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This is Elizabeth Stark in the Book Writing World. Welcome to Draft Your Book, Week 10. Today we are going to talk about Storytelling and Situation.
In the process of writing your book, it is easy to get into the habit of following your character from room to room, from moment to moment. There’s nothing wrong with that in the discovery draft—it’s a way to get to know your character and the world of your book intimately. But ultimately, what matters is the story, and keeping that in mind can give you some new muscles for drafting.
For example, what matters about place is what the character notices—not because it’s what you know is there but because your character is expert at reading the world for clues, for mood, for significance, for danger.
What matters about a conversation is what introduces or builds tension, what contradicts behavior, what surprises, revelations and lies are told.
What matters about what a character does it what impact it has on the other characters, on the story.
In Jeanette Winterson’s novel The Passion, the narrator keeps saying, “I’m telling you stories. Trust me.” Trust your storyteller here. And really tell a story. You know how to do this, how to capture attention, dole out just enough information to keep your audience guessing and wanting to know more. Go deep into that storytelling place.
Stephen King claims not to plot his books. How is that possible? He says, instead, that he starts with a situation—and by this he means a combination of circumstances and characters that automatically creates all kinds of tension and dilemmas.
You’ve done your planning. Now, mine the situation. Tell stories—those fascinating, gossipy, moving tales that hook us in so that we cannot turn away from the characters, their actions, their situation, their world.
See if you can write every day this week—or at least work on your book in some way every day and keep in strong touch with your story. Stay connected and mine your situation for storytelling meanings that emerge (not forced).
And yet always remember that in your discovery draft, anything you cut later will still strengthen the world of your book. So don’t worry. Explore. Write. Find the meaning in the world and the characters and the actions you describe. Tell me stories. I trust you.
Assignment: What uses of craft inspire your early drafting? What helps to keep in mind and what slows you down? How can you learn to use craft to connect you to your storyteller?