“We’re exploring, Robbie.
Let’s just see what we discover.”
It didn’t make much sense to me back then. I mean, dad was the one driving. The car wasn’t deciding anything. The only thing it ever decided was where to
break down, which was never a good point in time. My bad luck with cars was inherited from my
father.
Those afternoon drives are how I prefer to write. I pick a general direction and then allow my
pen to dictate what side roads to go down.
I usually have a broad idea of what I want in a story jotted down
somewhere. For example, Losing Faith is about Selby and Faith Greer
who open their marriage up to sexual adventures outside the bonds of
matrimony. I knew Faith was going to
begin having sex with her boss and eventually that would lead to family issues
and a choice having to be made by the end of the novel. In To
Steal a Star, an evil wizard threatens to bring an evil Darkness to Iolanthe
and another wizard, Raynor, has to find a hidden princess, unearth a powerful
talisman and save the day. That’s
usually what I begin with as my outline.
Then I start writing and follow the journey of my characters, exploring
the side trails as they pop up. Along the
way, I’ve discovered some great plot twists I never would have dreamed up on my
own. (Sounds like my dad’s insistence
that the car is making the decisions, doesn’t it?)
I know many prefer to outline their stories. I’ve read the books on the craft of writing
that suggest that you write out a chapter by chapter outline so that you stay
on track and keep to your story. I do write
out character backgrounds and descriptions as well as important historical
facts about the world I am creating in order to keep the rules of my novel in
front of me. However, that’s about as
far as I go with it. Everything is a
series of side roads until I reach the journey’s end, exploring the characters
as they reveal themselves to me.
The first draft, for me, is all about the excavation of
ideas and possibilities. During the
process, I’m discovering new characters, getting rid of old ones, and figuring
out the subplots. The second draft is
about fixing everything so that it falls in order and flows properly. Chapters are added and scenes deleted so that
the front of the book leads to the logical ending. During the writing of Losing Faith, I decided Edwin being married wasn’t going to work, and
since I didn’t have the time to go through a lengthy divorce for him, I demoted
his wife to girlfriend status. A little further
into the story it was obvious that even a girlfriend wasn’t going to work in
the novel and so her character was given a pink slip without a severance
package. Hopefully, she’ll find work in
another story somewhere. (And they say
Hollywood is tough!)
You’re probably thinking it’s a lot of extra, unnecessary
work and that I just like breaking rules and murdering trees. Well, I do enjoy breaking the occasional rule,
but to me this is the same amount of work as outlining and even more fun. I unearth funny lines and interesting character
quirks as I learn the story I am trying to tell better. It’s what works best for me and with anything
in life, that’s how you succeed - by doing what’s best and works for you. Besides, I’m not going anywhere and the tale
is moving forward at a pace that allows me to take in the scenery. I’m eager to see what I discover next.
* * * * *
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For Further Reading ~ A Matter of Habit
Thanks for visiting The Mess!
Robbie, it is always interesting to see how other writers do what they do. You're even way more organized than I am. I don't use any kind of notes or outline...well except I do make a character list just so I can remember all their names. But they don't go on the list until they show up in the story. I am a lot like your father. I have always done that Sunday drive thing with no destination in mind. When I write, I may have a definite destination in mind, but no idea how I'm going to get there. I just sit down and let it flow. When I get stuck, I just walk away from it for a while and let it stew. Next time I sit down to write, it just takes off - sometimes in surprising directions. I guess if I was depending on writing as a livelyhood, I would be more structured and disciplined. But I'm not, so I don't bother. The fun part to me is just letting the creativity flow through me.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be more fun that way. And those afternoon drives are forever embedded in my memory. Thanks, Robert, and good luck with your writing!
DeleteWow.
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteFantastic post, Robbie I just love how your mind works. I am so in awe of people who can write fiction because I know it takes so much creativity and imagination. I feel like my genre is a walk in the park in comparison and I've always said, when I grow up as a writer I want to learn to write fiction. It's terrific how you offer us little insights to your process because the beauty of art is that we all come at it from a different place/perspective. There is no way you can learn your craft from a book and it sounds to me like you and your cast of characters are moving along just fine. : ) I'm now interested in your work, "Losing Faith."
ReplyDeleteI agree, Stephanie. Everyone has their way of doing things and that's what makes us so unique. I love stories. They are my escape and I love being able to share them with others. Thanks for visiting and commenting and for your friendship.
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