Terrific comment from a writer I work with — she thinks like in fireworks with ideas going off in all different directions. No wonder she has difficulty pinning down her story. It’s as if in every writing session she embarks on yet another story. Yet, it’s obvious that her themes remain consistent throughout. Based on that we begin our work.
For her, the process is not about generating scenes. For this writer, her process involves analyzing what she does have. We begin with key scenes at energetic markers:
- The End of the Beginning
- The Halfway Point
- The Crisis
- The Climax
Since she has revealed to me all the defining traits of a classically right-hemisphere dominate writer, such a task of analyzation brings up all sorts of resistance from her.
As we work our way through the maze, her next toughest assignment is to hone in on her story and begin to commit to one route over another. She searches for assurances that the process will lead her to a publishable book in the end, which is impossible to determine until she reaches the end of the process and finds out what her story truly is all about. So, rather than commit, she continues to flit from one idea to another.
No amount of reassurances from me or anyone else about believing in and relying on the beauty of her writing brings her peace. Such a belief has to originate from inside herself. Something in her back-story seems to be preventing this. And, just like with the protagonist, as this writer writes her story, she also embarks on a personal, emotional and spiritual journey to determine how her back-story negatively affects her front story and writing life.
No wonder writing a story from the beginning all the way through to the end can take so long and become so difficult.
Even so, and setting aside her dream of publication, I still believe to my core that the process of writing and the self-discovery writing brings us are worth the time and effort. Always…
How does your back-story negatively and positively affect your front story and writing life?
Click on green highlighted plot concepts for further explanations via video. Each time a concept is referenced you are directed to new information.
To watch the entire Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? go to my YouTube channel. Currently, there are 26 Steps — only one more to go. A directory of all the steps is to the right of this post. Enjoy!
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