the current chapter, I might be working on, I can write that ‘scene’, enter it on my spreadsheet and know right where it belongs in the mss now or later. It also allows me to reorganize ‘scenes’ or chapters very quickly, if the story requires it and watch for the need for transition points. I am a proponent A to Z virtual visualization. That means if I know where ‘A’ and ‘Z’ are in my story, I am confident my brain will fill in the rest of the alphabet. In that regard I encourage students to at the very least know where they are starting and where they’d like to end their story. If the ending changes along the way (as it is want to do) that’s fine as long as you find the end. As for how closely my writing process reflects my life process, I’d have to say I like my Wranglers soft and worn, but well pressed!
Hi Robert,
Thanks for stopping by. I love your jeans analogy. :-)
I've tried many approaches to writing and have found a process that works for me. Like you, my stories play like movies in my head, so until I get my characters down, (usually after writing the first three chapters) I'm pretty much a pantser...writing what's in my mind's eye.
But even then, I always have an idea where my story begins and ends. I, too, encourage students to know where they are starting and ending their story...and why. Every protagonist must have a goal, and if he has a goal, he's either going to achieve it or he's not.
After getting the early chapters down, I have a better grasp on my characters, so I go back and revise. And then, because I sell on proposal, I have to write a synopsis. When the book is contacted, I fill in the story (using my synopsis as a guide). At this point, almost everything is subject to change. Beginnings change, endings change, new characters pop up. It's an exciting process!
Generally, I work from one turning point to another, filling in the blanks and using escalating consequences to keep me on track. Rarely do I write scenes out of sequence, although I do make notations if an idea presents itself.
Creating fiction is a fascinating process, and I love learning what other writers do. Thanks for sharing yours.
Hi Linda. I'm not sure how I started receiving your Bootcamp emails,but I suspect it has to do with the Meetup group I started - The Gilbert Writers Group. I disbanded the Meetup group and have gone to an invitation-only writers group. I admire your drive and success with the bootcamp writing classes. And of course, your success as an author. My writing style is whatever works that moment. My sponteneity in writing, as in life, can be a wondrous adventure, or get me in hot water. As long as it's never boring...
Best Regards,
Lana
Hi Lana,
I'm not sure how you got on the my blog list either since I only post to twitter and Facebook. It wouldn't be with any Meetup groups since I've never attended any meetings, and am not familiar with the one you mention. But...it's nice to see you here, and I hope you come back again. :-)
You're right, spontaneity in life, and in writing can be a wonderful adventure. Keep writing!!
Linda
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