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In this issue:
Two Paths
Writing Prompt
WWT Tool Kit Craft Card
Two Paths
So I’m still writing into the dark, seeing if that’s the best process for me. I mostly like it. I’m wondering if doing a quick outline first, just to give critical mind a map to cling to, and then setting it aside and writing a CLEAN draft from memory2 might be my ultimate process, but I’m sticking with writing into the dark for now.
Anyhoo… you know those times when you’re writing along and you come to a fork in the road? The character has options. And therefore you have options. And you’re writing into the dark, so you don’t know which option might be best? You know what I’m talking about? These are the moments when my critical voice really likes to speak up. And when critical voice is really acting up, my Intellection usually joins in, too, and then I’m off taking a break (and “wasting” time, since I’m trying to get faster).
Sometimes I solve this by flipping a coin. In fact, that’s usually how I solve it. Not because I do what the coin flip says, but because I can tell from how I feel about the results which path I actually want to take. The coin flip is a good tool. But lately it hasn’t been working for me as well it usually does.
So what tool am I using instead?
Writing Both.
I write both. If I can’t decide between Option A and Option B, I write out the start of Option A. Great. Now how do I feel? Good? Meh? I usually feel meh. And I think I feel meh, because Option A is the one I think I should take for whatever critical-voice reason. It’s usually a good reason, though, some kind of craft reason like, I need to pay off X or We haven’t seen Character Y in a while. These reasons are true. So they’re hard to ignore.
So I don’t ignore it. I just write the option and satisfy those reasons. It doesn’t take long. Two hundred words, maybe. I get a peek for how it might go, for how it feels. It usually winds down on its own. And then I write the start of Option B.
So far, Option Bs have started off just as plausible/obvious/regular feeling (I’m not finding the word I want) as Option As… but then, about 200 words or so into the scene, creative mind slips something in and says, Hehehe… see… you didn’t remember this thing, did you? Neither did critical mind. And if you guys didn’t remember, then the reader won’t see it coming either.
And then we just keep going, until I meet the next fork in the road.
Write Both. It sounds like extra work, but if you count all the angsts of not writing as work, it’s actually quite the shortcut.
Writing Prompt
Character: SCIENTIST: HERBALIST
Light Attribute: Deep connection to and understanding of the natural world. The ability to heal with plants.
Shadow Attribute: Dogmatic belief in natural remedies to the exclusion of other types of medicine. A fear of technology.
Setting: A cluttered greenhouse filled with exotic and common plants.
Object: A worn leather-bound book with pressed flowers between the pages. A mortar and pestle. A single, glowing vial.
Emotion: WONDER. Awe, curiosity, profound admiration for the universe's complexity.
WWT Tool Kit Craft Card
As mentioned before, I’m making a deck of craft cards to quickly remind myself of techniques while also having a convenient place to keep track of elements like character, conflict, and theme specific to each story. This week’s card is the same as last week’s card, tools for the dark, but updated:
Thank you for reading!
I hope this helped you, and I hope your writing goes well this week.
Keep at it,
Megan
WritesWithTools
site: writeswithtools.com
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wishlist: http://tinyurl.com/WWTWishList
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Which is what I usually did back when I was writing from an outline, aside from the writing clean part. My bad.