Hello fellow bloggers, I have a special treat today. The fabulous Laurie Viera Rigler has kindly taken time out of her busy schedule to do a guest post here at my blog.
Read Laurie's guest post below, then read on for information on how you can win a signed copy of her book.
Scenes from the Writing Life: Embracing the "I Don't Know"
Not knowing can be a pretty unpleasant place to be. Not knowing the answer to the test. Not knowing what's in style. When you're going to find a job. What you're supposed to wear to the party. What you should say to that gorgeous neighbor of yours when you finally get up the nerve to introduce yourself.
When we don't know, we can feel small, uncertain, inadequate, out of control. Even frightened.
It's no wonder that when writers find themselves in the place of "I don't know," as in, "I don't know what's supposed to happen next in my story," they often freeze. Or block.
I've done it myself, many times. See, I tend to be a control freak. And the thought of not knowing what's going to happen can be terrifying, storywise and otherwise. How can I have control over something that I can't see coming? How can I prepare for it, manipulate it, and predict its outcome? Truth is, I can't.
And that doesn't have to be a bad thing.
When I was in the early stages of writing my first novel, CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, I wrote an outline, figuring it was my key to certainty. I wouldn't have to worry about what was going to happen next, because I'd made all of the decisions beforehand. Makes sense, right?
Not for this author. By the time I finished the book, it bore almost no resemblance to the outline. And when I look at the outline now and see what I had planned for my story, it wasn't nearly as good (understatement; it was terrible) as what happened when I just let the story unfold in its own way.
That doesn't mean that plotting and outlining is a bad thing. Quite the contrary. I know many fine authors who are plotters. Plotting works for them. But what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.
All well and good, you might say, but what about those times when nothing's coming out? What about those times when you're staring at the blank page or the blinking cursor on your screen?
If you find yourself in that position, I have some helpful rules for you—guidelines, actually—that helped me tremendously while I was writing my second novel, RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT.
By the way, these rules aren't only for those of you who are writing a novel or a short story—they could also be helpful if you are writing narrative nonfiction. Or a paper for school. Or a college application personal statement. Or a presentation to a prospective client. Or maybe even a difficult email (as long as you make sure you're not getting your brilliant ideas for said email while in a state of anger. Brilliance comes when your mind is clear, not clouded with anger).
Rule number one: Don't freak out.
Rule number two: Step away from the vehicle, i.e., stop trying to turn over that engine in your head. It's flooded with too much analytical, know-it-all thinking.
Rule number three: Decide that you are in the wonderful land of "I don't know," where magical answers appear without any effort.
Rule number four: Sit in a quiet space (it's often a good idea to get away from your desk) and close your eyes. In your mind, ask your character or whomever you're writing about or your inner wisdom or whomever you turn to (or wish you could turn to) for guidance to show you or tell you what happens next. Or what you're supposed to say. Trust that whatever you need to hear or see will be revealed to you.
Rule number five: Be open to the possibility that what comes to you may be quite different from what your analytical mind would have thought up.
Rule number six: If nothing happens and you start getting frustrated sitting around in silence, or you second-guess the process and start grinding your analytical thinking gears again, decide that the answer will come to you in good time. Then do something mindless. Like go for a drive,* do the dishes, take a shower, work in the garden, or organize your collection of DVDs. Or Jane Austen action figures.
Rule number seven: Have faith that the answer will come. Because it will. You'll see: Like magic, the ideas start flowing. You'll see/hear the scenes or words unfold in your head. At times you'll be hard pressed to keep up with the flow of words and/or pictures as you try and write it all down.
*If you start getting a flow of ideas while driving, do pull over. I once got so lost in a flow of creative ideas while I was pulling out of a parking space that I scraped the car parked next to me. In other words, don't try and operate heavy equipment while your muse or character dictates to you. Besides, if you pull over, you can actually take dictation on paper or pull out the mini cassette recorder you keep in your glove compartment.
Rule number eight: Decide to remember the exhilarating, mind-opening experience you've just had. Which will help you put into practice rules one and seven the next time you get stuck.
Has any of you ever had a similar experience? I'd love to hear about it.
Would any of you like to try out these rules with your own writing or with something else that doesn't involve writing at all? I'd love to hear your thoughts about that, too!
Please feel free to ask me questions as well. Who knows; I may even have an answer. :)
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Thank you so much for stopping by and chatting with us Laurie! You've given some great advice here. I think rule number one is one to live by!
And I agree with rule number seven, 'Have faith that the answer will come'. So many times in life, if you just step back and take a minute away from the situation, the answer to the problem or dilema will come to you when you least expect it.
Giveaway info:
I'm giving away one personally inscribed copy of my new novel, RUDE AWAKENINGS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT, which is the parallel story to my first novel, CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT. I'm giving away an inscribed copy of CONFESSIONS, too. Everyone who enters a comment or a question gets a chance to win.
***This contest is now closed***
***Thank you again to Laurie for kindly offering two signed copies of her books!***
