How It’s Supposed To Work

Dec 6, 2009

How It’s Supposed To Work

So, the way I’m supposed to write goes something like this:

(Table A)

1. Get a brilliant idea
2. Flesh out idea in a rudimentary outline
3. Name characters, decide on location, that type of jazz
4. Sit down every day and just flippin’ write it.

But…

Other than blog posts and emails, I haven’t written anything in months (and months and months). It feels wretched, but sometimes life throws you eels. (Narrowly missed a cliché there!) And rather than making eel cocktails with cute umbrellas, I’ve been pretty much taking it lying down rather than taking it like a man.

It’s a horrid thing to admit, because writer write, right? And if I don’t write, I’m not a writer, and therefore what am I? (Some chick hangin’ out in her jammies, I think.)

But then an idea started gurgling in the goopy part of my brain (See Figure A. below) and although I tried ignoring it, in the end it won and I had no choice but to surrender. (See Figure B. below)

goopy-brain

surrender

And the thing about it is…it’s not following any of the rules listed above in Table. A.

It goes more like this:

Working Title: Break Down

1. A line pops into my head out of nowhere.
2. Break out the ancient laptop.
3. Write down the line.
4. Write anywhere from 2-6 pages inspired by that line.
5. Shut laptop and go to bed.
6. Repeat.

They don’t teach that method in any writing class in which I’ve enrolled; no seminars extol the virtues of “pop into the head method”. It’s undisciplined and ill-planned. It really shouldn’t work.

All of that being said, it’s the most dangerous thing I’ve ever written.

I can’t wait to see how it ends.

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5 Comments

  1. Indy
    6 December 2009

    Dear readers… I got an email from a friend who said she couldn’t leave comments on the blog. It works fine for me, and I can’t figure out why she’s not able to.

    I was wondering why some readers were replying via facebook, twitter, and email!

    If the reason you’ve been doing this is because you can’t comment here, please would you let me know? It would help me help her track down whatever gremlin is holding the submit button hostage!

    Thx!

    ND

    [ Follow me on Twitter: ]

  2. Girl Fren'
    6 December 2009

    Dear jammie-clad non-writer. I went to an acclaimed Grad School program (3 years) to learn how to follow the recipe (See Fig. A). Read a truck-load of good stuff, wrote some fair stuff, graduated near the top of my class. Wowee! For all the good it did me. My brain goop insists on doing as your’s did.

    OK if I bring my laptop and jammies to your house? We could start a club, er, a support group? Room for others, maybe? We could form a non-writers’ community.

    No problem leaving this comment, BTW, just that the one.

    PS: I plan to use that Readability site for my future students; they’ll quickly see their writings could be smoother.

    [ Follow me on Twitter: ]

  3. ND
    6 December 2009

    Come on over… I’ll put the kettle on.

    [ Follow me on Twitter: ]

  4. deniz
    9 December 2009

    So true! That’s how I always start my stories, with an image or a word or an emotion in my mind… After that I have to really force myself to “Sit down every day and just flippin’ write it.”

    Do you have a snip you can post? :-)

  5. ND
    9 December 2009

    Hmm, I’ll have to think about that! I’ve considered posting chapters or intros to some of my work on the blog.

    I’m always nervous about sharing stuff when it’s still in the early stages though!

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