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GOING WITH THE FLOW: LETTING THE STORY LEAD
Whether you're in the US or Uruguay, August is a bit of a downer. For Westerners, it means that school is on the rise, and, like it or not, you're going to have to get back to business. For those in the East, there's still another month of winter weather that's not really that exciting anymore (and your excuse for sitting at a computer all day is quickly disappearing). But what can you do? Seasons are inevitable, and so is school. That brings us to our topic for the month: going with the flow.
How many times have you found yourself staring at a screen, a page, a mirror, whatever, and just wondering why nothing in your story is going your way? Your plot has fallen flat, taking your confidence with it; your characters have decided to go in the opposite direction for no reason at all; your setting completely changed to something you don't even know about. You're sunk. Finished. Done forever. Right?
Wrong, actually.
See, writing was not made for concrete plans. Sure, you can have a basic (or not-so-basic) plot structure and a set ending and pretty little diagrams, but sometimes they just don't work out. You can't force a novel to change, just like you can't force an object to. Even if you manage to make something change, your writing will become awkward and uncomfortable. It will seem forced (because it is), and will probably be skimmed over and forgotten.Characters were made to be imitations of real, live people, and that's exactly what they're going to try to become. If they come to the conclusion that they prefer saving the dragon to the princess, let them. They know what they're doing, because they come from your heart and your work. Don't bat an eyelash if you go from the 1900s to the 3000s; maybe you've stumbled upon a plot twist, or even the main point of your novel. A book is like having a pet at times: you have to feed it, little by little, every day to watch it grow, and sometimes it will try and take the lead. Let it. Unlike some, this one won't bite. Everything little twist and turn of your writing is your subconscious working, figuring things out, feeling around for ideas. Each tiny piece of this creation is yours and yours alone, even when you didn't directly insert it.
The next time you find yourself staring at your object of choice, cursing your preferred deity for forsaking you, take a deep breath. Relax. Keep writing. Whatever you do, don't stop. The ideas will come. Even if it looks like you've dug yourself into a hole that you'll never get out of, you will. Trust me. Have confidence in this little world you made. Just like the real world, things work out. Some things don't, but in the grand scheme of 'things,' that's a small percentage. Let your characters lead you to enthralling new settings that entice your senses. Let your plot run free in the meadows until it finds its way home again. It's all going to be okay. Your story is fine. It's simply asking for a hand to lead. Give it yours. Let it take you somewhere you never knew you knew. The sky's the limit, basically.
So whether you're lamenting the loss of your vacation or screentime, let nature run its course.
Hi everyone and welcome to the Writing Tips section of the magazine. In this issue, I'm going to be talking about how sometimes it's important to let your stories write themselves.
There are two types of writers. The gardener and the architect.
The architect always devices a plan before starting a book. He/She has a blueprint in mind and then proceeds to start with the book, sticking firmly to the plan with maybe minor adjustments.
The gardener, on the other hand, doesn't have a plan and simply proceeds to dig up a hole to start planting. And as time goes by, he/she keep on looking after the plant and watering it, helping it grow. But the important thing is that they have no complete control over the plant at all. They only help it grow, hoping it would turn into something beautiful.
An architect has everything planned and hence everything is under his/her control. But the gardener just goes with the flow.
And sometimes, it's important for us writers to be gardeners. We need to understand that our stories are capable of writing themselves and that to achieve that, we need to have an open mind and look out for fresh ideas. Sometimes, we just need our stories to write themselves and not force it.
It's not important to know what's going to happen in your story. Of course, having a basic idea is very crucial but not knowing the ending to your own story isn't a bad thing. It's a good thing in fact, since the journey to writing will be more exciting for you and you'll be open to so many more things. You won't have that same luxury of having several options if you already have a blueprint in your mind and are determined to go through with it.
So let your story write itself. Ideas will come and even if you get stuck somewhere, don't worry. Take a little break from writing and then come back to it. You'll get ideas.
Like J.K Rowling for example. She isn't a big fan of Hermione and Ron ending up together in the books but again, she didn't have control over the fictional characters. She didn't like it, she could've prevented it but she didn't and it happened. She let the story write itself.
So let your story write itself too. Be a gardener. Try something new and original. And you'll love it!
That's all I have to say for now. Thank you so much for reading the issue! Until next month!
