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Thursday, March 31, 2011
CONTROL!
I was attending a Steampunk Convention last weekend with a dear friend of mine, P. She is a real engineer type writer. By this I mean that she isn’t a plotter…that doesn’t go far enough to explain how P. writes. She doesn’t just outline. She OUTLINES.
Before she writes, she has every single scene figured out…or that is her ambition, since we all know that we writers seldom have things work so smoothly. But P. tries. Colored highlighters? Check! Colored post-it notes? Check! Character sheets? Check! Basic W Diagram, for every character, the romance, the plot and the arc? Check!
She has taken more classes in the last year than I have taken in eight years. She is an avid online class taker and actually…really…takes part in the online classes she takes. (Unlike me, who lurks, takes notes and stashes them away in a folder, intending to use them…someday.)
It’s really quite amazing we can talk writing.
P. has taken classes on everything you can think of. She has dissected her writing and revisioned it. I mean, honestly, she impresses the hell out of me. She writes with painstaking precision. It’s amazing. We talk and I burble on about some wild assed idea I had or how my plot ran away from me and split like that car commercial with the little mini (I think it’s a mini..) and runs down streets, seeking the clearest path and then eventually all comes together so the driver makes the ferry…
You know, that is a very apt analogy of how I write…
Where was I?
Oh, yeah! P. is an extraordinary plotter. If she were a computer programmer she would be the engineer all the other engineers would hate because she’d insist of perfection with every bit of code they wrote. If she were cooking, she’d be the tyrant in the kitchen who threw out ingredients because they weren’t perfect. She’d be the film director who exhausts her actors. But, in all of this, she’d put out something that would impress. No loose ends, no dangling plotlines, no side characters taking over anything.
None of the stuff I consider totally necessary to having fun.
I’m not sure she has fun when she writes. She is driven and doesn’t have time to sightsee.
I want to stop at every overlook and gape for an hour.
Now, you want to know something fascinating about this woman? She is also an artist. She paints wonderful visions, right out of fantasy and science fiction. Starscapes. Doorways to another world. Dancers skipping across the cosmos. Magicians and witches and cats and birds and wolves and… I met her at a science fiction/fantasy convention, selling her art and showing in the art shows. She once wore Vulcan ears to the convention. (Used the wrong glue and couldn’t get them off for DAYS!)
I know she paints with precision when it comes to technique. But it is amazing…how does the rampant vision of fantasy exist hand in hand with a writer who is so intensely structured?
I mean, I’m anarchistic. When I write, when I don’t clean house, when I shop or don’t cook… or flit about the internet with no plan… I…you know, that last one is biting me on the ass. But let’s not go there right now… (No, I didn’t set my reputation on fire with an ill-conceived rant. I just waste a lot of time.)
Anyway! The contradiction, or seeming contradiction, of how P. manages these two creative endeavors fascinates me. And she has admitted the way I write repels her. But I told her the way she writes has a similar effect on me! So, we’re about on the same page with that. She needs control and as much as possible, she has it. I could use some of that control, that hands-on-the-reins sort of thing right now.
Today, I’m one day away from leaving for Los Angeles and the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. And I’ve tried to plan my packing, plan my promotion, plan my being ready for whatever I face and how I handle it.
Of course, I expect to forget something important. I expect to deal with disruptions that throw my planning out the window. I expect to find things I’m not ready for. And when the things I expect come true…well, I’ll blithely look to the sky and thank the universe for giving me the chance to be here, regardless of how much something might stink at the time.
I hope I’m that good about it. ;-)
(I even enlisted two friends to be my designated ass-kickers. To keep me from falling prey to melancholy or freezing up when I need to be basking in the joy of simply being there. Celeste and Kim? You got your big boots ready?)
Am I prepared? Who the hell knows!? In control? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
When it comes to handling the ‘fiction’ of being in control, where do you fall? Not just the writing pantser or plotter stuff, but the planner, the schemer, the floating leaf on the currents of life? Are you the control freak? The give-it-to-the-universe type? How does it touch upon not just how you write, but what you write? Do you write your characters the same as you? (Prime material for conflict, btw.)
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Loader's Logic (2nd Chance)
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39 comments:
I'm answering now because I'm out of town all weekend (starting tomorrow morning) and won't be near internet, I'm afraid. So I apologize in advance my lack of participation.
Incidentally reading about your friend, I admire her too. *LOL* I'm in awe. And I do have to say, if you don't get your code absolutely perfect for programming your computer, wouldn't that mean it doesn't work and you have to go through every bit of code to figure out the error? In that case, I'd rather be a bit perfectionist about it. BUT programming code and writing are two different beasts in my book. Writing, for me, allows for more flexibility. I've read plenty of great books that had plot holes the size of tanks, but they sparkled and entertained so mightily I didn't care. And I've read books so finely detail and plot precision that bored me to tears. To be entertaining AND precise, that's a mad skill there.
Interestingly enough, I took some quiz on Ladies Home Journal I think, asking me what kind of personality I had--and it was asking all sorts of cleaning questions and how I did things, and every question but one I answered B: The Good Enougher. The lone question I answered A, which was the anal retentive option (I didn't have pets, so I got that answer by default). And C was a big hot mess of clutter and overwhelmed about where to start with the mess.
I'm a Good Enougher. I'm pretty sure I start out all anal retentive because I have BIG VISIONS about how this book should be, like some layout living room in Martha Stewart Living, and in the end I realize, in order to have a layout like in Martha Stewart Living, it'd help if you were Martha Stewart.
In the beginning, I have post-its and index cards, boards and craft books, scribbles in about ten different notebooks, brief outlines, typed pages of "pre-writing"--and I do all that, and I end up casting it aside and start writing like I was just given a topic in writing class and needed to just make something up. Which guess what? That's exactly what we're doing.
The best part of being a Good Enougher is that you have the best of both worlds. If you have time to be anal retentive about it, more power to you; but if you don't, you know in five years it's not going to matter anyway. It barely matters now.
My writing habits are a lot like my political leanings. Middle of the road, preferably of the more common sense variety. Just enough conservative to stick with regular romance, just enough granola to make sure the sex is fun.
And lastly--God I'm long winded and I doubt I made sense--yes, my characters are a lot like me. Control freaks, with emphasis on the freaks. But that's generic enough that fits a lot of people besides me.
We'll miss you, Hels!
As fer code...programmers tend to insert a lot of junk code that never gets cleaned up, just worked around. It's why computers screw up. The advent of cheap memory has left most programs with way too many dead ends and junk code floating around. Waiting to pounce!
Now, as fer the Good Enougher and Anal Retentive? I'd probably go for Good Enougher and Hot Mess combo. Which explains a lot about my house...
With writing, I can see getting all the anal retentive out of the way so the writer can write and not obsess over the details...
I haven't read anything that P. wrote, yet. I know her stories, she has a trilogy planned, and it's intricate. And I think the planning is necessary to keep all the pieces from descending into chaos.
I would like, one day, to take a class along with her just to watch how she gets so much out of them!
I've run the gamut of this. I've tried the anarchist method and it left me with a big hot mess I couldn't even wade out of. I've tried to plot the heck out of it. But, that seems to paralyze me.
Currently, I've spent enough time thinking about this story that I have a "feeling" about what is going to happen. I didn't say I KNOW what happens, just that I have a pretty good feeling. That's one of the problems I had with lots of plotting--a false sense of security. The idea that I really did know what was going on. (Keep the laughter down, please.)
I know the characters pretty well. Ok, as well as anyone know someone they've spent a LOT of time with over the past year. So, I hope that means that all the pieces will fall in place as I trudge through. That's about the best I'm going to give myself.
So, in that big rambly mess, I think the best a person can do is get to know your characters. All good things come from them and after they fall in, the rest will work itself out.
I hope.
Interesting post, Chance. I think we need a bit of both -- anarchist and control freak -- in order to make everything work. Of course, it's never a perfect 50/50 blend. Life, or writing, doesn't throw us those kinds of situations either. LOL
It seems the best thing is to develop coping skills, so that we know how to deal with whatever situation appears. And part of those coping skills is embracing your own method, which often requires some experimentation to find what best fits your style.
Also, as much as I endorse anarchy when it comes to developing a story, I still want some structure when I read the final result. I don't want a series of scenes that make me think, "Mmm, that was an interesting detour". LOL So I try to plot and get things into a recognizable structure AFTER I've figured the story out. :)
Ah, but Marn, that requires that they fall in. LOL! Doesn't always happen.
I suppose I'm a hybrid. I like to have a plan, and I like to map out that plan so I can know it and have what I'll need to see it through. But I'm not completely adverse to the occasional detour. I'm good in a crisis and remembering that no matter what life throws at me, it'll all work out in the end.
In the writing, I need to see the road ahead of me. It's the fuel that keeps me going. As long as I know the next scene for which I'm aiming, and the ultimate destination, I keep moving. If I don't know, the motor stops and the ride is over.
For me, P.'s style would feel stifling and take the fun out of it, but somehow, I bet she's having great fun doing things her way. And my characters are definitely like me, though once I exorcised the "exact" me in the first book, the new characters are more their own people.
Donna - I've read only one book that clearly had NO structure. Meandered about with an completely implausible plot that changed mid-point, ignored everything established in the beginning and then turned into a completely different book for the last fourth. An odd and irritating ride I never want to take again.
I love what you say about embracing your process. I sometimes envy those who have written 8 or 10 or 15 books. They must really know what they're doing. And then I read a blog with one of those writers who says the process was different for each book. Worrysome and yet exciting at the same time.
Terri, it took me a while to embrace my process. LOL Probably because when I started writing, everyone said, as if it were THE LAW, that you had to outline, and do character sheets, and plot ahead of time. And I tried all of it, but it didn't work for me. So I thought I couldn't be a writer, even though I had all of these stories and characters floating around inside.
It took a few books to figure that out. :) But I'm glad I did. And yes, it does seem that each one is slightly different when it comes to process. It kinda makes sense though. Each story has different needs, so you have to adapt to what it requires. The good part is you learn new skills with each one.
I remember my extreme ignorance when I first fell into this writing thing. (And fell in is exactly what I did.) It's almost like the hurling of the rules is a required hazing for all newbies. They're so overwhelming. HOW you write is something you really just have to figure out on your own, but it feels good when you have figured a bit out and can settle comfortably into the process. (Or as comfortable as it can ever be.)
Morning! So, Marn...you go with the I-have-faith model. I'm pretty much that way, too. I can remember once when the main 'plot' device I used was nothing more than a timeline. A graph with events penciled on it.
I didn't really call it plotting. At some point, that fell to the wayside as the merry anarchist swept in and carried me off.
I know rabid plotters who never stop tweaking with their plotting and so never begin writing. At least P. doesn't do that.
Even now, I barely plot. I've grown to need a better idea of where I'm going before I just raise the sails, but I still won't set a definate course.
I think you've found a nice middle ground and it works for you.
I'll second what Hellion said. I start out all organzied and planning it out and eventually just have to say screw it and write.
Donna - You hit a real chord with me on that...be flexible! Have the tools and faith to go with what is working at the time. None of that "I can't do that! It isn't in my outline!" sort of stuff.
P. said to me that she admires my ability to just instinctually write and trust that all the little detours will go to the same place. Honestly, that car commercial fits my writing style so well, it's scary.
I've even noticed...my detours have purpose and help define something going on later, or ealier. I really fascinate myself! ;-)
Bo'sun - I hope she's having fun! I know that if I tried to write her way, I'd go insane. But if she tried to write my way, she'd go insane. I know she slaves over the details, but once she has a break through, she's so thrilled...and I assume that is the fun part!
Seems like flexibility is the key again. And trust. It's sorta the same way I hope to approach RT...some planning (Okay, a hell of a lot of planning) but a willingness to embrace the chaos that will through plans out the window.
I read one book that meandered to the point of never getting home. One of the few books I never finished. A scifi tome that everyone was ranting about and won award after award after award. It was very disturbing...
I meander but I'd like to think I keep the core of the story moving forward... I hope!
I can see using a different process as we writer's mature. It's sorta like how the menu changes in a restaurant and we try out new things.
And yes, some books require more structure, some don't! I think the shorter you write the more structure you need, simply because you have less words to dicker about with. The danger is that writing long can meander too much!
A happy medium is good. That's all I want...but I also want the sense of meandering. But meander at breakneck speed to keep the reader enticed...make it interesting!
I think when anyone first learns or takes up writing, that yup...toss the rules and just get the story down. Call yourself a story teller and just keep telling! (In the good way.)
Rules can get in the way of the first story. Now, my friend will probably make it all work for her. But she's a very detail oriented person.
If my husband ever tried to write...I could see him becoming engrossed on side plots and nitpicking them to pieces and letting the rest idle until it runs out of gas.
The man takes hours to write a three line e-mail... ;-)
I always tell the newbies to just finish the story! You can go back and fix the problems later!
Scape, having seen your color-coordinated planner, I bet you get caught up in organizing pretty easily. I think the key is not falling in love with all the highlighters and postits and such. They don't write the book, you do!
There's something to be said for tossing out all that plotting and just writing, but I think you have to be careful how much you toss out. It's like putting a safety net under your highwire, then saying, "Screw it" and moving the highwire left a hundred feet.
You created that net for a reason and checking it every now and then is a good thing. It can keep you sane.
True, make the net, keep over the net...but feel free to dance above it knowing it's there to catch you if you stumble. It's okay to work above the net because it is there...
But for real beginners? Don't fall in love with the net! ;-)
No, but you can add to the net, put a new twist in it, weave in some blue or green rope. Just use it, especially after you did all that work. LOL!
But keep it a net, not a trampoline...some things need to fall through.
And I think we worked that metaphore to death!
I was about to ask if we'd worn out the metaphor, but you beat me to it. LOL!
Though you could throw the trampoline in a love scene, just to spice things up. Ha!
I'm sure you could. Just be careful with the research for that scene.
I am writing a book with a circus...I could do trampoline sex... ;-)
No research for that, just pure imagination... I think the net could be useful for passionate encounters...just keep the 'bounce' to a minimum...
Okay, gots a doc appointment at 11 so I'm heading out to walk the dog now...be back later...
And will someone tell me why I have Nancy Sinatra's "There Boots Are Made for Walking" in my head?
HELP!
Get it out! Get it out!
I like that song, but now I need to turn on the iPod to keep it out of my head.
I can't figure out where it came from!
One of the most evil of the Decadent authors posted a link to a baby baboon on the moon with a bassoon youtube music video and that haunted me for a few days. (He will be punished at RT.) But where did I find Nancy Sinatra?
Maybe because you ask your buddies in this blog if they have their boots ready?
No, I'm saying YOU mentioned boots in your blog and now you have a boots song in your head. In other words, YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF.
Are you saying I'm shoveling sh*t this morning?
*snort!
Just don't go to Youtube and find the baby babboon on the moon with a spoon song. Trust me.
I did? I have to go back and read my blog again...
I can't find where I mentioned boots... I must be losing my mind faster than I realized...
Dude, MUST I do everything?
I even enlisted two friends to be my designated ass-kickers. To keep me from falling prey to melancholy or freezing up when I need to be basking in the joy of simply being there. Celeste and Kim? You got your big boots ready?
Dang it. Did I mention I'm losing my mind faster than I realized? I thought it might be in that paragraph and then I just skimmed right by it. Reminds me of the final edits for The Kraken's Mirror and the things I found after I was certain it was perfect!
Is it time to leave for RT yet? I actually know some people are on their way. Jane is on her train. Fiona is on a plane - from Australia, so she left...yesterday? Or is that tomorrow?
And now off to be ultrasounded!
I'm back!
And no one noticed...spring is in the air and the ship is deserted... Can't blame you. Sent the Bo'sun a pic of my bluff today and all I want to do is sit on a bench and soak up the loveliness!
I have new glasses on the way...I am graduating to bifocals...with the line. Round! So steampunkish they are a delight! Can't wait to have them and start 'playing' the part with them!
It's been snowing here -- that's New England's spring for ya -- and I've been working on revisions.
The new glasses sound fun. Can't wait to see a pic!
Snow, in April. It's totally insane. We had 80s yesterday and we're hovering close to that today.
I am sorry, Donnaroo!
It's no biggie! It's a good way to keep me indoors, working on my manuscript. LOL I wouldn't mind being a smidge warmer though!
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