Spurred by weekly Fiction Friday deadlines, I’ve been writing a little bit more fiction lately. Nevermind that most of my readers seem to think it’s autobiography. As much as I’ve always loved the feeling of writing a story (or more accurately, finishing a story), the process still scares the hell out of me.
I think the biggest reason I struggle with fiction is not for reasons of imagination. I blamed it on a stifled imagination a while ago, but I’ve overcome that somewhat. What I’m left with is my fears about violating a couple rules of fiction: the need for action and transformation. Halfway through my stories, I walk away from it and start anxiously thinking about how there isn’t enough action to keep my reader interested nor enough transformation of the protagonist by the end for it to truly have some sort of plot.
What I am just beginning to understand is that yes, those things are necessary to a good story, but what makes up action and transformation can not always be clearly identified. It’s a matter of trusting myself and my story. Once I digest this and explore this a bit more, it’ll make some sense, but right now all I know is I need to expand my own definition of action and transformation, and to explore the possibilities for each.
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2 Comments
Bum, trust is a very important part of writing. trusting that the characters you are helping to put out on paper will follow their own path, even if you don’t know what it is, is maybe one way to let go.
kate
excellent point. that is something to take back to my writing. i think i’m okay at listening to my characters about who they are, what they might even say, how they might react to events i create, but i have not gotten to the point of being able to trust them to actually lead the plot…