Story Systems, Part 3/5
So far, I’ve introduced an analogy for how
to think about stories and the writing process. I then discussed in more detail
how this helps to think about the writing process: initial conditions, running
a simulation.
If simulations are set up improperly, the
software returns error messages. What are error messages in the context of
writing stories?
Here are some from the current draft of the
story I’m writing:
·
Rewrite
opening scene once we know main character better.
·
Not
quite hitting the emotional beats properly overall. Verify on re-type.
·
[Sub-character1]
characterization?
·
[Sub-character2]
characterization?
·
Send
story to dad when done!
·
More
characterization of protagonist here. A little more about what she wanted to
do.
·
Ending isn’t quite right.
·
Maybe [this idea] doesn’t work. Think more about [that
idea] instead.
The reason I’m getting these
“characterization” messages is that I’m revising a draft of something I wrote
before coming up with my current method. I now have to go back and do work I
should’ve done before starting, in order to rewrite what I have. It’s clear to
me that I don’t know these characters as well as I have known other characters
of mine in other stories (which is, of course, my best gauge of how good a job
I can do.)
“Send to dad when done” is not really an
error(!) but a great sign—a highly marketable story is clean enough that you would
let your own parents read it. (I don’t see this as a compromise, though: I’ve
had a great run of violent and disgusting writing—and may have many more!)
All the text in my drafts is now blue, by
the way. That’s so I don’t see it as final. I like to type everything because
it’s so easy—but it requires extra discipline not to see a story as complete
for as long as possible.
Sometimes I’ll wake up and write notes in my phone of
something I need to add to the story draft—and when I look at the draft, I see
that same note already incorporated. That’s a great sign! The subconscious is almost
nagging you to make sure the story is as it should be.
These messages also require me to take out
ideas that I liked at the time because they no longer fit with the story’s new
direction. I don’t ever feel a “click” when a story is done, but when I make
these decisions, I feel the story getting better, better, better… what once was
flat becomes alive. The characters feel more real, their decisions gaining
weight, the settings more detailed. It’s a real joy.
There’s joy to be found in all parts of the
writing process, from first draft to final edit. I think why authors think they
dread writing so much is that it’s always tough to start. And you spend most of
your day not starting, therefore you’re inclined to let the dread of
not-yet-having-started mask the joy of creation.
These stories I’ve repaired recently—I had
no faith in them at all. This was a great place to work to test this theory
out, because these were the easiest to work on extensively. I didn’t have
anything to ruin, or anything to lose. All to gain. And it’s not even like I changed
all that much in the end.
When I read through, I typically collect
these error messages at the top of the document. If they pertain to specific
areas in the story, I’ll copy and paste them there. If, like
“characterisation”, they require me to think a bit more about a particular
aspect before I revisit the story, I’ll type them out where the error is. This
is good enough for me. If you want, you can categorise these errors:
1.
Structure:
o
Need for opening scene?
o
Chapter 3 too long: split into
two.
2.
Middle:
o
Scene 3 and 4 can be combined.
3.
Grammar:
o
Is it “lay” or “lie”? I can
never remember…
4.
Character:
o
Steve doesn’t serve a purpose
significantly discernible from Joe. Combine.
5.
Senses
o
Add smell/colour to beginning
section
Maybe you have more diffuse categories
related to elements more specific to your story. Up to you
