Monday, September 20, 2010

Where Stories Come From . . .

This morning after my swim, as I floated and stared up at a sky so pure blue-gray that its solid, monotonous color was the only thing in my line of vision save for those little floater things (you know, the little paramecium that slip along the periphery of things, viscous, scientific and strange), a line came to me that I knew would likely be the last line of the novella I am working on, if, in fact, the novella ever comes to full fruition. And, trust me, it may, or may not.

That, and a conversation last evening with my dear friend Evelyn's husband, the gorgeous and gregarious (if slightly giddy ;)) Karlito, got me thinking again about where my stories come from -- my beginnings and middles and ends -- and how differently I seem to write than many of my friends who (enviably) write from well-formed ideas reduced to detailed outlines, their chapters and plot (oh dear god when will I EVER learn to plot?) mapped out before them in bulleted, organized glory.

I write with no such bulleted, organized glory.

For example, evolution of The Pull of Gravity: I read an article about this guy, see, and something about him intrigued me and I found myself wondering what his real life might be like. How what he had done (set out to walk across America to lose weight, in this case) would affect his marriage and, more importantly to me, his children, his family.

Here. This is a real photo of him walking:

He became the first central character driving the story, except that I knew that the story would be told from his son's perspective (I do not remember if the real guy has a son).

The second thing that happened was, as I was thinking vaguely about the story, my younger son spiked a fever, which brought the first line of the book to me, and the few lines that followed:

"A fever was what started everything. That, and the water tower, and the cherry cola. Well, also, Dad and his condition, and Mom being in Philadelphia and all."

Nothing else about the story had come to me yet. But I just started writing, and eventually a story unfolded.

Little known fact (nearly forgotten by me): the first working title of the book in my computer files was Fat Man Walking -- a far cry from Steinbeck, The Scoot, and the Pull of Gravity, now just The Pull of Gravity, eh?


Anyway, this is how I write, despite that all I had in this case was a character or two, some lines that appealed to me, and my own desire and intrigue. Lord knows how I got here from there.

For example, evolution of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me:

The title came to me one morning as I woke up. Nothing but that title. There was a reason that Kerouac was on my brain, and I was ruminating on my next YA, but other than that, and the sudden realization that somehow butterflies were also to be involved, I had little else when I set the manuscript in motion. How the rest unfolded remains a mystery to me.

For example, evolution of Frankie Sky:

The first line, "The first time I see Frankie Schyler, he’s diving into the deep end of the Lawrenceville Country Club pool," came to me together with an image of a small boy, angelic looking, diving confidently into a swimming pool surrounded by onlookers, appearing to swim sort of miraculously, then drowning instead. I was in the pool, underwater, when the image came to me.

All of my stories are like this -- springing from bits and pieces, vague ideas, images that pull at me, call to me while I swim, or drive, or sleep. I suspect this is not the best way to write, and worse, I suspect it is why, while my writing is repeatedly praised, editors continue to struggle with my stories, my plotting, the way things unfold in my novels, over and over again.

Perhaps it is not the best way to write, but so far, it's the only way I know how.

How do your stories come to you?

14 comments:

  1. Nice blog. If I had enough interesting things to say, I would write my own blog about this subject and link back to you, but, alas, my muse if far less compelling.

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  2. This is soooo interesting. And resonates completely for me and my process (I swear!). All my ideas have come to me haphazard. My first attempt at a novel started as stream of consciousness. My second from random dialogue I "heard" while I was gardening.

    But plotting is my main foible and I am coming more and more to outlining before I write (or re-write in my case). When I "crack the nut" (getting both strong plotting with strong writing), I will be one happy camper!

    And yet, I'd be hard-pressed to steer you anywhere else -- your writing is so beautiful.

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  3. Jeff, I so disagree. Every time I read a moment of one of your stories unfolding along the banks of the Choctawhatchee River (good lord, yes!, I did have to google that spelling) I can feel your muse tugging at you from way across the country here...

    Barbara, <3. Also, I am anxiously waiting for a sneak peek at a bit of your fiction. Just saying.

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  4. My ideas come to me in much the same way as you describe. I get an image or a fragment of something and I go from there. Or at least I used to. These days, I know from experience that developing such things into a story or novel that works (in terms of plot, characters, the whole bit) will be very difficult for me. I know that I will get to a certain point and give up in frustration because the story just doesn't "go" anywhere. I am often told I'm a very good writer, after which the person goes on to tell me they couldn't connect emotionally with my characters or this or that doesn't work well. I admire you for your persistence and success in solving those kinds of issues and, therefore, getting published by a major house!

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  5. It’s interesting how a single image can create such a strong reaction at times. For instance, this morning I was in a coffee shop when an elderly lady walked in my direction. She had a huge smile frozen on her face, which resembled more of a death mask than any true display of happiness. It was rather jarring at first, but it made me think of what her life might have been like during the last ninety some years. In her youth, that smile probably opened a few doors and broke a lot of hearts. In the proper crowd, it might still have that effect. In contrast, there was a set of twin blonde preschool girls out with their au pair for hot chocolate. They looked like they could become models someday, although their wealthy parents would probably make such a path unnecessary, if not boorish. I wondered if they would be smiling many years from now when their lives are spent, and their tales have been spun. There are worse ways to begin novels, so do whatever works for you, Gae.

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  6. Charlie, thanks for your comment... I love how crisp and meaningful these tiny little moments can be, especially for us writers.

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  7. Wow. Great post. My stories, such as they are, always start with an image - a freeze-frame or still photo, more or less, and the story "unfolds" (as you say) from there. Of course, none of my stories are anywhere near as mature or complete as your are. (No arguing: you've published a novel! Which Amazon will send me just as soon as they can!) Last week at a reading by a science-fiction author I like, I was surprised to hear him say that he never plots his books, that they start with a "concept" (which apparently means a plot turn or interesting character, not a Big Idea to Explore) which he then labors to develop into "prose fiction," as he put it. He never outlines anything, and yet he's done pretty well for himself.

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  8. My ideas kind of just pop in my head randomly when I'm not at all thinking about writing. Usually it's just an idea, or a beginning paragraph. Then the hard work starts, molding it into a story with a middle and an end. :)

    It helps when the sun is shining.

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  9. hmmm, where are all my detail-oriented outliners and plotters? I know you are out there. :)

    But glad to know I am not alone.

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  10. Love this post!

    On topic, I found this interview with David Brooks (on Charlie Rose), of all people, fascinating. In the first 11 minutes, especially. His language on how he understands the brain works (i.e. the miracle of emotion from essentially "meat") spoke volumes to me on where our ideas and stories come from. It really is magic.

    http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11206

    P.S. The detail-oriented outline plotter you are looking for is John Grisham. I guess it works when you do it right, but I wouldn't know. Gae, I can't even write a synopsis AFTER I've written the book.

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  11. Megan, Yes! Brooks was suggesting that our subconscious has all the good ideas and makes all the important decisions (although we may not realize it) in our lives.

    This portion of the interview is a real hoot. He uses "buying furniture" as an example of how to make the most of your subconscious. :-) Basically, you have to distract your conscious thought away from the subject at hand and let your subconsicous tell you what to do by, you know, having an idea randomly pop up.

    Your conscious mind, apparently, will block all the good ideas if your let it. Maybe that's why we all write crazy and, shit, it works but no one knows how.

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  12. walkinhistory said...
    Love this post!

    On topic, I found this interview with David Brooks (on Charlie Rose), of all people, fascinating. In the first 11 minutes, especially. His language on how he understands the brain works (i.e. the miracle of emotion from essentially "meat") spoke volumes to me on where our ideas and stories come from. It really is magic.

    http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11206

    P.S. The detail-oriented outline plotter you are looking for is John Grisham. I guess it works when you do it right, but I wouldn't know. Gae, I can't even write a synopsis AFTER I've written the book.

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  13. I don't plot, but I usually go into a project knowing the beginning and end, and I write a one- to two-page version of the entire story. Not an outline, as such, but a condensed version of the entire picture. There are surprises along the way (subconscious, flow, redirection), but for the most part, I know where the story's going and what I want to accomplish along the way.

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  14. Your process actually seems far more 'inspired' than mine... a touchy, feely thing. I get a flash or two of 'hmm.... that's interesting' and then it needs to stew a long time before there are characters sort of willing to play in the scene... I DO though, have things come together on power walks (a lot) like I think you do in the water... I am a deep believer that an active body and relaxed brain is PRIME imagination fodder.

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