Being True to the Story

The title says it all.  And it does seem like an easy thing to do, right?

Wrong.

I am not sure about other writers but I know that for me, this is not an easy task.  Oh sure, sometimes its easy when the story takes a light and airy direction, a direction that won't make people uncomfortable, that doesn't explore difficult themes or social norms.

But wait, that wouldn't be my brain, now would it?

This new project has certainly had its share of challenges:

A plot that doesn't come easily, leaving big gaps and questions.  Especially in terms of time passage.  Oh, but time passage is a pain to have come off smoothly.

A setting/world that incorporates fantasy and history.  This might seem easy and freeing on one hand, and its certainly spectacular when its well-done (think Mists of Avalon or The Chalice and the Blade), but it must be done right.

And lastly, difficult subject matter.

Difficult because there are some strong religious themes.  Difficult because there are some transgressive subjects in the book.

And difficult because most of all, trumping all of those things, is the internal editors screaming bloody murder into my face.

"You can't write that!"  OR

"You should never have put xyz in this book!"  OR

"Do you know how this will offend so-and-so?"

And if you can manage to ignore those voices, the subtler ones are almost worse!

"Is this marketable?"  OR

"Which kind of publishing house will take this?  Is it too _________ for _________?"

Which in turn brings out the instinct to edit.  To edit like your hand is on fire.  To curb your thoughts and words.  To fight the path and direction you feel the story should take in order to make it palatable.  But doing that is so wrong, on so many levels.  What we, as writers, should be asking is:

"Am I being authentic to the story?  Am I doing justice to the story, the issues, the characters?  Am I handling those issues that are considered sensitive with sensitivity?"

And yes, we must be mindful of our demographic.  Some subject matter is not suitable for teenagers or children.  But when writing a book for adults, in a story that is well-written, respectful and yet explores difficult subjects, should we not give ourselves the freedom to write the story as it is?  The hard truths, the painful lessons, the regret and remorse, all the dark, ugly aspects of life as it is?

Good fiction, even if its set in another world and based upon a series of concepts that are all untrue, is about mirroring something of the human condition, something that we can relate to, sympathize with, get stirred up about, disagree with... something that impacts us and makes us feel a certain way because it holds grains of truth.  It relates some aspect of our human experience.

And sometimes, the human experience is dark.  Ugly.  Filled with perpetrators and victims, leaders and followers, sinners and well-meaning fools.  But its that dichotomy of dark beside light that makes us human, and that ultimately makes God's power in our lives so necessary.

That is what I am up against today!  Even in having a fantastic writing day (7.5k words in one day!!), I am having to tell my internal editor to shut up, take a holiday, and let the story come out.  If it needs toning down, polishing up or glossing over, that can all be done by beta readers.

For now, I have to be true to the story.  And pray, pray, pray, that I can keep that authenticity when it comes time to drag out the red pen.

Out of the Ashes & Building a Raft!

Alright so yes, I could go into mounds of detail about how I'm a slacker and should have been posting these last few (6? months).  Personal tragedy has taken me away from my ability to concentrate or do so, however, this has not inhibited the actual writing process.  There's got to be some truth to writing and pain and how they kind of feed off each other.  On this day in particular, I am feeling very "Out of the Ashes", but that is another post.

I wanted to share a success I have had!  And that is the hard work of actually writing.  Believe me when I tell you that us writers could literally spend days making blog posts, reading blog posts, going to workshops, reading articles on our craft, critiquing someone else's craft, etc, and never actually write one damn word of our own.  So, without further adieu:

I currently have 3 major projects on the go.

1) There's my "fun" go-to project when I need a break from thinking real hard.  It's a fun, spunky contemporary fantasy whose characters make me laugh out loud and takes twists and turns when I least expect them.

2) A secondary YA novel that I started working, realised is probably going to be late getting into the post-apocalyptic craze and might be popular several years down the road instead when things inevitably cycle around again like they always do.  In all fairness, its quite a bit different and the concept is catchy so I think I could have some success with it, but my other projects are just taking over.  Which leads to the last and most important project on the go...

3) My "serious" WIP that is a historical fantasy,  38k words in.  And I just completed a synopsis-thus-far on Monday, with a cue card scramble of what's to come.

My morning jigsaw scramble:

 

Trust me when I tell you that this was not an easy task for a linear thinker like myself.  I am very much a "go-in-a-straight-line" kind of person.  So when the suggestion was given, by my creative writing professor from university, to just write each scene down on a card and shuffle them around til it fit, my internal control freak was in agony.  So because I'm a bit of masochist, as all writers must be, and because I literally have banged my head against the wall of this plot for a few weeks now, I gave it a shot.

Now, I won't tell you that everything magically fit into place.  In fact there's still some cards that are missing, and they are certainly not in perfect order, but guess what?

I have a plot!  Or at least, the scope of a plot!  I am making connections between events, seeing transitions, finding ways to get to what I already knew was there but had no idea how to reach.  Kind of like seeing an island in the distance and having no idea how to go about building a raft.  Where do I get wood?  What do I use to hold it all together?  Can it hold up out there?  What if its farther than I thought it was...?

So, all this to say:  I have a pretty general and at the same time concrete idea of where the plot is going now.  

Is it terrifying?  Oh, yes.  Yes it is.  Because once again, its looking HUGE, but that's what edits and rewrites are for.  

Did I mention that when I finally got done with Paper Dreams, I actually ended up cutting 9k words?  And that was just from significant line editing, never mind rewriting scenes and actual book surgery.  9k words of "Oh gee, I use too many adverbs or say the same thing four times".

Anyway, I hope to be posting more frequently and keeping everyone up to date on the process/craft/daily grind/ecstatic joy of writing as a career.  Thanks for checking in with me, delinquent that I am!