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Wherein I ramble about books, movies,
music, TV shows, my life, and occasionally, hot emo boys.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My way is not your way
Yesterday I had a great telephone conversation with Eileen Wilks, wherein we made some good progress in planning our workshop for RWA 2008.
One thing we touched on (and I think is worthy of its own blog post because we're not covering it as part of our panel) is how writers can sometimes fixate on process. So-and-so does this, and she sells a bazillion books a year, therefore I should do it too.
Personally, I think that's bollocks.
Truly I think each author needs to find his or her own method and go with it. Same with subject matter, same with stories. I don't think it's possible to maximize your own potential if you're emulating someone else. This is a helpful tool to learn how to write, but after a while, it becomes imperative to develop your own style.
That goes for process, routine, and voice. I've attended seminars where the speaker talked as if her method was the only one and if you don't follow her steps, then you're doing it wrong. That drives me crazy because it's so patently not true. Don't panic if you don't outline. Don't panic if you do.
Some writers use outlines, character cards, storyboards, and a whole lot of tools that seem impossibly complicated to me. I have a friend who was flabbergasted to find out I don't plot anything.
She said, "Do you not outline ahead of time? Are you one of them lucky folks who can just sit down and write? Not me. I need the whole thing, chapter by chapter outlined and plotted. Otherwise, mermaids and shit start popping up all over the place and it's a straight contemporary."
Shit, sometimes I don't even have character names, basic story, nothing. It just comes while I write. I know the important components of a story and how they are constructed (exposition, rising action, etc), but I don't break it down or deconstruct what I'm doing to see how my work fits the four act dramatic structure. I just write.
For other people, that would not work at all. They would find it impossible to keep track of various plot threads without having it all diagrammed. I would suppose that's because they're more visual than I am, and they need to see their scenes laid out to get a feeling for the flow of the book. Both ways are good. Both ways work.
So don't let anyone convince you that they've worked out a foolproof way of doing this or that. Your system is fine. Don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong. There's no one right way to do this job. Paraphrasing Nora Roberts, whose Q&A was the best I attended at RWA this year: whatever way works for you is the best way.
One thing we touched on (and I think is worthy of its own blog post because we're not covering it as part of our panel) is how writers can sometimes fixate on process. So-and-so does this, and she sells a bazillion books a year, therefore I should do it too.
Personally, I think that's bollocks.
Truly I think each author needs to find his or her own method and go with it. Same with subject matter, same with stories. I don't think it's possible to maximize your own potential if you're emulating someone else. This is a helpful tool to learn how to write, but after a while, it becomes imperative to develop your own style.
That goes for process, routine, and voice. I've attended seminars where the speaker talked as if her method was the only one and if you don't follow her steps, then you're doing it wrong. That drives me crazy because it's so patently not true. Don't panic if you don't outline. Don't panic if you do.
Some writers use outlines, character cards, storyboards, and a whole lot of tools that seem impossibly complicated to me. I have a friend who was flabbergasted to find out I don't plot anything.
She said, "Do you not outline ahead of time? Are you one of them lucky folks who can just sit down and write? Not me. I need the whole thing, chapter by chapter outlined and plotted. Otherwise, mermaids and shit start popping up all over the place and it's a straight contemporary."
Shit, sometimes I don't even have character names, basic story, nothing. It just comes while I write. I know the important components of a story and how they are constructed (exposition, rising action, etc), but I don't break it down or deconstruct what I'm doing to see how my work fits the four act dramatic structure. I just write.
For other people, that would not work at all. They would find it impossible to keep track of various plot threads without having it all diagrammed. I would suppose that's because they're more visual than I am, and they need to see their scenes laid out to get a feeling for the flow of the book. Both ways are good. Both ways work.
So don't let anyone convince you that they've worked out a foolproof way of doing this or that. Your system is fine. Don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong. There's no one right way to do this job. Paraphrasing Nora Roberts, whose Q&A was the best I attended at RWA this year: whatever way works for you is the best way.
I spent three hours last night outlining for my RWS sequel. So how about you be my Nora and I'll be your Pat Gaffney? Sweet!!
Those two are the perfect example of two very different ways of getting to the finish line, and both ladies are tremendously successful.
many of those "experts" who give seminars on the local level have yet to sell a major work and are free-writing freelance articles for the Corn Pone Gazette about the joys of homemade cider. Not that there's anything wrong with cider, mmm cider.
i would be wary of anybody trying to change your personal process or writing routine. i mean, it's really unique from person to person
and it bears out what you say that nora roberts also says it. you would think she knows the business after thirty years or whatever.
I only outline 4 or so chapters at a time, and that's just because I start to fear that my story is going to be too short. It's to reassure myself.
My last one I plotted carefully with index cards and four separate character arcs. This time I'm going pantzer all the way, just getting words on the page ("turning white to black") and writing scenes out of order for the first time in five years.
We all need to learn to trust our instincts, especially after we have a few novels under our belts, and not expect each one to work the same way.
Good luck with the workshop!
Well said, Jeri. :)
Ros, that's exactly what I'm talking about. In a book they might have a whole bunch of stuff about linear plotting and whatever, but it wouldn't work for you (or me, for that matter).
Yes, I sat in on the Nora Q and A. She said if anyone tells you that there way is the only way, tell them to f*&k off. Of course I'm paraphrasing but she did cuss. I love La Nora.
Anyway, process is what gets you the book don't stiffle it, don't question it, its almost as illusive as a muse. Just write and trusting that you'll get a book with whatever process you use makes you grow as a writer.
So - yes - the point of all this rambling is that no two writers do it exactly the same - not even sisters!