My True North
I am stuck. In a really thick bog. That I can't write my way out of. I need to FEEL my way out of it.
I have a complicated book that I am working on, and I lost true north along the way. Completely lost sight of it.
Which is easy to do in a complex plot sometimes. So I need to pause and go back to the basics. I need to go back to what the most primal theme is. Good vs. evil. And then I need to align my characters--which side do they fall on--and why. And then I need to hold onto that core, that true north, and not lose it again.
Do you ever get lost like that? And then have to strip your story down to the bare, most essential truth?
My true north is that a broken man will have to discover what is left of his faith and fight evil. Now I just have to set my compass on that.
What is your true north?
I have a complicated book that I am working on, and I lost true north along the way. Completely lost sight of it.
Which is easy to do in a complex plot sometimes. So I need to pause and go back to the basics. I need to go back to what the most primal theme is. Good vs. evil. And then I need to align my characters--which side do they fall on--and why. And then I need to hold onto that core, that true north, and not lose it again.
Do you ever get lost like that? And then have to strip your story down to the bare, most essential truth?
My true north is that a broken man will have to discover what is left of his faith and fight evil. Now I just have to set my compass on that.
What is your true north?
posted by Erica Orloff at 4:31 PM
18 Comments:
I get lost all the time, Erica. Recently I wrote out a 9 page outline (single spaced), just so I can keep track of where I am and what's happening offstage. The outline itself probably wouldn't make much sense to anyone else, but I guess that's okay as long as I understand it.
My true north: Love, forgiveness, and sacrifice are at the core of the human experience, and life is very much dependent on death.
Jude:
Those are really compelling elements.
In my books, I got so caught up with the relationship between the two main characters, and . . . even more, I got so wrapped up in the ex-priest's character's torment . . . that I really sort of lost sight of the bigger battle against evil. I have been completely derailed!
Back to true north.
E
My true north, especially with my protagonists, is to overbound dilemmas they have to confront. Sometimes that is fighting evil, but, often times it is battling their own store box of evil and trying to do the right thing. For me that is the greatest battle: fighting the easiness and, sometimes, the pleasures of evil. I guess that sounds twisted, but I think true heroes are the people who can conquer their own demons. Internal demons often seem so damn appealing.
Gerry
Just remember, Erica...It's all about Frodo.
When I get lost, I leave my desk and go do something I've never done ... a museum I've always wanted to visit, a hiking trail I haven't tried or just drive aimlessly. Removing myself from the writing seems to shake the obstruction loose.
My true north is courage ... courage to love, to allow life to flow, to trust, to have hope in my fellow human beings, to allow my son to grow into the person he is meant to be (not the person I want him to be!).
Good luck!
Mary
gerry:
My protagonist is definitely fighting inner demons--my protagonists always geal with that. But I think I got so caught up in the plot, I lost something visceral.
E
Natalie:
You're killin' me. LOL!
E
Mary:
I knit. Terrible, lopsided scarves. But I knit. :-)
E
When all else fails, I cut cut cut cut all the things I thought were cool but were not For the book.
I did try to write a line synopsis/summary of every scene (I don't break it into chapters until revisions) after I wrote it to keep on track, but every time I got into the groove I forgot.
may:
I can't outline--drives me nuts and feels too confining. For me, this mess was really a result of forgetting the soul of the book for all the bells and whistles. I don't have to re-plot it. I just need to reconnect with it, if that makes any sense.
E
As I'm currently a bit lost myself, you have my complete sympathy. When I'm befuddled, I sit down with a cup of tea, my manuscript, my original notes(which always reminds me of my theme) and have a good read through the whole batch. Then I talk the plot through with my husband with emphasis on the original theme of the story. Inevitably, this helps...but occasionally it takes a few days to see where I need to be heading.
Getting lost is second nature to me and I've learned not to get too nervous when it happens. For me, it's now almost part of the process. On the bright side, I've found that sometimes the trail out of the mess leads to a better, richer story than if I'd not got lost in the first place, but then again, sometimes it's just a mess.
Cheryl/Emily
Hi emily:
I am definitely still a few days yet from coming out of the woods, but the good news is I'm not wandering around in there by myself.
E
Great post, Erica. I was just thinking about this the other day and I realized for the first time what my "true north" is. It's female empowerment. Every book I write is about a woman who discovers her own strength. When I lose sight of that and get bogged down in the gritty details of plot, I have to pull back and remember that one essential truth.
When I get stuck in a book, I literally walk away. Go do something else. If I try to stare at the screen and force the words to come, it just doesn't work!
Louise
My true north is self-acceptance and bonding together with others to defeat the evils life throws at us.
Great post!
louise:
I have been knitting and thinking, and tonight I'm going Christmas shopping. Then I hope tomorrow to have a clear mind,
E
kathy;
That is a great theme. All my books explore those bonds, too.
E
Good luck Erica. I hope the knitting helped. I sat and read a book yesterday. Funny enough (your posts are so timely!) I realized that I normally write character driven and I think part of the problem I'm having with the current book is it's more plot driven. As for the book's true north, I'm not sure but I've got 150 pages or so to find out :)
Amie:
That's exactly my problem too!
E
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