Recently, a friend shared his wisdom when another said that
writing is hard, and asked if there was a way to make it easier. To this, my
friend said, describing his approach to writing fiction, “Write it from inside
the characters. Allow the characters to grow their own story and follow their
lead. When it is complete and you are seeking opinions about how well you wrote
it, leave your ego at home and allow the comments --- even the foolish or
misguided ones --- to penetrate because they are talking about a book, not
about you. Even a fool is correct once in a while! The goal is to create a work
of art that will speak well of you. Any hack can cobble together 80,000 words,
but most of that kind of writing can put a shark to sleep.”
Every term, my MFA students lament this very thing. I have
to remind them that every writer carries similar worries at every stage of
their career. In some part, it's the nature of the business itself. But it's
also a function of human nature.
It seems the core of these worries are defined by a lot of
shouldas and couldas, accompanied by a strong belief in several sacred myths
about writing and writers. Myths, they
hope, that carry the secrets to and serve as a compass for how to succeed as a
writer.
Myth: Writers only write when they are inspired.
I’m too old to wait around, hoping for some magical muse to
show up. The truth is, writers write. It seems to me that curiosity is much
more important.
Recently I’ve been going through a phase in which I really
like Australian TV. The scenery. The intersection of history between indigenous
and penal colonies. The Māori (and the Huka!). A common plot device is cricket
– whether it’s baking, mystery, supernatural or comedy, there always seems to
be a leather ball and a flat bat involved. To understand the context, I started
researching cricket. And watching Australian cricket. (Baggy green is now my
favorite color! What a sticky wicket!) This led me to research certain cricket
personalities, then cricket history, which led to reading more about British
colonialism. Which led to reading about the mid-Atlantic slave trade and the
middle passage and the slave narratives. Which led me to Caribbean uprisings.
While it sounds like a rabbit hole that Lewis Carrol might envy (and it was), I
began noticing a seed for a story. This seed soon developed into a premise.
Then it became a character. Then it became a draft.
More often it is through the act of reading and writing
itself that inspiration finally decides to visit.
Myth: Writers are introverts.
There may be some truth to this. I prefer long walks to
parties. I prefer languorous conversations with my flowers. Albeit, my
granddaughter is pretty good at discussing the secrets of dragonflight. Others
travel, attend literary events, participate in writing and reading groups, join
online discussions. Sometimes I pop into one or two events. Given my luddite nature, my relationship with
social media is rather wobbly. (The irony that I’m writing a blog isn’t lost on
me. But I did handwrite this first!) Some may be energized and go full steam
into social events, while others find it exhausting. In the end, writers need
diverse perspectives and connections to enrich their writing, but ultimately,
it’s more important for you to be you.
I’m a nerd about the writing process. I find it an endlessly fascinating topic. While I have more than a fair share of degrees and certificates in the writing process, I still attend classes, workshops and lectures given by the best in the business. If you have the chance, I can’t recommend enough the classes given by Emma D. Dryden, Harold Underdown and Eileen Robinson, and the many offerings at Free Expressions, sponsored by Lorin Oberweger and company, featuring such lecturers as Donald Maass, Chris Vogler and many others.
Whether it’s plotting versus pantsing, the hero’s journey
versus the snowflake method, or saving the cat versus the three-act narrative,
editing while you go or hammering out an SFD, everyone has their own way of
engineering a story. My own process tends to follow four steps:
1. Research to get an overview of historical and social
contexts. Besides, I like to read. You never know what treasure you’ll find.
2. Outline, because I
tend to work with a cast of characters as well as historical/social elements
that require careful staging.
3. Write that SFD, usually by hand first.
4. Revise, then revise again, then revise again, because
this is where the real magic happens.
What makes it work for me is that I set time apart for my writing
and treat it like a job. I know how busy life becomes, having worked as a
single parent maintaining a household. But it is still my job to write.
Myth: Writers are excellent spellers.
Yea. Right.
Myth: Writing is easy.
Does any of this sound easy?
Just as an engineer relies on a structurally-sound blueprint
– one that, according to Larry Brooks in his book, Story Engineering, requires
a plan based on proven physics and structural dynamics -- to build something
that will bear weight and resist the elements, so must a writer engineer a
story using the literary equivalent. The technicality of the story is
fundamental to its creativity. The master writers make it look easy, but behind
the scenes, it’s all sweat, blood and a few tears.
There are no easy answers. I tend to like what
Margaret Dilloway suggests in The Writer Unboxed, that you have to give
yourself the permission to write, and you have to give yourself your own
approval and authentication, instead of depending on external sources. As she
states, "Nobody else can do that for you. You have to take that
power and confidence for yourself.”
Most important, remember that it's important to celebrate the little things. And the big things. And the wicked goggly things, too.
Celebrating the
completion of my SFD! You know, shitty first draft! Only 99 more to go!
Thank you for reading!
-- Bobbi Miller
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