This change in my own explorations of writing - Writing The Exhausting - has derived from two completely unexpected and unlikely sources: a channel of reviews and a book on writing.
The Channel of reviews is a by a fellow who brands himself The Critical Drinker. He is apparently a Scotsman and his reviews are a sort of curse laden, hard hitting, extremely exacting and funny review of movies and streaming shows (in a sub-note, it bothers and interests me that for some reason, a Scotsman cursing I find incredibly amusing. I should also note that while amusing he is NOT in anyway family friendly. Not. At. All. Nothing really beyond the swearing, but there is a lot of it. You are forewarned.). The first few times I listened to his reviews, I chuckled as he eviscerated movies, mostly movies I did not care for.
But then the unexpected happened.
As I listened not only to his movie reviews but to his comments on the current state of the industry, what I found was an insightful critic who cared passionately about the telling of a story. And the telling of a story revolves almost entirely about the characters in the story. He is good - so good, in one ten minute segment I learned more about the importance of having a credible and real antagonist than I learned from four years of High School English and three years of College English.
Characters - well written, well developed characters that have actual motives and feelings and credibility, not that are just "thrown up" to move the plot along - are the fundamental building block to any sort of good entertainment. Or, I began to realize, of life.
The second unexpected source was The 90-day novel by Alan Watt.
I had originally purchased this book as one in a long line of books I have purchased in order to help give some structure to writing an actual book that actually sells instead of writing books that just please myself. The concept is simple: over the course of 90 days, the author presents a series of questions and exercises to explore the characters and world building which will help in the writing of a novel. The assumption that one will write 2-3 hours a day and work in a short series of exercises writing first as the protagonist and then as the antagonist. I liked the concept and tried, but somehow washed out on day 15 or so.
So I gave myself a second task: this year, I would just start by reading the book before I tried it - not that I was going to "cheat" the process as much as wanted to read the book (and if I waited until I wrote my way through it, I might never get there).
Once again, the unexpected happened.
Ward also spends an inordinate amount of time discussing characters and character building - not from the sense of "One needs characters and here are the kinds you need" but from the sense of "One needs characters that real - protagonists and antagonists - that are on a journey in their lives from one point to another." Which is true, when I think about it: the most loved characters in my mind (and the most loved villains as well) are not static characters. By the end of the book or movie or show, they have somehow changed for better or worse. The goal of the story may be achieved - the One Ring destroyed, the invasion of the Macrobes at N.I.C.E pushed back (C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength), but the main characters are changed in such a way that they, too, ultimately have to leave.
All of sudden, I found myself getting pounded by a common theme: Character. Character development. Character on a journey. Which of course raised its own series of questions about my own life: What is my character? What was my character? To be certain this has changed over the years; has it changed meaningfully and in what way? And if I am on a journey from one thing to another, do I even know what journey I am on?
In moments like these, I recall to mind the warning of Bilbo Baggins to his nephew Frodo: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
Someday I would like to write a book. I even have one in mind and have extensively researched it and attempted to start writing at various points of freetime. BUT. I just have never been able to go more than a page deep into it. I'm not sure if I'm just not cut out for it or it is a sign I am not ready. Part of my problem is that I only read non-fiction and of course the book I would like to write is non-fiction as well, which really doesn't have characters, or at least main characters to develop. So much has been written about writing the novel but not nearly as many write about writing the non-fiction book.
ReplyDeleteHuh - Ed, I had a comment all typed out and apparently Blogger ate it!
DeleteThere are not as many books on writing non-fiction, except for particular kinds on non-fiction, like travel writing. The one thing I can tell you virtually every writing book says is simply keep writing. Even if it is awful. Even if is hard. Just accept it is what it is and keep writing, acknowledging that most of it will never go anywhere, at least in its current form. The reality is that you already have that story in you, it just needs to get out by writing - first badly, then better.
One boyfriend was a wanna-be writer. Already a PHD and had written thesis but always buying more how to books but putting words on page and all would end up being deleted. I read a few starts and they were ok but needed polishing. On Peter Grant blog he discovered recently that the next book in one of his series the plot had begun to wander and he ended up deleting 30,000 words. How many hours and days of work did that represent. But in reading authors blogs it happens to all writers. So as the self help books say just write. As evidenced by our returning daily to this blog.
DeleteGlasslass - One of the most helpful comments I have found in multiple books on fiction is simply to accept the fact that the first version is neither the last nor best version. I would venture to say that most people that think they would like to write have some level of self-criticism/self-editing already active. Reading your own stuff brings it to a new level.
DeleteI did see that post from BRM. I admire his tenacity and skill - even when I did National Novel Writing Month, that would have represented 60% of my 50,000 goal. That would hurt.
The other helpful piece advice, which you note, is write. Just write. Every day. If I could do something differently in my life right now - which maybe I need to do - it would be to find that two hour block a day to write.
You have nailed my life to the door. I don't know quite what journey I'm on, but the idea of my character is important to me. My personality impacts that, but the character can keep the personality in check so to speak.
ReplyDeleteQuick bit: I have a raging temper when unchecked. I have no doubt I am as deeply dark and evil as any have every been. Fully capable of horror, not harmless. BUT: my character keeps that in check. God has invested His Spirit in me, and with that empowerment, my base nature is held back. Where ever He leads me, I want to be the man He want's me to be.
I haven't really planned my journey, as that would doubtless be at cross purposes with His desires for my life. I follow where He leads, and brother, it has been an adventure at times, and frustrating, too.
It's the conflict that seems to keep me going... I press this and that way to find the path, and IT IS THERE. Usually, it just lays itself out.
I admire and completely understand how you read and see the pattern, then hold it up to yourself and see how you measure up. I do that ALL the time. And I have found it useful for gauging development.
VERY WELL SAID. I think I'm getting that book.
STaXR, if I have nailed your life to the door, it is only because I have nailed there first. I have issues as well, issues I have to keep managed by character.
DeleteIn reality, we are all on a journey of known destination but unknown path and uncertain length. I cannot tell where God's hand begins and mine ends in general except in those significant moments where I clearly see Him act.
But I - and you - bear a responsibility to act as if everything depended on us (even though it does not) and that includes working through our character issues. We hardly spend enough time on it in general anymore; certainly outside of some vague generalities it is not encouraged.
I have to be honest: I may value that book more for what it is teaching me about life than what it is teaching me about writing.
I was going to write a dystopian future novel about how the elites would enslave mankind, depopulate the worthless eaters and make the world their private playground while keeping alive only those who were deemed useful as sex slaves and torture playthings, using an army of AI enforcers and a cadre of techies with implanted neural switches so they could be terminated with a flick of a finger if they got out of line as they work diligently to create life extending procedures experimenting on the bodies of slaves to enable the overlords to live forever as gods.
ReplyDeleteThen I read the news.
Raven, as more than one wag has observed lately, Orwell intended 1984 as a warning, not a manual.
DeleteI've been a fan of The Drinker for years. Excellent thoughts. Also? I don't always agree with him, though I do know I often learn when I listen. I'm keen to give his novels a read.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I do not know that I always agree with him either - although to be fair, I do not think needs to agree with all critics all the time to find them valuable. But what struck me about him particularly if that if one only listened to a few posts, they would come away with one very distinct opinion -which would be completely wrong. He is a very insightful critic who truly is passionate about story telling. It is just that one has to be willing to hear and listen, not just react.
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