Snow Day

Our city is crazy, when it comes to winter weather. At the slightest chance of snow, schools shut down, grocery stores are ransacked, and traffic dies away.

But today the predictions came true; we do have some ice out there. True, it's less than an inch, but ice is ice. My plans for the day - which included spending most of the day out - were rearranged at about 8:00 this morning.

I wasn't very upset. To have a day freed suddenly like that is like having someone hand you a lovely gift; roughly 12 unexpected free hours.

I chose to spend at huge chunk of that writing.

I haven't work on my story in ages. I purposely set it aside, to marinate. You story writers know what I mean, don't you? Sometimes a story just isn't ready. This one has been cooking for over a year, and I was starting to think it would never turn golden brown around the edges, but that familiar tingle in my fingers is beginning; that itch for a pencil and keyboard - that day-dream feeling of being in another world is just beyond the outer edges of my mind. It has begun.

I got a lot done this morning, but a certain point keeps stumping me. How to begin?

That's it; how to begin. The first three chapters of a book have always been my weak point. My weak, weak, weak point. Just show me the characters in trouble, then I'll get them out! Getting them into trouble has always been hard.

I know all the popular solutions; begin with action. Try dialogue. Try a narrative bit.

You don't understand. I don't just need to know how to start the scene. I need the scene!

My outline is written...sorta. I've gone with the looser "Beginning, Middle, Ending" framework, instead of a detailed point-by-point guideline this time. My Middle and Ending are filled with lovely scenes, but my Beginning remains sketchy.

What do you do when you need a plot to form? What strikes your creative spark into full flame? Or are you one of those blessed creatures who always has a storyline for any character or situation, and can make up an ending for every story you've ever read? (I always disliked those assignments, "finish this story..." I guess I should be glad they never were, "begin this story..."!)

As a side note, which do you prefer; A-B-C outlines, or the looser three-part story form of an outline? I've always preferred the more detailed one myself, but this story is creating a lot of firsts!

Stuff to watch for

I watched a new movie recently.

To be kind, I won't say the title, but I don't think it was very well done. However, while watching, I was reminded of a few things that can apply to writing stories:

1 - Strong plots can carry poor actors. Even though the actors were...well...pretty amateur, I still wanted to see what happened next.

2 - Characters shouldn't sound like they are reading their lines. At first thought, this applies only to actors, but I think it translates to book characters too. They shouldn't sound so...bookish. Would a person in really life say that? Would they say it like that? Think before they talk.

3 - Action and plot isn't enough. You still have to connect with the characters. Ideally, you should bond with the character before they are placed in action, or in danger. Otherwise, you simply don't care. Don't plunge right into things before your reader gets his footing and identifies in some way with the character. Do something to make him/her catch the interest of the reader - even if it's only a sentence or two before you plunge into that opening action scene. (This was a good reminder for me.)

Have you ever learned things about writing from watching a movie? Or reading a poorly-written book? Have you trained yourself to watch for mistakes, and see them as a way to learn, not just annoy you? What have you been taught through this habit?

Creativity and The Spiritual Dimension

Well, folks, I've been working on formatting and editing my book, and so far so good.

I was wondering today - are all writers deep thinkers? It seems to me that certain characteristics are common to all writers, and deep thinking must be one of those. I'm sure that more than a few of us have been made the end of good-natured jokes, since being lost in thought is quite humorous for those watching it from the outside.

For example, how many of you have done at least one of the following:

~ Passed a turn while driving, because you were thinking of other things
~ Finished a meal and not been able to remember what it was you ate, because your mind was on your story plot, not the food.
~ Stood at the bathroom sink, mechanically brushing your teeth for over 5 minutes, because you were lost in thought. (My hand is waving high on this one.)
~ Read the same page three or more times because you were thinking of characters, not research. (Guilty on this one, too.)
~ Been working on something, and had someone walk by and talk to you, asking you some questions. You respond. A minute or two goes by, and you look up. "What did I just tell them?" you wonder.

Yes, it's amusing. In retrospect, anyway. (I refuse to say how many times that last one has happened to me.)

But thinking, meditating, and chewing on ideas is how books come to life. I confess that I actually consider this a weak point in my writing; I don't think I think deeply enough or often enough. My imagination was much stronger when I was younger. I used to read more, then, too.

Have you ever chastised yourself for not being creative enough? "Oh, if only I was as creative as they are! How do they ever think of such plots? Why didn't I think of that first? Why can't my imagination work today? Why am I so unoriginal?"

I've been there, done that, many times. God is creative, right? And I've been made in His image, right? And I believe He's made me a writer...so why can't I think up something totally original?

I can't seem to do it. Everything I think of is a combination of other things I've read, watched, or heard. And this saddened me.

But yesterday, I was reminded of a grand and glorious truth about ourselves.

We can't truly create.

What is "creating," anyway? How did God do it?

I don't know. He spoke, and things became. He made the elements, the laws of science and math, and time and space all from nothing. That's creation. That's creating.

Can you do that? Can you make something from nothing? Of course not. So you can't really create. You shouldn't expect yourself to create.

We are not creators. We are creative. We imitate God, like a child imitating a parent. But we don't start with emptiness; we start with the building blocks He's given us. So everything we humans "create" is simply a rearrangement of what He made in the first place.

That goes for stories, too. If you think about it, God has made history and real life; all stories are rearrangements of that. We think "what if this happened? What if that happened?" We rearrange the events, but it's all happened before. Wars. Death. Kidnappings. Falling in love. Finding courage to do something difficult. Coping with hardships. Poverty. Tyrants. Weak good guys. Dashing good guys. Betrayals. Strong families. Snowstorms. Shipwrecks. Knights on a mission. Escapes. Haven't these all happened in real life? Did you really think some human created the first "love story"?

So don't strive to be original in what you say; you'll fail. Seek to be original in how you say it.

And here's the key to making how "you say it" sound believable; real life events always have a spiritual side. A building block has three sides - it's 3D. A story-building block has a physical, mental, and spiritual side. Anything that doesn't is flat, the half-hearted imitation of an author who thought they could create something...and ended up only destroying something that would have worked, and calling the remains their own invention.

Don't try to work this element up in your story any more that you try to "work up" something else - it's already there. You are using building blocks that come from real life. How does God use those events in real life? A story told in only the physical and mental dimension will fall flat - there is always, always, always another dimension. And I don't care if you're writing fantasy stories, either - there's a spiritual dimension. Greek mythology has a spiritual dimension. Everything has a spiritual dimension, and you'd better account for that in your work, or you'll be a failure as a story teller. But how much better when it's a true spiritual dimension? How much better when you can use your story to reveal truths about the real God?

That's what story telling at its height of glory really is; an echo of a spiritual truth we know to be true.

That's why a daring knight fulfilling his quest against all odds can make our hearts sing even when we know he doesn't exist; we've been through struggles ourselves, and we know that such a thing can really happen. If the knight has relied on God for help, and God has stepped in and done something amazing, we are doubly entranced, because all humans are fascinated by the supernatural. And when the supernatural is real, when that supernatural thing could have actually happened....well, heartbeats triple in speed.

Make use of the building blocks God gives you. Grab story ideas from real life, and don't forget to grab their spiritual dimensions along with them. Keep those ideas 3D, and you'll have the foundations for a truly creative story.

...Well, as creative as any human can get.

Do you write or do you WRITE?

We writers are a strange lot.

There. I just had to say that.

But, really, we are. We talk so much about how we love to write. We can discourse on our latest project. We can tell stories of past plans. Someone mentions that "stack of stories I've started but never finished," and we all groan in unison and knowing sympathy. We talk an awful lot about how we love to write.

...But do we actually write?

It ought to be top on the list of "hindrances to writing." We just don't write. We do everything but write. We go to the library to "research." We brainstorm on a scrap of paper. We discuss ideas with friends. But it takes a lot to get us to sit down and write.

But that's what separates the true writers from the wanna-bes. We all know that person who is constantly talking about "their book," but never progressing. We silently sigh inside, and know they are never going to finish it. They've been working on chapter one for four years...once every three months, for about two days straight. Then the inspiration dies, and they push the work to the side.

Do you really want to be one of those? Is writing just a hobby you tinker with, or are you committed to it? You've gotta know. If God has made you a writer, you are out of His will until you get about the business of honoring the talent He put in you, and directing it to His service. If you are only playing with writing, you are wasting precious time and thought in something that isn't meant for you. Get busy doing what you are meant to do.

I'm not saying you shouldn't learn to write. Everybody should learn to write, just like everybody should learn to speak. But don't fool yourself into thinking you are going to finish that book someday and become a published author if you don't have a level of commitment that goes beyond the person who "likes writing." You've gotta do better than that. You've gotta have drive, buddy. There never was a great book written that didn't have sweat-stained pages.

True writers make themselves write. They have dedication. They are always moving, progressing, learning, changing. They aren't a stagnant pond - they are a living, flowing, body of water, whether they be a minuscule creek or a raging river. They are clean, and they are alive.

So, I ask you - which are you? Are you truly a writer? Did God put that in you? If He did, are you using that? Are you working? Are you striving? Stop the playing! This is real life. You've got a mission. You're blessed to be asked to do something you love. So love your work, but do work.

Wow, am I feeling convicted.