About a year or so ago, I began composing all my stories on the computer. I'd squirrel ideas in my head and type them out whenever I had a chance. It worked pretty well for quite a while. And then it didn't anymore.
For some time, I've been wondering why I can't finish a story. I came up with two reasons: one - I used to spend more time in my car. I do a lot of great brainstorming in the car. It's the only completely quiet place I have. Two - I used to write everything out longhand.
Here's the thing: I write in bits, nothing is linear. Sometimes I know the ending before I finish the middle. Sometimes I have a general idea of what gets talked about in the middle and then have to find a beginning. Sitting at the keyboard, I feel compelled to fill the page from top to bottom, beginning - middle - end.
Except.
I don't write that way.
The other day, I typed out a decent beginning, took a drive and daydreamed about the middle and then, over the next two days, I grabbed a notebook and jotted down ideas, sentences, snippets of dialogue. It's all very disjointed, with arrows and cross-outs and a few passages are circled (them's the good ones) and I can't tell (yet), but I think I'm going to end up with a decent story.
I'm glad I re-discovered this style of working. This post is here to remind me.
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Moving Back the Island
10 years ago
1 comment:
I just love this--that there are so many ways to get to the same place and even different ways to use the same process.
I also get stories in bits and pieces just as you describe but when I used paper it ended up a snarly mess, difficult to read.
I was SO thrilled to find the computer where it's easy to rearrange stuff, insert passages, cut and paste to my heart's content and it stays neat and readable.
But I do miss the tangible something...connection from brain to fingers to paper. It feels more artisan to me.
Fun stuff to think about.
Loved the post!
d.
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