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Wednesday, December 5, 2007
What Makes the Writer? The Heart or the Content.
I was writing today (and not the massive long soapbox emails I’ve been doing lately, Lis) and it got me to thinking about what motivates me to write. I don’t get many breaks from real life (And I can hear the Capt’n play the world’s smallest fiddle for me). I’m pressed for time from before 6am until about midnight every night and in order for me to get my personal time in, I have to plan for it accordingly. Which really means in lament terms, I have to multi-task.
If you remember last week, I spoke about procrastination. And if you were getting your daily dose of the wenches (which shame on you if you weren’t!) you’ll remember that the Boatswain, Terrio, says that she calls her procrastination the daily multi-tasking. I do so much multi-tasking; I have to multi-task my multi-tasking. I think about writing while I’m in the shower. I think about writing while I’m on my drive both to and from. I think about writing while I’m logging in my daily run. I constantly think about writing. And I think that’s what makes me what kind of writer I am.
I’m a fly by the night, fingers moving like the wind, totally zoned in, type of writer. I don’t plot. I don’t outline. I don’t character build. I don’t do anything ahead of my fingers. I make up a name. I make up a shell of this person in my mind, and I go for it. I’ve heard Capt’n call this the Pantser (okay, which makes me giggle), and it really makes me sound very unprofessional, but I can’t outline. As soon as I outline a story, it’s gone. This might seem silly to you, you little outliner you, but I assure you, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the written word finally on the screen for the first time. To let your imagination go where it will with no written boundaries. Freedom. This is where I get my freedom. Everyday I’m in the grind, but when I write, I’m finally free. No obligations. No worries. Just me and my brain writing whatever flows out of me. Working out the plot as we go along. Letting the story unfold right in front of my eyes. It’s the best feeling ever.
There are some drawbacks to the way that I write. There is a lot of angst in my stories, and as the Capt’n blogged yesterday, you need that in your story to keep your reader tsking you and turning the page. But I write what I like to read. I like the story to pull at me emotionally. I like to connect on a deeper emotional level to the character and for me to do that as the writer, is to write what I know. For that, it’s my heart in every word. It’s not just the content your reading when you open my pages, you’re reading actually what’s in my heart. It’s not just the content on the pages,
You have to have heart to be a writer. Being a writer is a tough and challenging world. But the content is what the reader bases the book on. Is there a difference to you? I know that you want both (you greedy little wench) but if you could have one or the other, which would you choose…? The emotion of each word, making your heart hurt and feel like you’re right there in the scene. Or do you want the content, an unfailing plot, the best subplot, great character development.
If you’re like me, you know that they come hand in hand. But we’re playing devil’s advocate today. Humor me.
If you remember last week, I spoke about procrastination. And if you were getting your daily dose of the wenches (which shame on you if you weren’t!) you’ll remember that the Boatswain, Terrio, says that she calls her procrastination the daily multi-tasking. I do so much multi-tasking; I have to multi-task my multi-tasking. I think about writing while I’m in the shower. I think about writing while I’m on my drive both to and from. I think about writing while I’m logging in my daily run. I constantly think about writing. And I think that’s what makes me what kind of writer I am.
I’m a fly by the night, fingers moving like the wind, totally zoned in, type of writer. I don’t plot. I don’t outline. I don’t character build. I don’t do anything ahead of my fingers. I make up a name. I make up a shell of this person in my mind, and I go for it. I’ve heard Capt’n call this the Pantser (okay, which makes me giggle), and it really makes me sound very unprofessional, but I can’t outline. As soon as I outline a story, it’s gone. This might seem silly to you, you little outliner you, but I assure you, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the written word finally on the screen for the first time. To let your imagination go where it will with no written boundaries. Freedom. This is where I get my freedom. Everyday I’m in the grind, but when I write, I’m finally free. No obligations. No worries. Just me and my brain writing whatever flows out of me. Working out the plot as we go along. Letting the story unfold right in front of my eyes. It’s the best feeling ever.
There are some drawbacks to the way that I write. There is a lot of angst in my stories, and as the Capt’n blogged yesterday, you need that in your story to keep your reader tsking you and turning the page. But I write what I like to read. I like the story to pull at me emotionally. I like to connect on a deeper emotional level to the character and for me to do that as the writer, is to write what I know. For that, it’s my heart in every word. It’s not just the content your reading when you open my pages, you’re reading actually what’s in my heart. It’s not just the content on the pages,
You have to have heart to be a writer. Being a writer is a tough and challenging world. But the content is what the reader bases the book on. Is there a difference to you? I know that you want both (you greedy little wench) but if you could have one or the other, which would you choose…? The emotion of each word, making your heart hurt and feel like you’re right there in the scene. Or do you want the content, an unfailing plot, the best subplot, great character development.
If you’re like me, you know that they come hand in hand. But we’re playing devil’s advocate today. Humor me.
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10 comments:
First off I stole the multi-tasking excuse from Irish so give her the credit. *g*
I'm torn. I think the heart is what gives the wow factor but I need the plot and great characters. If the characters are well developed, if I can *feel* them, then it works for me. But if the author phones it in, you can usually tell and it's not as good. Truly, I'm not sure you can have one without the other.
It would feel like the author did the "write by numbers" thing.
My answer is apparent. I love Evanovich. She is quoted as saying she doesn't write for the plot, which is apparent. I read the Plum series for the humor and love triangle. So for me an emotional plot if wrtten well gets me everytime.
You know mw Sin I'm an angst writer from the get go. I'm in tune with my characters when I'm dragging them through emotional muck.
I agree with Terrio the heart gives the awe factor. I think emotion can make a character shine.
The angst of any given situation you dump on a character doesn't define them, but how they perservere does.
I think that it has to have good content, that's undeniable. But, I think that heart is harder and more vital.
Seriously, I think a decent-ish writer can do content. But, only really good writers can pull off the heart. Because heart isn't something you can fake. Heart is something you just have to HAVE.
Heart, obviously.
Though I have to ask myself, my little Pantser, what are you going to do when you've finished a book--and the editor asks you to revise it for publishing? Will you be willing to go back then and play with it? You just said that once the story's been written, it's done for you. What will you do about editors? Unless you get a really cool editor who doesn't think you should change a word. They're about as rare as Easter bunnies...so good luck there.
And I say heart because I think with heart you can have great characters but a crappy plot. If you wrote your heart out, but had crappy characters AND a crappy plot...I don't think it'd work.
Ter- My bad. Irish, you're the bomb. I love that excuse. LOL. I'm with you, I have to FEEL the story in order to get into it. I can't feel like a stranger walking into a difficult situation. I've gotta have been there from the beginning.
Lis, you're angst makes even me want to crawl underneath a cover and hide there until it's all over. Nothing like a good angst piece to make me get drawn in and get my heart broken.
Marnee- I so agree! Great way of explaining it!
Hellion- I always finish it and then have to go back and edit. I don't think I'd have a problem with an editor telling me what I needed to change as long as I could see making the change. If it's something like plot, the story would pretty much need to be written over again. And I don't have a problem with that. Most of the time when I'm writing, I know there is another path I could write, I just choose to ignore it. Remember those books as kids that were the choose your own destiny type things, plot writing is sorta the same thing (at least I feel like it is). That is if I ever get an editor. Can't put my eggs in the basket before they're hatched.. Or something like that. LOL
I would definitely choose heart, but not at the expense of character development. I can do with lame plots, no subplot and no secondary characters. But I need the heart to be in the characters and I need to know these characters. If I'm emotionally invested in the characters I really don't care what you do with them to get them to their HEA.
Sin - anytime you want excuses, come see me. I'm full of them! LOL
Did she just say if there's a plot change the whole thing has to be re-written? Uh, someone smack that child. That's crazy!
Unfortunately, I'm not too much of a sucker for the HEA unless it's Becoming Jane, and even though I knew better, I couldn't help but want it. LOL
Ter, I'll duck if you try to smack me. LOL
I think that would help me. I'll have to stand on a chair to reach as it is. LOL!
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