Someone recently asked me how I develop a story, what is it I do to create the next scene or to understand what’s going on for characters. I’ve read many other authors’ answers to that question, and lots of them talk about creating a plot diagram or writing out detailed backstories and particulars of a character’s personality. These are wonderful responses to the question. And these writers are far more responsible than I am, because they take charge and take control of what happens in their stories. I am a bit reckless, especially at the beginning. When I am daydreaming, wandering about supermarket aisles or cleaning the gutters, I let images come, characters converse, a gesture be expressed. I daydream as long as I can, following what has appeared as long as I can. Then I ask questions: What is going on here? Who is involved? How are they behaving? What got them to this point? What happened before this moment? What might they do next? I approach my stories as if events are being played out before my eyes and I’m not responsible for what gets written down. I follow the answers the characters give me and write it all down. The characters are real, with real lives being enacted, and I have the privilege of trailing along and witnessing what happens. I do ask how characters feel about the things they are experiencing as a way to understand them better. They show me their proclivities, their limitations and their biases. A good and well-known exercise is to open a character’s bureau drawer or medicine cabinet or the trunk of their car. What appears is great information. There have been important scenes that I have written and immediately known that it was wrong. I could feel a character’s resentment at having been pushed in the wrong direction or false words put in their mouth. So I wait. In one instance it took years. But the character eventually let me in on what actually transpired. I knew it because it felt exactly right. So my answer to the question might be something like: I write with abandon, except I never, ever abandon those wonderful beings who give me their incredible company. I stay faithful to those who populate my words.
Publications
Everyday Fiction is a wonderful online journal dedicated to publishing one short story or flash fiction every day. I have had the privilege of having one of my stories accepted. What could be more fun that having a new story delivered every day. Visit the site here and go explore: https://everydayfiction.com/scheveningen-beach-by-maureen-buchanan-jones/
Upcoming Events
February Retreat Malibu, California: February 3 – 6, 2020 All writers welcome, no matter the genre or experience level. This is your time to celebrate your writing! Please join me for this mid-winter getaway! https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
Weekly Workshops Amherst, Massachusetts: Thursday Evenings & Friday Mornings, ten weeks beginning December 5 & 6, 2019 https://www.writingfulltilt.com/workshops/
Online Weekly Workshops: Monday Evenings eight weeks beginning November 18, 2019. https://www.writingfulltilt.com/online-workshop/
August Retreat Hawley, Massachusetts: August 9 – 12, 2020 Four days of writing bliss. The setting is perfect for allowing your writing to emerge! https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
Prompt Photo
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
