Lynn Jatania's Blog, page 5

Following the Rules

The other day I was watching something with my 14-year-old son – I forget exactly what – and there was a payoff in the third act. You know – a big deal is made of something seeming small and inconsequential in the first act, and then it comes around to bite the protagonist in the butt – or serve as their salvation – in the climax of the piece.

My son noticed this right away, and said, “I knew that would turn out to be important!” So I told him this famous rule of writing: If you show the audience a gun in the first act, it has to go off by the third act.

(I just looked it up, and turns out this is a principle created by Anton Chekhov, and that guy knew a thing or two about storytelling, so I guess it’s worth noting!)

My son just loved this saying. He’s taken right to it – now, whenever we watch anything and there’s a little something, a small side scene that seems to have no reason, he immediately points out the “gun” in the story. It hasn’t ruined anything for him; he’s not one to be affected by spoilers as it is, but in this particular case, he’s delighted to be able to spot the story making at work. It’s like he’s joined a secret club, those who know the ins and outs of a good tale, who know the inside scoop on how to create drama and intrigue.

I often write without giving much thought to the “rules.” Writing for me is an instinctive thing – I’m an pantser, not a planner, when it comes to storytelling. I ignore all advice to write an outline, to draft a plot and then grow it from there. Instead, I usually think of an interesting first line, or perhaps stumble across an interesting character, and just write from there and see what happens.

It’s working for me as I explore short pieces – and I mean really short, as my “short” stories are often no more than 1200 words. But I’m wondering if now is the time to start thinking about those rules. Rules, as they say, were meant to be broken, but when it comes to writing, a few guidelines from masters like Chekhov can’t be all bad.

I have to say, I really do like that one about the gun. It’s so simple and obvious – and yet, so true. If you show them the gun, then use the gun.

I think I’ll keep that one in mind as I work on my next story. What’s your favourite writing “rule” – and do you ever break it?

The post Following the Rules appeared first on Lynn Jatania.

They Are Me, and I Am Them

I often read interviews with actors and actresses – I’m a bit of a Hollywood junkie – in which they talk about their craft. Sometimes they say that the way they connect with a character is to find something deep within themselves that is the same, something they can relate to from their own experience.

But sometimes they say they are playing a character that is so very different from who they are in real life that there’s no anchor, nothing to latch on to. In times like these, they must rely on pure imagination, and sometime it’s a hit, and sometimes a miss. A great example of playing the opposite, for me, is Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully on the X-Files. I watched the show for years before I saw an interview with her in real life and I was stunned to find that she is bubbly, goofy, and a little scatterbrained in real life – the absolute opposite of her most famous character.

I’ve been wondering lately if this same skill is required to be a great writer. I find the best way to write about a character is to put myself right in their shoes – to imagine I am them, and to talk in their voice, think with their mind. But when I write like this, it becomes clear to me that every one of my characters is me, to some extent.

I’ve been working for a while now on a set of ten short stories that are all set at the same wedding – each one follows a different wedding guest. And although the stories are different, and the main characters in each are different, they are all some aspect of my own personality, I find. Willow is me when I feel hopeful. Lisa is me when I feel focused and professional. Luke is me when I feel like a failure. And even Ella – the four-year-old flower girl – is me when I’m feeling playful and silly.

So does that mean that I’ll never be able to write a truly original character? Does that mean that all my characters will boil down to the same voice, the same point of view, in some essential way?

Or is this what being a writer is really about – finding your point of view in the world, as multi-faceted as it is – and then sharing that perspective? Using words to let people know who you are, and what you think?

I go back and forth on this one. For now, I’m happy to be playing 10 different parts – and then some – at my imaginary wedding. But eventually, someday, it might be time to step outside myself, and into someone else.

What do you think?

The post They Are Me, and I Am Them appeared first on Lynn Jatania.