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The Worst Thing About Writing
By Karen Fenech
Earlier this week I was asked what, for me, is the worst thing about writing.
That was one question I didn't have to think long about before answering. The
worst thing, I find, is when I know something isn't working in the story, but
can't figure out what it is.
I work from an extensive and detailed outline. It's not so stringent that I
follow it to the letter; I do veer away from it when or if something new (and
better) occurs to me, but because I've put so much thought into the story before
I sit down to write it, I've already considered and discarded various plot
points. Still, writing is an organic process, changing as you go, and sometimes
what you have actually put down on paper might not be the story you set out to
tell. This can be a good thing, but it can also get you into trouble, and at
some point, you may find that the story suddenly stopped working. You know it
isn't working, but just what is the problem?
When this happens to me, I go back to my characters. For me, the trouble is
always the result of a character acting out of character. At some point, I wrote
something that stopped one or more of my individual characters from remaining
true to the people I created them to be. It may be an action that a character
has taken or a reaction to something that was done to him or her that was
misplaced. That character simply wouldn't act or react the way she does, and
because of the error, the story has just suffered a breakdown.
A breakdown, however, doesn't have to be shattering, I've learned. You can get
the story working again.
When my story breaks down, I retrace my characters' steps, going back all the
way to the point before things went wrong. Some writers worry that they may not
be able to identify at just what point the problem occurred. But, as you're
going back over your work, re-reading each scene, you will likely find that your
internal radar will kick in. Hold on, you may be thinking, I don't have such a
thing as "internal radar." Trust in the knowledge that you do. All writers have
one. It was your internal radar that alerted you to the fact that there was a
problem with the story in the first place. Now, that radar will sound the alarm
again, stopping you cold when you read something that isn't quite right. You may
not be able to determine what the problem is, just yet, but you will know the
problem spot when you reach it.
When I locate the problem spot, a feeling of calm settles over me. I found it.
Wonderful! Now that I know where it is, I can go to work fixing it. It's the
"not knowing where" that makes me anxious, not the prospect of how I'm going to
fix it. I know what I need to do to make things right: I need to check my
characters' actions/reactions.
Now, depending on how far back I actually had to go to find the problem, this
can involve some extensive revision. Actions and reactions can't just be changed
in one place; an action changed in one place will create a different reaction
farther along so each subsequent scene needs to be examined to make sure that it
still fits with what has happened before it.
Rolling up my sleeves and hunkering down to work at this point though renews my
joy in the process. I'm no longer working through the worst thing about writing.
I'm on my way back to the best.
Karen Fenech writes contemporary and historical romantic suspense. Her next
novel, Betrayal, will be released in November 2006 by Five Star/Thomson
Gale. Visit Karen's website at:
www.karenfenech.com.
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