In writing workshops I often hear people say as they are about to read what they have just written: “I didn’t get to where I wanted to go.” They say it with a bit of frustration or bafflement. It’s a statement that takes me in several directions. My first thought is, Where did you want to go? My next thought after listening to what they have written is, You got someplace wonderful!
So what is the frustration or disappointment about?
When we begin to write, something comes: an idea, an image, a sensation. Part of our mind begins to plan; it identifies steps to get both ourselves and the reader to the point. The Point! The Make-Sense Brain knows where it wants to go, begins to make a map that starts at the beginning and heads directly towards The Destination. End of Story.
But the What-Does-It-Mean Brain knows there are important way stations and whisperings in the underbrush. It wants to make stops, get off the road, wander around, pick up artifacts, and listen in on conversations. Which means the journey is longer, wigglier, stranger, heavier, more mysterious, and just plain not as straight forward or easy. Even worse, the journey is not what we thought it was going to be. We find ourselves following rather than leading, we are, maybe, a little or a lot lost. Details appear that we hadn’t expected or known, and they are marvelous ingredients for storytelling.
Of course both brains are valid. The issue is reconciling what The Story Line is with What Meaning We Want to Show. Both will arrive in the end, beautifully combined, if we trust our adventurous pens. Both are necessary for the melding of making sense and making meaning. The fear of ‘losing the plot’ is real. So, when beginning to write The Idea, jot down one or a few sentences that lay out the key elements. Set this map aside. It is the ticket for arriving back to a plan after the off-road excursion. Then get comfortable, notice what is rising first in the story and head off onto back roads, thickets, and waiting vistas.
Upcoming Events
Fantasy Workshop Online. July 6th & 7th 2024, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m EDT
When you daydream, what world are your characters in? Where are they in time and space? What forces are they up against? Who are their allies? Who are the agents of challenge? What are their resources? And what in this fantastic universe are they wearing? Join me for two days of generative writing to examine, explore, answer, and develop world building, conflict and tension, character development, dialogue and more!
We will write together in the workshop, listen and support each others’ work with respect.
Spaces limited. Cost: $400. Contact: maureen@maureenbjones.com
Writing Retreat at Stump Sprouts in Hawley Massachusetts: August 5 – 9, 2024
Join me on a sunny, quiet hillside with views of the western Massachusetts hills for three days of imagining, remembering, restoring, and inventing. Writers with all levels of experience and genres are welcome. The retreat is firmly based in the AWA Method with respect for all voices and an atmosphere of adventure. Single rooms, shared baths, organic, home-made meals, and time to rest and wander. Fee is $1325 with a $200 deposit by June 1st. maureen@maureenbjones.com
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