Time and time again I read articles about how writers procrastinate because they don't know how their story will end. The suggested advice? Just keep on writing and it will work it's way out on the keyboard.
But here's my stumbling block -- the middle. Oh yes, I absolutely know how my story is going to end. I had that figured out over a year ago! My challenge is to tie the beginning to the ending by creating "the middle". Under the circumstances (that this is my first go-around), I think that I've been doing a fairly good job of this task thus far, albeit it's taking longer than I had hoped. What works for me is that I sit down, look at the story and say to myself, okay, you need to tie this scene to this scene. How do you get there? The easy way, the hard way or the unexpected way? All three options will work depending on your goals. Also, what questions still need to be answered or what holes are there in the story that need to be filled?
You know, they say that there are two kinds of writers -- outline writers and non-outline writers. I'm a little bit of both, but lean further to the non-outline side when it comes to creative writing. This of course is a complete contrast to the way I work at my job. On the job, I am highly organized and plan everything out whenever possible (allowing flexibility of course for the unexpected). However when I write, I just let the creativity go and clean it up later. And frankly, I kind of like it that way. I don't want to be so structured with my writing that I let "plans" get in the way of the creative process. When it comes to the story being told, plans are made to be broken! After all, some of the best ideas come out of those unexpected diversions. This is one of the reasons why I think my middle is so challenging. Which path do I want to lead my characters down to get to the end of the road? Or better yet, where along the path will they ditch my outline altogether and lead me?
Hello Friends,
