Writing Process
Mar. 26th, 2009 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
musingaloudI read this today at talktoyouniverse.blogspot
If you know how to write an effective query, then you know what your story is about.
This may sound odd, since of course we all know what our stories are about. But if we are able to step back and capture the essential compelling conflict of the story in one paragraph, very likely this means that that component, the story's backbone, is strong and pulls people through the novel as well.
And it got me thinking on something that's been simmering on my brain's backburner for a while, about the writing process, and trying to figure out where I am in that process. I think each writer has their own personal process. For some it comes fairly easily and for others, it takes a lot of study and hard work. I think I fall into the latter camp.
This is how I perceive my process: I started out wanting to tell a story. And so I wrote. And then along the way I realized I wasn't as ready as I thought I was. So I started studying and learned that about everything I was doing was wrong. So then I started focusing on one aspect or another: Ok, character, got that down, but my pacing is off. Work on pacing. Ok, that's better, but the plot is not working. Work on plot. K, better, but what's this with story arc and character arc? Work work work.
It's only when all these little bits and pieces come together and one can stand back and look at the story as a whole, without really thinking about it anymore, just understanding that all these components are needed to make a great story, that one can, indeed, write a great story. It's a process, and some must move slow and others instinctively.
Today in my process, I learned that I don't think of stories in terms of plots. I always knew this, but I think today I *understood* it and how it affects my writing. I think of stories in terms of characters and what I want them to do and whom I want them to interact with. But I don't think of stories in terms of plot. Plot is my weakness. To be more specific, as it can be argued that going around interacting with others could be plot, plot = conflict. In my personal life, I don't like conflict; I run from conflict; I try to stay conflict-free. I think it's why I tend to start flailing around and backstroking when I think about conflict in my stories.
So I thought about my Nano novel that I've been thinking of picking up again. In it, my heroine meets crazy characters and hijinks and bad karma ensue. But where is my major conflict???? Where, indeed? It's the reason why it's taken me *cough cough* *mumblety* years to take this from short story to novel. The short story ended with an open end, inviting more from my characters, but absolutely no idea what more would follow except a vague suspicion. But major conflict? None.
This probably isn't such a great epiphany. Most of you will say, "You're not ready to write this story yet, Pam." Most likely, you're right. But I do know exactly what I need to work on now. And that makes me feel better.
If you know how to write an effective query, then you know what your story is about.
This may sound odd, since of course we all know what our stories are about. But if we are able to step back and capture the essential compelling conflict of the story in one paragraph, very likely this means that that component, the story's backbone, is strong and pulls people through the novel as well.
And it got me thinking on something that's been simmering on my brain's backburner for a while, about the writing process, and trying to figure out where I am in that process. I think each writer has their own personal process. For some it comes fairly easily and for others, it takes a lot of study and hard work. I think I fall into the latter camp.
This is how I perceive my process: I started out wanting to tell a story. And so I wrote. And then along the way I realized I wasn't as ready as I thought I was. So I started studying and learned that about everything I was doing was wrong. So then I started focusing on one aspect or another: Ok, character, got that down, but my pacing is off. Work on pacing. Ok, that's better, but the plot is not working. Work on plot. K, better, but what's this with story arc and character arc? Work work work.
It's only when all these little bits and pieces come together and one can stand back and look at the story as a whole, without really thinking about it anymore, just understanding that all these components are needed to make a great story, that one can, indeed, write a great story. It's a process, and some must move slow and others instinctively.
Today in my process, I learned that I don't think of stories in terms of plots. I always knew this, but I think today I *understood* it and how it affects my writing. I think of stories in terms of characters and what I want them to do and whom I want them to interact with. But I don't think of stories in terms of plot. Plot is my weakness. To be more specific, as it can be argued that going around interacting with others could be plot, plot = conflict. In my personal life, I don't like conflict; I run from conflict; I try to stay conflict-free. I think it's why I tend to start flailing around and backstroking when I think about conflict in my stories.
So I thought about my Nano novel that I've been thinking of picking up again. In it, my heroine meets crazy characters and hijinks and bad karma ensue. But where is my major conflict???? Where, indeed? It's the reason why it's taken me *cough cough* *mumblety* years to take this from short story to novel. The short story ended with an open end, inviting more from my characters, but absolutely no idea what more would follow except a vague suspicion. But major conflict? None.
This probably isn't such a great epiphany. Most of you will say, "You're not ready to write this story yet, Pam." Most likely, you're right. But I do know exactly what I need to work on now. And that makes me feel better.
