I’ll be honest today, this may get a bit blabber-y since I haven’t put much thought into a post today. I didn’t have the time. I’ve kind of been on a roll since I sat down at my computer today. I don’t know what has happened, but ever since last night, every time I go to jot something down I end up writing for a few solid hours. I mean, just straight writing. No hesitation or pauses even. It’s like I can’t stop.
It’s wonderful.
Hopefully by the end of this weekend I’ll have a really good start to send out to the Creative Factory. Oh man… I just hope I can keep this up, but if not, I’ll get down as much as I can until it dries up.
It’s funny. I’ve found that just by starting a chapter or a scene, once I have even the littlest bit, it’s all just… There. Like it’s just waiting for me to start prodding at it so it can be written down. I barely even have to think (I mean… not so painfully, at least).
It’s funny, I actually sat down to do a completely different activity today. Have any of you guys read The Snowflake Effect article? It’s a writing strategy that basically takes the tiniest most basic nugget of a story and elaborates on it over and over again until you have a pretty successful and detailed outline/summary. I loved reading about it and, if/when I ever get stuck, I vow to do it right away to help make sure what I have is progressing. But I think, other than the natural course my brain took to outline and elaborate on the plot, it’s not really how it works for me.
One night I had a very strange dream (the dream wasn’t even the plot of my story… it was a dystopian future) and when I woke up the entire thing was just there. The whole world. The whole point–all the themes. It was all just there. I think the only part I actually had to put into it is that I have had to populate this world. The people weren’t naturally there, but as I put each one in there (I just imagine an invisible hand picking them up and moving them around like in The Sims) it’s just so clear where they fit. Like, “Oh yes of course that’s what that person would do in this world. Exactly.”
It’s not a fight. It’s not work. It’s more like a puzzle. It’s actually fun. For the first time in a long time, I feel right.
It’s as if, by doing something I truly love, it just comes naturally.
Young Writers Anonymous 