Figuring it Out by Jamie DeBree
This month, I've sent three drafts to my editor. Two written recently (within the last six months) and one written a few years ago. I'm sure you can guess which one required the most revisions.
As I was going through that earlier draft, implementing the suggestions my editor offered and revisiting the story, I got to thinking about how far I've come as a writer in the past couple of years. Interestingly, I'd also overlooked a very simple continuity error in two drafts - the same exact error (in two separate genres even), which also underscores just how far I still have to grow. Then again, a writer who stops growing is stagnant, which is not a good place for any creative mind to be...
In any case, in thinking about what I've learned, I started to think about how I learned...and the answer isn't really as simple as one might think. When I draft, I block out the critical part of my brain as much as possible, and let the creative side have free reign. I don't plan much (if at all) and I basically sit down with my characters and ask, "So...what happens next?"
From that point on, my subconscious pretty much takes over - it's like I'm watching a movie and transcribing what happens. When I get stuck, getting unstuck means revisiting my character's personalities, past history and motives, and figuring out the only logical next course of action. The answer is always right there, I just have to dig a little for it by delving deeper into the minds and motivations of my characters.
How did I learn how to do this? Honestly, I just sort of stumbled over it. I participated in National Novel Writing Month for 6 or 7(?) years, and I tried plotting, planning, pantsing, and nearly every other method out there for writing a novel...and then I tried writing a draft that I thought I might submit to a big publishing house (before I decided to start my own press). I wrote all sorts of stories, dabbled in different genres, wrote to different lengths and tried out a host of different plot devices.
Basically, I wrote. A lot. And I kept writing, working my way up from 250 words per day to my current comfortable rate of 500-800 words per day.
I have some books on the craft of writing on my shelf - I keep meaning to read them, but I'm too busy writing (and reading fiction - I've never stopped reading, though instead of several books a week, I now average 1-2). Heck, I've even written a writing book, and have another one started. But while technical books can be great reference materials, I'm convinced that the best learning tool for writing a good story is to just keep writing.
There are some things about story and plot that I really don't think you can learn from a book or a workshop or any kind of external advice. Because it's not really a specific "thing" - it's more of a feeling you get when you just know something works, and that it can only work that one way in that particular story. No one can teach that, you have to figure it out for yourself. And there's really only one way to do that.
Write. Then write some more. And when you feel like you have no idea what you're doing or how to keep going because you can't see how any of it could possibly work...just trust in the ability of your creative mind, and keep writing.
You'll figure it out. I promise.
