Are we THERE yet???
C.E. Grundler
It’s been said countless times; writing is, at its core, a very solitary activity, and one of the most effective tools for getting a book complete is the simple equation of time spent with rear-end firmly planted on a solid surface and fingers on keyboard. That’s a great thing when, as a writer, you find your activities curtailed. Just keep typing.
BUT that only gets you so far. Stories don’t happen in a vacuum. They have settings, and while we writers may have fantastic imaginations, there’s only so far that, along with visits to Google Earth, can take you. Sometimes writing actually involves setting foot in actual locations. But that isn’t always an option, and even if it is, every time you step away from the keyboard, that’s writing time lost. What’s a writer to do?
Take the Mad Libs approach. Just throw in a place-holder. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m partial to these brackets: << >>. They’re easy to type, easy to spot, or round up with a search, and work for anything from <<location>> to <<emphasize distrust>> or anything else I’m not clear on or happy with. These <<useful>> brackets are invaluable for letting me maintain writing momentum. And in the process, I’ve discovered other benefits to this approach.
As I wrote, I wasn’t able to travel to the places I’d chosen. Frustrating, yes, but then again, I’m not sure how many visits Tolkien paid to Middle Earth, so I didn’t let it stop me. I simply threw in yet another <<TBD>> and just kept typing. The story evolved, developed, grew. Chapters were cut, others emerged in their place. Characters and settings from the first draft stepped out of the picture, while others became critical to the story. If a location changed, it was no big deal. It’s easier to edit these <<TBD>> into the story then change what’s already been determined on the page. And I realize now that had I been able to drop everything, jump in the car and head down the shore, (yeah, that is how we say it around here in Jersey,) 3/4 of those destinations would have never made the final cut. Much of the geography I’d planned to include didn’t work anymore, didn’t need to be there. And in the end, those placeholders saved me the time and expense of travelling to research ultimately un-used locations, time spent writing pages that would ultimately be cut, and let me instead focus on the big picture.
Share on Facebook
