The Greateast Thing about Writing

Just when you think you can't do it, an idea takes you by surprise. Each time I think of embarking on a writing project of some sort the first thing my inner critic says is, "Nah, you can't write that. You don't know how. You don't even have a plan."

But there's a part of me that just won't give up. My brain continues to nag at the problem until a couple of days pass and to my surprise, an idea hits me right between the eyes, usually the minute I wake up in the morning. I believe in the saying that if you mull over a problem before you go to sleep, the solution will come to you in the morning, at least as far as writing is concerned. There's also the other maxim I gleaned from Ralph Keye's book, "The Courage to Write," which encourages not to worry about a story after sundown. I try to find a middle road. Think about it without worrying. Sure...piece of cake.

This happened to me two days ago with a short story. I had heard of a fiction contest I could take part in, but hesitated to do so because I had no idea what to write. About a week later, in that fuzzy morning phase when you're only half awake, a germ of an idea began to form in my mind. I had a protagonist with an axe to grind and a revenge theme. Still not enough and lots of plot holes, but the idea had possibilities. Listening with half an ear to a TV programme while I folded some kitchen towels did the trick. A line uttered by one of the programme hosts jumped out at me and out of the blue, I had a role for my protagonist as well as a solution to my plot.

I had errands to run and couldn't sit down to write it immediately, but there was one essential thing I had to do before I left. I switched on my laptop and jotted down what I call props. Props in a literal sense because they hold up my story.

a) the story theme

b) the protagonist's goal, motivation and conflict

c) the antagonist's goal, motivation and conflict (as opposed to the protagonist's)

d) setting

e) a proverb that summed up the ending.

I thought about it during the day, adding details and hugging the new idea to myself with egoistical glee. Over the next few days I wrote, rewrote, edited and sent the story out.

The creative process connected with writing, that whimsical, unexplainable process that brings new characters and situations into my life, seemingly out of nowhere, the part that makes me fly, for a fleeting moment, on the wings of a butterfly to savor the nectar of the writing buzz, is the part I love most about my life as a writer.

The Porcupine Dilemma

The first time I heard about Shaupenhauer's porcupine dilemma it fascinated me. It's an apt depiction of human relationships and their outcome if one isn't careful. How do we get close to another person without getting hurt? This is the way the story was told to me.

Two porcupines were standing at a distance from each other, both shivering with cold. They thought that if they got closer, they would benefit from each other's warmth. So they bridged the distance and huddled together. At first the warmth was heavenly and they were so ecstatic they moved closer. That's when they started to feel the prodding from each other's bodies. But they thought a few punctures were worth the sacrifice if they could have the much desired body heat.

Ignoring the consequences, they drew even closer and this time, the pain proved so great they sprang apart. Distance awned between them. Once again, they were out in the cold, but like most of us, they needed to learn the lesson the hard way, to suffer the consequences of wrong decisions on their own skin before they both came to a realization. They would get close enough, but not too close. That way, they could benefit from each other's warmth without hurting each other.

Another image that symbolizes my ideal of human relationships is the temple front held up by two coloumns. They both make a joint effort to hold up the temple, but stand apart, without losing their individuality. There is space between them and room to grow.

Yet another image that fires my imagination is that of the strings on a violin. They stand seperately and yet, placed at the right distance from each other, they create beautiful music together. I read this verse somewhere:

"May love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls."

An edifying goal.

An Article Published

An article of mine on the craft of writing called 'Beyond The First Draft' has been published in the October issue of T-Zero Xpandazine. I've included the link in case someone wants to take a peek. Hope it helps you in some way:

http://thewritersezine.com/t-zero/archives/2005-texts/2005-10-craft1.shtml