Begin Again: New Story
By Therese Walsh | August 5, 2008 |
First off, I want to thank you all for your congrats. This has been a wild few weeks, for sure. And, since Therese Fowler removed her supergirl mask in comments, I’d like to say a public thanks to her, too–my willing pre-publication blurber. Thanks, Therese! You’re the best of the best!
Okay, on to today’s post…
A funny thing happened shortly after I landed my fabulous agent: I imagined a new story. Just like that. I could see her–my quirky protagonist with her dark aura and strange quest. I fell in fast love and just knew it: this would be the next story I’d write.
The idea didn’t come entirely out of the blue. Once upon a time, I considered writing a follow up to Unbounded and wrote about 200 pages of a script. I dusted it off recently and looked at it with fresh eyes. Not right. Too much a mess to inspire anything but the call from my recycling bin. But a few CPs reminded me of a scene that lay somewhere in the rubble–set in the mountains of West Virginia. Full of atmosphere, a little creepy, mysterious. I re-read it and felt a shot of ice through my bones. This was the setting of my next story.
My protagonist came alive shortly after that–a physically damaged girl with ethereal yearnings that send her and her sister on the strangest of all quests. Along the way, they’ll meet others, affect them. They’ll all be changed.
Story bones are so important. What’s your theme? How can you spindle it out, focus it in? Where does your character begin? What is her journey, her arc? Ironically, digging for story bones links back to my beginnings at a writer–my time as a researcher. Here’s where you find the gold…
One of the very first lessons I learned as a research associate at Prevention Magazine was to dig. Hard. Deep. Wide. Examine those big heaps of dirt knowing most of it would be devoid of anything remarkable. But not all of it. There’d be glimmering particles, too, buried treasure; squirming little bits alive with promise. Details to enhance your topic and make your spin unique. Far more unique then if you’d done a shallow, focused dig that would lead you to uncover the same tired nuggets everyone else has found.
In my experience, this holds true for fiction research as well. Go deep and you’ll find gems that will enrich a story and root it in authenticity and humanity. Go shallow, and your work might remain boxed.
When researching Unbounded, I visited Castine, Maine–one of the three central locales in my story. While there, I went for a ride on the Penobscot Bay with the local storyteller (and a real character!). I went on a whale watch, then hung out at the local oceanside stand, The Breeze. I spoke with the locals, walked the hills, learned about Castine’s drummer boy ghost. For research into Rome, Italy, I read three books, bought a street map and interviewed a fabu expert. I had to dive into Asian culture as well, and I learned as much as I could about an ancient sword that plays such a large role in the story–through books and websites and message boards and interviews. I read a lot about the strange behaviors sometimes seen in twins. After the deep dig, I sat around with my shiny finds. Which could be used to enhance the story theme of acceptance? Which could be used to draw out the journey of the character? Using the drummer boy ghost was a no brainer. I found perfect locales in Rome. The sword was associated with scads of fitting legends; several of them had to be left on the cutting room floor.
I’m using the same technique with book two. I’ve ordered books on West Virginia, including a book of ghost stories and another of West Virginia poetry. I now have in my possession a 3-DVD set called The Appalachians. Later, I’ll buy a map and explore the land using Google Earth. I’ll travel there, too, to see what I see, because ideas are everywhere.
I can’t wait to better understand this story, adding real muscle to the story bones I believe are strong and unique.
How about you? What’s your process when you first begin a new story? What drives you? How does a story come to you? As a whole, or in bits and pieces along the way?
Write on, all!
Photo courtesy Flickr’s fabu Lá caitlin
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
My fascination is with dystopias and post-apoc scenarios so most of what I’ve studied is a long those lines. Specifies: East Berlin, any and all documentaries and/or fiction revolving around it (Did I mention The Lives of Others is fantastic?), any and all doomsday scenarios from meteors to nukes to ice ages to super volcanoes to loss of atmosphere.
With something like a dystopia,the themes that strike me are the more-oft-than not hypocrisy of a dictatorship. The people are expected to follow certain rules in the form of absolutes but those in government do not have to, etc. And also the idea of how important secrets and secret/inner lives become in a dystopia. There has to be something that can’t be taken away, and mining that throughout the story is a great thing.
I’m attracted to dark settings and circumstances — the heroes must rise out of something. I’m not one of those writers who likes their character too much and is afraid to put them through conflict. Actually, I have a bit of the opposite disease. There is almost nothing I won’t do to a character if I feel like it will accentuate the journey and doesn’t cross over into the realm of absurdity. Though to a certain degree, given the genre I’m working in absurdity is a natural part of the mix.
Sometimes it’s the most random thing that will open a flood of possibilites. I love it when that happens…that’s the magic of writing.
I’m super-intrigued by your new story, Therese. I know it’s going to be another fantastic tale.
I’m blushing. :)
There is a kind of magic to story epiphanies, whether the project is new or ongoing. Mine often arise from very small germs of situation or character, which I then nurture until there’s some substance to really work with.
Isn’t it wonderful how, once the immediate anxiety of finding an agent was gone your imagination was freed and ready for inspiration?
Are you guys writing full time now then, or is there a day job?
Don’t mean that to be a pointed question, just… I know one thing I struggle with is simply making the time to write. The days in which I have nothing else to do but write I get a ton of writing done. But those days are unfortunately few and far between.
In a lot of ways I can imagine it getting easier rather than harder when you go pro. More dedicated time and effort to it instead of having to shoe-horn it in amongst everything else in your life.
Thoughts?
I’m attracted to dark settings and circumstances — the heroes must rise out of something.
I agree, Eric. I think those stories make for the most inspired character arcs.
Aww, thanks, Kath.
Therese F–aka super girl! Yes, ebbing anxieties must’ve had something to do with the story idea–along with knowing I needed to come up with something new. The sooner, the better!
Eric, yours is a timely question. As a freelance writer, time at home in front of la computer has been my day job, but my fiction work has always taken a backseat to nonfiction when assignments popped up. Now I’m wondering if I need to put the nonfiction work on hold and dedicate myself to fiction. I’ll be navel gazing on this subject over the next few weeks.
Therese, I’ll be interested to hear whether your fiction moves to the front seat.
I once researched something for too long, and I realized it was an avoidance tactic. For my last book I went the opposite way and didn’t research enough. I ended up putting it aside, but I do plan to go back some day — after I do more research. :lol:
Therese, I caught my breath when I read your words… adds “muscle to a story.” Great word choice! When people mention theme I generally freeze because I truly don’t focus on a theme when a story sparks my muse. But a CP recently did it for me when the subject came up. She said my stories revolve around justice. My books always involve a wrong being righted. Re, what brings them to life? Often it’s a song, an unfinished news report, a scattering of words. It all depends. My first book arose from hearing a breaking news story on my lunch hour. I had to go into work and I kept wondering what happened to a man gunned down on the NM state capitol steps. I never found out so I had to write the ending. I guess I wanted to ensure he found justice, so I made sure it happened.
Edie, I’m getting closer to a decision…
Donnell, justice is a great, great guide to story. It’s one of my hot buttons in real life, so I completely identify!