Thinking about not writing…

One of the hardest things for me to settle in the creation of my stories is character motivation. For a long time, I didn't even know this. But the more I worked at the craft, I noticed a pattern began to emerge. It always popped up in the same form, too, something I call a "plot knot."

This thing was like a ball of yarn that got tangled up worse at the end. And over the years, I backed myself up into some terrible corners, having to find my way through one maze after another before coming up with solutions. My muses were not always helpful at this point (sorry, everybody), because they had a way of sending us all off on wild thought tangents that invariably ended up being nothing more than beguiling distractions that detracted from the figuring side of my mind,

"It's called brainstorming, my dear, and people have been doing it since the beginning of time."

Yes, thank you for that, Professor, but I don't have all of eternity to explore every possible scenario. Especially when faced with deadlines. Then one day it occurred to me. I cannot come up with with any decent motivations for anything, unless I know who it is that has to be motivated. Thoroughly. To have a living breathing villain, for instance who was so real a reader could fairly feel that wisp of breath down their own neck… Well, I couldn't just snap vices out of the air and glue them onto stick-figures with the usual details. No. I had to know something about them in a much more gripping way.

It isn't enough that my heroine is being stalked by a deranged person. No, I must know that this deranged person wants something that they cannot have, even if they catch her. Because it was the trust someone else put in her, that they felt should have belonged to them. (and, yes, I know the plural is improper, but I don't want to give away gender). I'm talking about a real plot knot for a real book. I am just thinking things out here, which is what this blog was originally begun for.

So, I not only need to know the why, I must know the exact incident that led up to it. I even need to know the other person involved, just as well, because I have to know why they denied my "now stalker" this trust in the first place. And I probably even need to know a few related incidents that led up to this particular rift between those two. All of which has nothing to do with my heroine, or her current situation. This is her journey, not the other's. What's more, the particular scenes in which she and this stalker interact will not really amount to that much in relation to the whole book. However…

When I am stuck as to the where, how, and why of the physical plot -- at any given point (but especially the end)-- I realize the answer lies in MY interpretation of those characters. How can I "know what they're up to" if I don't watch and calculate what's going on, in the same way I would have my eye on a naughty child? If I know them that well, then I will have an idea what they are up to. I might even catch them in the act of things because I already knew they were headed in that direction just by watching their former behavior. Because I know how they think.

But why is this stuff so important if I'm not going to write any of it down?

Because it now gives me a reservoir of ideas to draw from that are specifically tailored to my story. I'm no longer wandering all over the place, I'm narrowed down to only several different ways this thing could work out. And they are very clear to me. In fact, if I can manage to do a good enough job with the writing end, they should be just as clear to my reader at this point, too. But neither of us will talk about it. And I certainly won't write any of this information down in the actual story. Oh, but it will be there. A little pulse of a current between their brain and mine. And -- if I'm good enough -- we will end up knowing the same things without a single word being traded about the matter. Then should I be so lucky as to achieve a response of, "I knew it! I just didn't see it coming…"

Well, then all this time spent in thinking of what I am not writing… this stuff I never intended to write down in the first place… will all be worth it.

What's happening on the farm today... we are making arrangements to move the goat herd. Permanently. It is a sad situation for "the Sweetbriar" but much better for them, as they will be able to stay together and be in a lovely place with a kind and loving family. All this because we are planning some long trips over the next few months, and caretakers for a herd of goats are hard to come by. So, it couldn't be a better solution. That is, unless you were striving for perfect...

Something Refreshing…

Stumbled on a bit of "writer's refreshment" last week, and am having such a good time with it, I thought I'd better share. It's the "Plot Whisperer's" vlog series that you can find here.

That's the first one, but there are nearly thirty installments of between five and ten minutes that are delightfully informative. And if you are wondering how something can be both delightful and informative at the same time, I recommend you avid writers watch a few and see if you don't agree.

Meanwhile, many thanks to Martha Alderson for finding a way to teach such important stuff in such a fun way. And once again, I must say how wonderful it is that this "age of information" we live in allows us late-comers to enjoy events that have passed already to get in on them anyway… at our own leisure.

Which really leaves no excuses for putting out the absolute best work we are capable of. Something I'm going to get back to right now...

The best laid plans…

So much of what we plan in life turns out different. For some people, this is the ultimate sabotage, and they simply cannot accomplish what they set out to do. But I have found that for others (me included), the possibility exists to discover something above and beyond my own original ideas.

As a Christian, I must -- above all things -- depend on the fact that my steps are "ordered by the Lord." With this belief, all anxiety that I might miss something important, or get into trouble I had no idea was lurking, is covered. The ultimate bodyguard, actually. It doesn't get much better than that. But even so, it is incredible how much one has to struggle to keep that perspective. But it is worth it.

Which all makes perfectly good sense if one were to acknowledge the fact that we are living in a "war zone" that has existed between good and evil since the beginning of time. Think about it. The only thing that makes sense, really. In that light everything else seems to make sense, too. But, oh, the flak you will get if you ever bring that subject up in a conversation!

Even so, here's a little secret. If you -- or anyone -- will truly believe that God has your back -- then absolutely nothing is too big to stop you from what you were ultimately put in this world to do.

Now is that comfort, or what?

If you've got another opinion, let's hear it. Because I can't imagine there is any philosophy (or hard evince!) that will be able to hold up as well. Go ahead -- use any instance in history as an example. I have a feeling this theory is indisputable.

But then, that's me. So, enough with philosophy and off to work for the day.

What I am working on: The "third plotline" of my near thriller suspense. A very tricky bit, actually. One of the few things in a piece of fiction that has to ring true. Like Steinbeck, when he was writing his junk yard scene for GRAPES OF WRATH, and felt so obsessed with having to get the sense of cheating into it. Ah, writing… it is such a mysterious magic!

And the answer is...

There we were. Clipping along at a good pace on the new project when suddenly – BAM! – the answer to a plot-tangle that has been hanging around for so long it’s embarrassing, suddenly revealed itself. Amazing in its simplicity… there must be some hidden flaw in it (I’m almost always the last to know about such things). On closer inspection it not only looks sound, but brilliant.

Where in the world did that come from?

All my usual sources are quiet. I haven’t worked on that particular manuscript for quite some time. Yet, something has been percolating in my brain that is larger than any one manuscript. Something of a revelation, only it wasn’t coming in very clear. Here’s how it started.

I was watching an old movie and keeping tabs on the "one darn thing after another" concept that I felt had contributed the most to its success. Suddenly I realized that it wasn’t just "one darn thing after another." It was ONE PARTICULAR DISTURBING UNIVERSAL HORROR after another that kept audiences glued to their seats. Here’s the difference…

One darn thing:
A stranger is in your house.

ONE PARTICULAR DISTURBING UNIVERSAL HORROR:
The college student you have agreed to rent a room to for the semester turns out to be a psychopath.

But that isn’t the complete concept. There are lots of successful plots that incorporate one particular horror. The difference with this new idea is that there must be several. Such as…

You forget to lock your door and wake up later in the night to the sounds of someone walking down the hallway.

You discover you have left your cell phone in the car.

You panic and climb out the window, only to realize your keys are still in the house.

You dart over to the neighbors as a last resort and no one is home.

You suddenly realize you are running around a public street in your underwear.

A patrol car pulls up to the curb because another neighbor has reported a half-naked predator slinking around people’s houses.

Hmmm. Now, if this were the new requirement for plots, just how might this effect my current WIP…



What’s happening on the farm today: Rain, wind, and a crackling fire to work by. The only interruptions come from "Boo Radley" who has not been in the family long enough to know rainy day schedules relegate all wet dogs to kitchen-only status. He thinks he must have done something really bad, but he just can'’ figure out what.