Many fiction
writers plan out a story in great detail before writing the first word. And
many writing instructors teach the hows and whys of plotting and outlining.
They swear by the process, claiming it provides discipline and keeps you on
track. If you plot and outline well enough, you’re less likely to wander off on
tangents or let the story ramble down paths not of your choosing.
But it’s not
the only way to write. And, for some, not the best way to write. While every
story starts somewhere, and the writer likely has some idea about where it’s
going, many writers know little else about it. They like to let the story find
itself, rely on the characters to drive the action, and allow causes to create
their own effects and conflicts to reach their own resolution.
That’s the
way I like to write. In fact, as I write this I am about 50,000 words into a
novel, and while the story and characters have decided what happens next (as
they have, for the most part, all along the way), what follows after that is
pretty hazy, and where it will end is unknown—at least to me.
There’s a
quotation by Ray Bradbury that sums up this approach to writing a book: “Go to
the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down.”
E.L.
Doctorow said something similar: “Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip
that way.”
I trust
that, at some point, the fog will clear and book I am working on will eventually
reach its destination.
P.S. It did.
I agree, but some editors don't work that way. Then it is necessary to use a combination. It's hard work, no matter which path you take.
ReplyDeleteTrue enough, Vicky, it ain't easy. The editors of the nonfiction books I've written often like to see a road map in advance, but the fiction editors I've worked with just want to see the manuscript.
DeleteI combined both strategies in my historic fiction about a Mormon cowboy family on the Colorado River. Since it was historic fiction, I knew where the story was going and key milestones along the way. However, I had a great time wandering between milestones and tying them together. I enjoyed the outcome which, for my purposes, was all I hoped to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Ed. Historical fiction requires a fairly certain unfolding of events. But getting from one to the other is where the surprises are.
DeleteHurray for Bradbury! When I taught fiction writing and screenwriting at Okla. U.(Win) recently, none of my colleagues preached outlining. It may be useful for beginners in fear of not finishing, but for pros, it's a dead end. Leave all the doors (choices) open so you can fly the way the muse invites you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Win. That's good advice coming from one of the masters of fiction.
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