Write Drunk, Revise Sober
Monday, October 1, 2007 . 5:12 PM
Sobriety Test - Introduction Like most writers, when I decide that I'm going to write a story, I usually have one of five reasons:1) I have an interesting character whose story I want to tell.
2) I have an interesting theme or idea that I want to convey.
3) I have an interesting setting that I want to describe.
4) I have an interesting plot that I want to explore.
5) I have an interesting scene that needs a home.
Saving the last one for discussion later, the other four reasons have to do with the four basic elements of literature: character, theme (or idea, or premise), setting and plot. Every story has all of these elements, be it short short fiction or a multi-volume novel, but the best stories are able to interweave them into a cohesive whole without letting one or the other dominate. Unfortunately, it's rare to have all four of these things magically appear in my head all at once, so while I generally start with one, I have to work to create the other three.
But how to approach that work? What's the most efficient and effective way to assemble these elements into the proverbial well-oiled machine that is a good story? Different methods are successful for different people, but here's my take on the subject, step by step. I'm assuming that you're writing a fairly straightforward story with a relatively happy ending; if not, you'll need to make some modifications to some of the points I discuss. Hopefully, however, this will be useful no matter what kind of tale you plan to tell. 0 comments