So you’ve got this idea for a story . . . What do you do now? Do you sit down and pound out something? Then encounter bewilderment five chapters later?
There are 3 stages in novel writing—pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.But the writing will stutter-step to a halt if first you don’t allow yourself time to discover what the story is really about.
Pre-writing is about uncovering—discovering—the story you’ve been inspired to tell. Take what you’ve unearthed so far, throw it into the cooker of your creativity, and let it simmer on the stove of your imagination.
I’m giving you permission to play.
Play? But I’m supposed to be working.
Discovery on the front end of writing will pay huge dividends on the back end.Let the story cook in your mind before you touch the keyboard. Or you risk detours that lead nowhere because you didn’t really know what your story was about, much less where the story was going.
When the writing stops being fun, your creativity suffers. Allow yourself to re-discover what made writing fun in the first place.Release the inner child that once couldn’t record ideas fast enough—ideas that sprang unbidden (or did they?).
Play is fundamental to a child’s development. Play, with discovery’s unfolding promise, is essential to your story’s development, too.
Ideas emerge from the wellspring inside you—placed there by God who hardwired you to be a writer. Fill the tank till it overflows. The overflow becomes your inspiration. Don’t kid yourself—this is work, too. But important, fun work.
Some ideas on how to recapture the fun in the discovery “work” of pre-writing:
- Read
It’s essential to the creative process—a necessity for writers. To fill the tank, read at least one book a week. Carry a book/e-reader with you wherever you go. Reading can guide your story’s direction. As “iron sharpens iron”, so another writer’s creativity can fuel your own creativity.
- Let the subconscious to take over.
Perform rote skills—like cleaning or exercising. With your body engaged in muscle-memory, your mind is free for subconscious thoughts to flow. You’ll have the cleanest house on your block—savor it for the second and third stages when you may have the worst kept house. Olivia’s story from Beneath a Navajo Moon came to me in a dream. My best ideas usually come—in the shower. My husband jokes you can chart my discovery process according to our water bill.
- Create a visual montage of characters and settings.
This will aid you in deepening characterization, generating plot outcome, and in marketing your novel. I “audition” actors/models and create Pinterest boards for each novel.
Utilizing Scrivener’s organizational features, I collect photos to capture the moods of my characters—happy, sad, angry, funny.
- Watch TV and movies.
Wait. Did I really just say that? Yes, I did. This fun activity actually primes story development. The setting provides a visual framework for my characters. Want to guess how many episodes of In Plain SightI watched while discovering Under a Turquoise Sky?
- Engage all 5 senses.
When all the senses are incorporated, your characters become three-dimensional, jump-off-the-page real. Create a theme playlist for your novel that encapsulates the essence of your characters. The Brudda Iz version of “Over the Rainbow” for Aloha Rose became merged with my story. If at any point in the writing process I lost the story trail, just listening to this song flash forwarded me back onto the right path. As an added bonus, listening to a soundtrack as a routine before putting fingers to the keyboard also serves as a Pavlovian trigger—transforming the terror of a blank screen into a joy of discovery.
If by Chapter 12, you find yourself stymied? Don’t panic—the story hasn’t finished cooking yet. Revisit the discovery techniques that work for you, and access your inner child to guide you around the next bend. You must give the story the time it—not you—needs.
Discovery fun first = Happy writing
What are essential “discovery” tips in your writing process?
Multi-published author Lisa Carter likes to describe her romantic suspense novels as “Sweet Tea with a Slice of Murder.” A Vast and Gracious Tide released in June 2018. The Stronghold won a 2017 Daphne du Maurier. Under a Turquoise Sky won the 2015 Carol Award. Beyond the Cherokee Trail was a 4½ star Romantic Times Top Pick. She also has two contemporary romance series with Love Inspired. Lisa enjoys traveling and researching her next fictional adventure. When not writing, she loves spending time with family and teaching writing workshops. A native North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball.
Join the adventure at http://www.lisacarterauthor.com.
The Conversation
This is a good reminder to all of us, even those of us who have several novels published. We sometimes forget the fun part of pre-writing and hurry to dive into the writing. And when I het chapter 12, i go back to the pre-writing stage again and rewarm the pot.
I agree with—and am richly inspired by—all of this! Discovery is essential. Grateful for the affirmation that fun is allowed in an endeavor what is otherwise arduous.
Great quote: “Take what you’ve unearthed so far, throw it into the cooker of your creativity, and let it simmer on the stove of your imagination.”