MichaelB
March 21st, 2008, 10:50 PM
You’ve probably heard the expression ‘write about what you know’. You’ve probably been told that by a teacher, a writer, a university lecturer, or a friend. While this is good advice, a lot of amateur or first-time writers struggle with it.
“But how can I write about my own life? Nothing interesting ever happens to me.” There lies the problem: many amateur writers believe that in order to write something good, they must write about something interesting. But what makes something interesting? Many people who want to write usually think that interesting things include car chases, forbidden love, or government conspiracy. In short, they search for drama.
But life is rarely about drama, outside of movies and television. There are subjects for stories, and indeed, there are stories themselves, ready for the telling, everywhere you look. Yes, even within your own life. That old lady on the bus who always wears her cardigan over her head, or that boy stapling ‘lost dog’ posters onto telephone poles, or that conversation you overheard on the train: everywhere you look there is a story to be told.
“But how do I find the story amongst all of that?” There is never a golden rule for finding a story– every author is different, every writer has their own methods. But no single writer gets a story without listening, observing, and asking questions.
Who is that lady? Why is she wearing that particular hat? Is she going to a wedding or a party? Whose party is it? She might be going to see her family, or to take part in a game show, or to attend a wedding (or a funeral, or a baby shower, or a christening, or…)
The point of asking yourself questions is to generate answers. They don’t have to be right. They don’t even have to make sense. Just look at someone on the bus, ask yourself who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going.
Why does he look so angry? He might have had an argument with his wife, or his brother, or his boss. What’s the argument about? Perhaps he wants to move house, or change jobs, or buy a new car or a new pet iguana. Has he perhaps bumped into an ex-lover or high-school sweetheart? Or a high-school bully? What’s the significance of the chunk missing from his nose? Was he a soldier, or just a pub brawler? I wonder if he’s got children…
Ask yourself these sorts of questions, and build up a family and a history for this stranger on the bus, until you have a story. Let your train of thought follow naturally from one question to the next, don’t try to go backwards to ask a completely different question. A natural progression of ideas will help you to build a more natural character.
“Until I have a story? That’s too vague! I just want to write!” In recent years, the trend has been toward writing about everyday life. Most people go through their entire lives without once robbing a bank or flipping a car, or being involved in a forbidden romance. That doesn’t mean their lives were boring, or that they weren’t worth writing about.
Ernest Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” (1939) is about nothing more exciting than ‘trying new drinks and looking at things’, but it is compelling. It’s compelling not because of what happens, but because of the characters, and how they are portrayed. The characters have a presence in the story, they have a history outside of the story, and very strong personalities (and I don’t mean ‘strong’ in the sense of dominating or flamboyant- I mean you can get a feel of the character’s personality through their dialogue and their actions.)
By now, I’ve waffled on for quite a bit about the importance of observing everyday people, asking yourself questions about them and finding the story in the everyday, and not just in exciting car chases. Now let me move on to another aspect of idea-generation– writing from the imagination.
"I don't have time to ride the train for hours to observe people!" One thing you can do to generate ideas in the privacy of your own home is to free write, or free associate. There are two ways you can do this: with stimulus, or without.
With a stimulus, simply look at a photo, or hold and object, or read a quote or a message (even a text-message or an email will work) for a few minutes, and then put your pen to paper and write. Don’t think about what you’re writing, and don’t go back over and change what you have written. Don’t stop writing, either. Keep the pen moving, even if you just write ‘I am out of ideas’ three times. I once ended up with sixteen repetitions of ‘and’, during one session. Writing without a stimulus is harder, but your ideas are less restricted. Without looking at anything in particular, just start writing. Dive straight into your subconscious with a pen in your hand, and write whatever comes out.
“Write down the thoughts of the moment: those that come unbidden are often the most valuable” –Ernest Hemmingway
It’s better to free-write by hand, no matter how messy your handwriting, because the physical act of moving the pen can act as a sort of stimulus for ideas itself. If you find yourself falling short of words, you could describe the feel of your pen as you write; its colour, its movement, its texture and the glint of light off the fresh, wet ink. It will take practice and dedication, but soon you’ll be up to your ears in potential short stories.
My very general rules for developing story ideas:
1. Observe, ask questions, listen to conversations, involve yourself in your community.
2. Free associate without thinking about it, either with or without a focus object or picture.
3. Don’t think about what you write, or try to choose the right word in the first draft- get it down first, revise later.
_____a. If you have to think of what word to use, you probably shouldn’t use it. Use the words that come most naturally to you, and you’ll connect with the widest audience.
Feel free to add anything you think I've missed or overlooked.
“But how can I write about my own life? Nothing interesting ever happens to me.” There lies the problem: many amateur writers believe that in order to write something good, they must write about something interesting. But what makes something interesting? Many people who want to write usually think that interesting things include car chases, forbidden love, or government conspiracy. In short, they search for drama.
But life is rarely about drama, outside of movies and television. There are subjects for stories, and indeed, there are stories themselves, ready for the telling, everywhere you look. Yes, even within your own life. That old lady on the bus who always wears her cardigan over her head, or that boy stapling ‘lost dog’ posters onto telephone poles, or that conversation you overheard on the train: everywhere you look there is a story to be told.
“But how do I find the story amongst all of that?” There is never a golden rule for finding a story– every author is different, every writer has their own methods. But no single writer gets a story without listening, observing, and asking questions.
Who is that lady? Why is she wearing that particular hat? Is she going to a wedding or a party? Whose party is it? She might be going to see her family, or to take part in a game show, or to attend a wedding (or a funeral, or a baby shower, or a christening, or…)
The point of asking yourself questions is to generate answers. They don’t have to be right. They don’t even have to make sense. Just look at someone on the bus, ask yourself who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going.
Why does he look so angry? He might have had an argument with his wife, or his brother, or his boss. What’s the argument about? Perhaps he wants to move house, or change jobs, or buy a new car or a new pet iguana. Has he perhaps bumped into an ex-lover or high-school sweetheart? Or a high-school bully? What’s the significance of the chunk missing from his nose? Was he a soldier, or just a pub brawler? I wonder if he’s got children…
Ask yourself these sorts of questions, and build up a family and a history for this stranger on the bus, until you have a story. Let your train of thought follow naturally from one question to the next, don’t try to go backwards to ask a completely different question. A natural progression of ideas will help you to build a more natural character.
“Until I have a story? That’s too vague! I just want to write!” In recent years, the trend has been toward writing about everyday life. Most people go through their entire lives without once robbing a bank or flipping a car, or being involved in a forbidden romance. That doesn’t mean their lives were boring, or that they weren’t worth writing about.
Ernest Hemmingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” (1939) is about nothing more exciting than ‘trying new drinks and looking at things’, but it is compelling. It’s compelling not because of what happens, but because of the characters, and how they are portrayed. The characters have a presence in the story, they have a history outside of the story, and very strong personalities (and I don’t mean ‘strong’ in the sense of dominating or flamboyant- I mean you can get a feel of the character’s personality through their dialogue and their actions.)
By now, I’ve waffled on for quite a bit about the importance of observing everyday people, asking yourself questions about them and finding the story in the everyday, and not just in exciting car chases. Now let me move on to another aspect of idea-generation– writing from the imagination.
"I don't have time to ride the train for hours to observe people!" One thing you can do to generate ideas in the privacy of your own home is to free write, or free associate. There are two ways you can do this: with stimulus, or without.
With a stimulus, simply look at a photo, or hold and object, or read a quote or a message (even a text-message or an email will work) for a few minutes, and then put your pen to paper and write. Don’t think about what you’re writing, and don’t go back over and change what you have written. Don’t stop writing, either. Keep the pen moving, even if you just write ‘I am out of ideas’ three times. I once ended up with sixteen repetitions of ‘and’, during one session. Writing without a stimulus is harder, but your ideas are less restricted. Without looking at anything in particular, just start writing. Dive straight into your subconscious with a pen in your hand, and write whatever comes out.
“Write down the thoughts of the moment: those that come unbidden are often the most valuable” –Ernest Hemmingway
It’s better to free-write by hand, no matter how messy your handwriting, because the physical act of moving the pen can act as a sort of stimulus for ideas itself. If you find yourself falling short of words, you could describe the feel of your pen as you write; its colour, its movement, its texture and the glint of light off the fresh, wet ink. It will take practice and dedication, but soon you’ll be up to your ears in potential short stories.
My very general rules for developing story ideas:
1. Observe, ask questions, listen to conversations, involve yourself in your community.
2. Free associate without thinking about it, either with or without a focus object or picture.
3. Don’t think about what you write, or try to choose the right word in the first draft- get it down first, revise later.
_____a. If you have to think of what word to use, you probably shouldn’t use it. Use the words that come most naturally to you, and you’ll connect with the widest audience.
Feel free to add anything you think I've missed or overlooked.