How To Get The Story Out
In about eight or nine days, the memory already eludes me like the soap on the bottom of the tub, I smashed out around 37k of words on my third novel. It was one hell of a productive week in the holidays, and I still managed to wash three cars, mow the lawn, front and back, keep clean clothes on the hangers and dry dishes on the shelves, plus delicious food on our plates. Having two weeks off work is the greatest, I cannot wait to be a stay-at-home father. I have never written so much in such a short time in my life. And I know I can do it with a baby, be damned what any actual mothers tell me.
I felt like Superman. Actually, screw Kent, I felt like Mat Murdock looking down on Bullseye’s body after falling off the wire, or looking down at Dakota North’s body after knowing it was wrong but not really caring. I was on top of the world.
Then, the proceeding week and a half, not so much.
I am trying to plan where the story goes from the big reveal. I know where I want it to end, but I am not certain of the way to get there, as I have written before. Don’t worry, I’m not here to hash out old words, I now have a solution.
I wrote out a plan for the rest of the book about three times, and each time it gets better, but now I just have to write it, the words not the plan. I have a pretty good idea about the characters, and I do know where it all ends. So what am I afraid of?
I plan to start writing back on the novel this week, and not exactly with a tight plan. Very loose in fact, draping around my ankles and tripping me over as I go for afternoon Milo’s loose. But that’s a good thing. I like the ability to move around and I know these characters will get where they need to go. My people always sprawl out and fill in more voids than I knew existed in gaping form.
I have to trust myself. I have to trust my characters. I have to believe. Then it will flow out of me.
That is my solution.
Yeah, not much of a solution, but neither’s religion. Sometimes you just have to have faith.
Posted on July 26th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: Writing
You are fortunate to have a job that provides more than the usual 4 weeks/year. I have many script ideas I would love to nut out if only I had the time.
If you don’t mind me asking, what are your novels about? Which genre etc.? Are any published?
Hey Danial, yeah I find my holidays most fortuitous, I love ‘em!
As for my novel, they certainly aren’t romance or slice of life, so probably no Miles Franklin awards in my future, I do a few different genres, but so far have dabbled in a large scope thriller, a deep crime noir and am currently writing a thriller with more of a disturbed supernatural bent, in my eyes kind of like Stephen King. In all stories I just want to focus on character first, put them in interesting situations and just see what happens.