Finding Your Writing Style - Plot Driven Vs. Situation Driven Stories
I retired from a career in
computer/software sales and marketing about five years ago. About that same time, I put together my bucket list. After some contemplation, I
scratched out the third item on my list, spelunking,
and elevated write-a-novel to that
spot. Somehow, in light of my uneasiness with close places, it seemed to make
good sense.
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Two years ago, I started working on Bryant’s Gap, a mystery set in 1947.
I had conceived the idea for the story about ten years earlier; it was sparked
by an article my wife had found while doing genealogical research. I wrote
nearly five chapters, then stopped to search for Warriner’s book, English Grammar and Composition. I felt
I needed to brush up on my grammatical skills a bit; it had been a long time
since I had sat in an English class. While rummaging through a box in the attic,
I ran across a book by Stephen King, On
Writing–A memoir of the Craft. When I opened the book, I found an
inscription by my sister. She had given the book to me on my birthday in 2004.
I had mentioned to her that, someday, I hoped to write my novel, and being the kind
and thoughtful person she was, she spotted the book and bought it for me. She
was one of my biggest supporters. It was a busy time in my life, so I put the
book aside to read at a later date. I had forgotten the book was there, but
when I rediscovered it, I interrupted my writing and read it cover to cover. For
those who haven’t read it, I would recommend you do so. It is an entertaining
and inspiring work.
In Chapter five, King states, “. . . stories are found things, like
fossils in the ground . . . It is the writer’s job to use the tools in his or
her toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible.”
He goes on to liken the plot-driven story to the liberation of the fossil using
a jackhammer, a technique that is going to “break almost as much stuff as it
liberates.” Instead, he suggests the writer should let the characters drive the
plot, take the story where it wants to go. Through this type of “careful
excavation,” more details will remain
intact, resulting in a story that is more authentic and flowing.
Initially, when I decided to write my novel, I began by developing a
plot outline and character profiles, but I soon found myself getting bogged
down in the process. It was at that point I decided to simply start writing and
see where it took me. The point is,
without knowing it, I had adopted the “situation driven” approach that King had
described in his book. Of course, as the story developed, I created notes and
reference files to keep track of characters, dates, places, etc., but the
characters were indeed driving the plot. Needless to say, as a writer working
on my first novel, I was elated when I realized I was in good company with my
writing approach.
If you are an aspiring writer, I suggest you learn all you can about the
methods other authors employ, but when you sit down to write, keep an open mind
and find the style that works for you.
On a separate note, new writers need all the encouragement they can
get. When I began to write, my family
was very supportive. As I mentioned earlier, my sister was particularly
interested and offered a lot of support throughout the effort. Sadly, she
didn’t get to read Bryant’s Gap; she passed away suddenly last year, before I
completed the novel. I know she would have been proud of me. I miss her
immensely.
Michael E. Burge learned to play the piano in his forties, golf in his fifties, and now, recently retired from a career in marketing, has gone on to publish his first novel—Bryant’s Gap. Set in 1947, the story is peppered with childhood memories of the locations where he grew up; a small town on the Wabash River and the suburbs of Chicago.
https://www.facebook.com/Michael-E-Burge-Author-885511461531073/
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2 Comments
I am more of situation driven author. But I really wanted to learn other forms of writing so that I can vary things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your experience in getting your first novel published. Hope there are more to come!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
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