Writing Tip of the Week
Writing Tip of the Week
Plotting Soil
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“Plot grows out of character. If you focus on who the people in your story are, if you sit and write about two people you know and are getting to know better day by day, something is bound to happen.” Anne Lamott
I often say I’m not a novelist; I just transcribe what my characters tell me. I attended the James Sallis presentation at the Society of Southwestern Authors-Valley of the Sun meeting recently. He spoke of writing by “jumping off the cliff” into the literary unknown. Some of us refer to it as Writing Into The Dark – no plot. It’s a great way to write.
I noted at the meeting that when the writer does jump off that cliff something will appear for him to grab – “out of the dark” so to speak. For me it’s the only way to write novels. Take a leap of faith and one of your characters will reach out with a hand to catch you. Then just follow their lead, which will take you, the unsuspecting writer, into wonderful and surprising literary territory.
As many WITD authors say, no surprise for the author, no surprise for the reader. There’s no way in hell a reader can figure out the author’s ending if the author himself hasn’t a clue as to where his characters are taking him.
Focusing on plotting in advance is risky. The author can get so bogged down in detail that he forgets his primary task – tell the story. As Ansen Dibell wrote, “For a writer, constructing the background material can be so much fun that it’s mistaken for writing.”
In addition to keeping the reader (and the author) in suspense as to just what is going to happen next, jumping off that cliff leads to a hell of a lot of writing fun.
Sidebar – I don’t do character outlines either, preferring to let the characters reveal themselves on their own schedule. That, too, is an exercise in surprise and delight. More on that later.
For now, novelists, consider taking that leap. Trust your characters. They’ll always catch and place you on firm ground.
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Quote of the Week: “As for a plot hole, only stories that are constructed block by block even have those.” Harvey Stanbrough
Recommended Reading: Flying Saucers – A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies by C.G. Jung
Freebee of the Week: Check out www.danbaldwin.com for a free short story or chapter excerpt from one of my works.
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? Dan Baldwin 2023