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One of the joys and
frustrations I find in writing fiction is when I start out to write I’m
frequently unsure of what will come out on the page. That’s not entirely true
all of the time as I try to finish each day leaving some crumbs for the next. I learnt that from an author whose name I now forget (but I think quite a famous one) wrote that was
part of his daily writing routine: “leave some crumbs for tomorrow.”
Perhaps that’s because I’m a pantser,
you plotters may have a far different experience but I expect there will still
be days when a character completely surprises you with what they do, say or
think.
But I know that for most of us
turning up each day (or whatever your routine is) is often the key battle of the
day. If the crumbs I left behind the night before are meager it makes that
struggle of putting the first words down on the page even harder.
However, the more I write, the
more I find joy in the process. Heck, if there’s no joy in it, then why do it?
Right? And much of that joy comes from both the anticipation of and then
excitement of discovering something special as the words flow (or bleed out as
it can often be) on the page. Like we’ve stumbled across hidden treasure.
Only today one of my villains
revealed to me something that caught me off guard. It was a delicious moment as
all of a sudden it unlocked a mystery that had stumped me for a while. Very
quickly I was able to visualize Book 3 that had me jumping with joy.
Aren’t those days extra special
when a gold nugget miraculously appears out of the many (or sometimes a few)
words you’ve written that day?
The mystery of Jesus
“To
them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”(Colossians 1:27 NIV)
I read that verse the other day
and the aspect of Jesus mystery struck me. The more we dig, the more He reveals
of Himself. The treasure that He is and that we are united in Him.
And in revealing more of
Himself, Jesus reveals more of us.
Just like our stories unfold as
we sit down each day with our manuscripts, Jesus unfolds more of Himself each
day.
Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter
Thanks for this, Ian. I am officially a non-fiction writer, yet I write novels for fun, and I love it when my characters take on their own lives and leave me to figure out what they'll do next.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shirley. It's always fun when a character does the unexpected.
DeleteI totally relate to this post, Ian. I'm positive my special time with the Lord not only blesses me but gives purpose for the day which flows into my writing. Gotta confess I'm a Pantser who would love to be a Plotter. Though when I've tried, it bogs me down. However, I do have a very rough idea of how the story will end. And like you, when I know my characters well, they head me in the right direction through the middle and on to the goal.
ReplyDeleteHigh five, Rita. Another pantser. I tried so hard with my sequel to become a plotter but my characters just rejected it. Well, that's what I tell everyone.
DeleteThanks for popping by to comment.
So true, Ian. And oh, yes, I love it when the villain turns around and surprises me, or turns out to be someone I didn't even plan! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ian, I usually finish up for the day mid scene, with a few brief notes on what will happen next. Or, I do a stream of consciousness fast draft on the next scene that I can play with and edit the next day. I find it so much easier to start my writing day and not procrastinate if I'm already in the middle of the action. I love those Ah moments when the gold nugget appears, out of nowhere :).
ReplyDelete