Image by jimmyharris via FlickrWay back when I was a teenager, I used to play a game with my friends on the weekends. We would jump in the car and play left, right, straight. Once we start driving we would take turns telling the driver which way to go.
Yes, you can get lost out in some really awesomely spooky country settings this way but it is totally hilarious and fun. Many times we would be indecisive on where to go so this was always a fun way to spend our time and find new adventures.
I sometimes relate this to my writing because when you are in a scene and getting ready for another chapter you may not know where to take it. So it is similar to playing this game. You might make them turn left into some obstacle or right to find some wonderful adventure. But you can also keep them on the straight and narrow to keep the story on track to build the story a little more.
Everything that we do with our writing is sort of this game of chance to see where we will end up. I love the adventure and will always be willing to play along. The surprises of turning off course once in awhile always surprise me in the most unexpected ways and lead my characters and stories down paths that I would have not normally plotted out for them.
It is my joy of being a punster because I don’t make any definite decisions for where my story will go and it will flow as I turn or stay on course. And yes, occasionally I get lost, but it is finding my way back that completes my journey.
Have you had anything like this happen to you or can you relate your writing to? Tell me what your writing is like.
Also look for me Thursday over at Cally Jackson's blog. I landed my tush in the HOT SEAT! Read how I sweat it out.
Also look for me Thursday over at Cally Jackson's blog. I landed my tush in the HOT SEAT! Read how I sweat it out.
9 comments:
That sounds like fun - I'm in need of a spontaneous road trip and may have to try this out. I like the parallel you make to your "process" of writing. Well said!
I'm a panster, too, so my characters take the stories in several unexpected directions. I love it.
When I get stuck sometimes I do "what if this happened" and play with my characters to see where they would go. Sometimes they surprise me.
That's a view of the writing journey that I can really relate to. Sometimes you can bog yourself down too much in thinking XYZ must happen, but looking at alternative possibilities can lead somewhere more interesting.
First of all, what a fun car game. I would love to see where I end up. I like to take my characters off the main road sometimes and see where they end up. Great post. I'm still a plotter though...
Not a pantster, exactly. I know the beginning and the end when I start but usually I 'see' a scene in my head somewhere in the middle that I base the whole thing on. The story stews in my mind long before I start typing.
What's really interesting is when it's one of my characters suddenly telling me to take a left turn into something entirely unexpected! ;)
If you get a chance, check out a fellow writer's zombie story and help me make him wear an embarrassing shirt next year! Details are here:
http://kelworthfiles.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/prove-the-zombies-wrong-social-platforms-can-build-readership/
I just came over to say hi after reading your interview with Cally.
I'm a pantser as well. I do like the way you get to pick a direction and just see where it leads. It becomes a chose your own adventure.
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