Forest, Meet Trees
Day three of black eye is even more hideous. I look like a strange creature, indeed. But I am somewhat less loopy and feeling more intelligent than my last addled days, so that's good. And now for a discussion of forest and trees.
My new editor was as terrific in person as I could have possibly hoped. He's a thinker--and I like that. He asks probing questions. I like that, too. And at one point, he said to me, "Since this is a trilogy, where does book #1 end in terms of the hero's journey?" And I gave my answer . . . which is that he has a small triumph in this book, but now sees the world is far, far darker than he ever thought, that he is in more danger than he ever thought . . . and that he has to accept the tremendous new responsibilities thrust onto him by his birthright. My editor liked my answer--in fact, he firmly believes that trilogies should end book one with small triumphs but a sense of danger. And therein I had a forest meet trees moment.
You see, sometimes on this blog we talk about themes, and story arcs, and symbolism. Some of us write on a level where we don't think of those things until we're done, or they emerge bit by bit. But for me, I like to, once in a while, climb the mountain, get out of the forest of writing and denseness and plot and action, and get WAY up high and survey where the hell I am. At what point in the journey am I? Where did my character come from, and where is he going?
When I think about writers getting lost in the middle, finding the middle point soggy, or feeling like they have lost their passion for the story, I sometimes wonder whether it's that we have lost the ability to see above plot, to see this clear journey. Like Hansel and Gretel, lost in the dark woods, dropping breadcrumbs, we're moving forward without being sure of what is behind us and what is in front of us.
Sometimes, for me, the very heaviness of a deadline pressing down can make me lose my breadcrumbs, too. I have a pace to keep, pages to write, and I don't feel like I have "time" to sit down with a cup of coffee and just "be" with the hero and look at the journey. I'm too busy writing the journey.
But as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Sometimes, I think it's good to just pause. Climb the mountain. Survey the landscape. Answer some basic questions. Think on it.
Thoughts? Do you sometimes get so caught up in the writing itself that you lose your way? And what breadcrumbs do you drop to find your way back?
My new editor was as terrific in person as I could have possibly hoped. He's a thinker--and I like that. He asks probing questions. I like that, too. And at one point, he said to me, "Since this is a trilogy, where does book #1 end in terms of the hero's journey?" And I gave my answer . . . which is that he has a small triumph in this book, but now sees the world is far, far darker than he ever thought, that he is in more danger than he ever thought . . . and that he has to accept the tremendous new responsibilities thrust onto him by his birthright. My editor liked my answer--in fact, he firmly believes that trilogies should end book one with small triumphs but a sense of danger. And therein I had a forest meet trees moment.
You see, sometimes on this blog we talk about themes, and story arcs, and symbolism. Some of us write on a level where we don't think of those things until we're done, or they emerge bit by bit. But for me, I like to, once in a while, climb the mountain, get out of the forest of writing and denseness and plot and action, and get WAY up high and survey where the hell I am. At what point in the journey am I? Where did my character come from, and where is he going?
When I think about writers getting lost in the middle, finding the middle point soggy, or feeling like they have lost their passion for the story, I sometimes wonder whether it's that we have lost the ability to see above plot, to see this clear journey. Like Hansel and Gretel, lost in the dark woods, dropping breadcrumbs, we're moving forward without being sure of what is behind us and what is in front of us.
Sometimes, for me, the very heaviness of a deadline pressing down can make me lose my breadcrumbs, too. I have a pace to keep, pages to write, and I don't feel like I have "time" to sit down with a cup of coffee and just "be" with the hero and look at the journey. I'm too busy writing the journey.
But as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Sometimes, I think it's good to just pause. Climb the mountain. Survey the landscape. Answer some basic questions. Think on it.
Thoughts? Do you sometimes get so caught up in the writing itself that you lose your way? And what breadcrumbs do you drop to find your way back?
Labels: hero's journey, plot, story arcs
posted by Erica Orloff at 11:21 AM
24 Comments:
Thoughts?
Um, yeah, but they're not coalescing. Does a feeling of vague dismay count as a thought?
Do you sometimes get so caught up in the writing itself that you lose your way?
Sort of. Especially if I let things go too long. I'm working on a spy thriller--slowly--and I keep letting too much time go by and the damn thing is complicated, so I'm constantly re-reading to figure out what the threads are.
And what breadcrumbs do you drop to find your way back? Well, hopefully, all the previous pages I wrote!
Honestly, I can't wait until you're home and doctored and safe. Sorry, lol. I was frightened when I was having asthma attacks I couldn't pin down, but you, this ... this has got to be a thousand times worse! And that's not even considering your cheekbone! Talk about adding insult to injury! Cripes.
About your question, I confess this is my greatest weakness, so I probably spend 80% of my writing time trying to compensate.
At least once a week I blank my mind and read from the beginning, in one sitting. And every day I start out reading a couple chapters before.
Recently, I've begun outlining emotional arcs and such after (I can't write from an outline) I write. More like notes, than outlines. But the forest is a struggle for me.
Hi Mark:
I re-read my previous chapters often . . . I'm always trying to "ground" myself in the current chapter, while at the same time feeling certain of where I'm going. And I hadn't thought of it, but yes, when a book takes a long time it's even more of a struggle.
E
Hi Spy:
I will feel better when I am home, too, and eating my usual foods and routine. And in my own bed. I miss my bed. :-)
And you know, I LOVED that this editor asked a lot of "big picture" questions about journeys and story arcs. He was very inspiring to me.
E
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I know you and I are different on this one, but this is why I'm a firm believer in detailed outlines. I think it's important to work out this sort of meta question before wandering around the pretty halls of a story for too long.
Of course, I feel like I still have a tremendous amount to learn about controlling a novel and the characters within it -- and I'm doing a lot of this learning on the fly, so to speak. But I will probably always believe that the overall questions must be answered BEFORE I start writing.
Unless I decide I really love rewriting.
JVZ
I'm a novice and have no real style yet. I just appreciate hearing what everyone else is doing. Being anal, I'm guessing working with some kind of outline will ultimately work best for me
It's funny, but I get up into the forest too much and forget that I have to tell the reader all about the trees too. The big picture stuff is pretty easy for me to get. Some days I feel like I am getting too bogged down in details... and then my wife reminds me that its the detail that make the story (DUH!).
I think my biggest falling down point in the writing is that I don't want to spell it all out for the reader - but I usually don't spell enough out to make it a good story. The minimalist poet in me is still strong.
Ohmygosh!!! I drop off the internet for a while because I've been sick as hell and I come back to find you've gone through your own hell. do take care of yourself, GF. I'll have to send you cyber hugs because you don't want to get whatever it is that I've got. Trust me.
If I lose my way through a story, I'm never in so deep that I can't figure my way out of it. So, I backtrack starting from the most memorable scene and try to figure out what happened, so I don't go down that road again.
I've also found re-exploring my character's goals and motivations help, too. There are times when I find their drive isn't strong enough, and as a result, neither is the story. That's when it's time to throw in something unexpected and remind that character of her mission.
I never plot in advance and I love your idea of climbing the mountain to see the forest. I had never really thought of it like that. It's a great tip for life as well - to see if your life has been a flat line, a curve upwards, downwards or up and down with no overall progress. Anything but the upward curve with with a few dips would be very sad.
Hi Jon:
I actually nearly always have a sense of where I am going--and I don't outline, but I cling to my arcs. So his question wasn't hard to answer. BUT, I also don't follow conventional GMC planning or other "techniques" and I do sometimes get so plunged in deadline . . . so sometimes, like this break, it's good to come up for air.
I also have to admit that without outlines, sometimes I am going by gut. And sometimes that can get you into trouble.
Hi Anti-wife:
It will be really interesting for you to look at this idea a year from now, say. I think we make such changes in our style . . . as we move along.
E
I think one of the biggest obstacles in my writing life was my mistaken perception that I was a intuitive writer, that I could simply sit down and gut my way through a story ... I probably spent a few too many years rambling around without purpose in various stories. You can imagine my surprise--and, actually, my delight--when I discovered that outlines really work for me. It was like digging up the Rosetta Stone.
I find it endlessly fascinating how different writers are, and how each of us has to learn the special alchemy that will work for me, and me alone.
Jon
Erica, so good to know you were well enough to keep your editor meeting. :)
I'm not a plotter, but I usually know a couple turning points and I have an idea of what will happen in the end. I try to keep up the tension, but otherwise I'm sometimes walking through those trees and it's hard to see around them. That's when I need to take the dog for a walk or do something relaxing. I guess that's my way of climbing up the mountain and looking down at the landscape.
Oh Lord yes, I get lost :) When I write too fast, it's like the story hydroplanes and loses its narrative grip. It starts to blur, all of it -- setting, character motivation, internal conflict.
When that happens, I need to slow it down, inhabit the story, and take it and the characters to a deeper level. Focus on those details you were pointing out the other day :)
Thanks for this thoughtful post, Erica...it was exactly what I needed to read.
Please take care of yourself and feel better soon.
MicheleL
Hi Marcia:
Thanks for the healing thoughts!
And great point about drive. My editors always ask about the stakes . . . .
E
Hi ewoh:
I still believe we need to be accessible. Otherwise we're not storytellers, we're journaling for ourselves. But on the flip side, you can spell it out so much that there's nothing left for the reader to add.
E
Hi Jon:
Great way to put it. My own alchemy is a wacky mix. :-)
E
Hi Edie:
One thing this break taught me is I wasn't taking breaks often enough. At all. I was really courting burnout.
E
Hi MicheleL:
We sound very similar in that hydroplaning thing. The last two Nocturnes I worked on, I had to rework the beginnings and both times added almost 25 pages of solid storytelling just by slowing down.
E
Can I say something as simple as index cards? When the forest is so thick I lose my way putting each chapter on an index card and laying it out on the table lets me "see" the story arc.
Too simple?
When I'm deep in a story and get yanked back to real life its like coming up for air. I hadn't realized I had stopped breathing...
I definitely do that, Erica. Or I figure out that I need to cut something, but am reluctant because a) it feels like I wasted the time writing it (even though I probably discovered a lot by doing so) and b) now I'm not as far along in the book as I thought I was (even if now it can move faster because I know my way a little better).
Aimless:
I have friends who swear by index cards. And I have one who used to use massive storyboards and flowcharts.
E
caryn:
As busy as I am, I am loathe to waste time, but JVZ, who pops by here and is in my group, is ruthless about cutting and has taught me to protect my words much less.
E
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