It’s Writing Monday…
Welcome back friends to our continuing discussion on the myths and gloomy voices that plague writers and anyone involved in any creative process:
Gloomy Voice #3 – You Must Have the Entire Book (Article, Project) Thought Through Before You Write
The truth: Sure, it’s always ideal to plot and plan your book before writing, but it’s not always possible!
Huh?
Ideal
I always encourage writers to plot and plan and outline and cogitate and brainstorm and create character profiles and…you get the picture.
And yes, when writers hear that they say they feel overwhelmed with the massive undertaking of writing an entire book.
But I’m convinced it’s for that same reason that it takes nine months to develop a baby. Imagine having a baby placed in your lap the moment you decided you wanted one!
Who would be ready for that?
Instead, conception is followed by nine months of growth, preparation and development—both yours and the baby’s!
During those nine months, we break down the birthing process into manageable pieces. We shop for baby clothes, equip a nursery, make lists of names, look for day cares and baby sitters, read books on childcare, baby-proof our house, even buy cigars.
So too must we break down and organize the many tasks of writing a book.
The Ideal is Not Always Possible
Back when I was writing non-fiction, I used to laugh at my fiction writing friends when they said their characters changed the direction of their story.
Then, I finally wrote a novel, and now I say the same thing.
Often, I found the story going in a direction that was best for my characters, not the outline I had prepared in advance.
Writing before you’ve plotted your piece (or when you’ve veered from your outline) is merely like driving at night. You can only see as far as the length of your headlights, but you CAN drive all night that way and still get where you want to go.
And hey, if you miss a traffic sign as you’re driving along because your vision is limited, and you take the wrong road, so what? Some of my best trips occurred because I veered off the route I had planned initially.
If your writing leads you in a direction you hadn’t planned, go with it. It might be your muse fighting off the negative voices for you.
Bottom line: Plot and plan as much as possible, but be prepared for your characters to have a say in the direction they go!
Next Monday: Gloomy Voice #4 – You Shouldn’t Write Until You’ve Learned How to Do It Better, Otherwise You’ll Just Reinforce Your Bad Writing Habits
Historical intrigue interwoven with modern-day suspense and a touch of the mysterious.
Contemporary romantic suspense.
Coming-of-age sagas.
When I sit down to write and try to plot and plan I find myself feeling like a car sitting on ice the motor is racing the wheels are turning but I’m not going anywhere. In the past what I’ve done is to pick out a particular scripture story or quote fictionalize the characters and the minute details of the story. So I guess in some sort of way I use a plot and plan that was put together years and years ago.
And what’s funny is now that I just said that I can see that I’ve gotten away from it and maybe that’s why I find myself wandering in the “land of where has my motivation” gone.
Thanks again for the professional advice. WOW! It seems as if I have my own personal mentor!
Take care and write on!
Gary Piper