Here there be dragons
One of my resolutions for 2008 is to re-write the “novel” I wrote for NaNoWriMo. It has a great basic idea and I adore my characters and the world they live in. Still, the story lacks a certain something, a something that happens to be a requirement for a publishable novel: an ending.
Of course the manuscript ends - right around the 51K words that earned me the NaNo bragging rights. But I estimate that’s only half-way through the actual story. The main reason I stopped writing it after NaNo is because though I have a general idea of where I want my heroine to end up, I no longer know how she gets there.
I wish I were one of those people who could hop in the car and just go - thatta way! like Captain Kirk. But I’m not. Most of the time, I need to have at least some notion of where I’m headed and what the terrain may be like along the way. I need a map.
I adore maps. Old maps, new maps, computer generated, hand-drawn. The backseat of my car is strewn with all types. A well-made map is a thing of both beauty and utility.
Maps make me feel safe and, perhaps somewhat paradoxically, free.
I can go anywhere I want, by myself if I choose, if I have a map for it. There and back again, I am self-reliant, depending only on my own ability to know north from south.
One of my best memories is of a road trip a friend and I made to Alaska several years ago. Just me, Diana, all her worldly possessions and a cranky Siamese cat stuffed into a Suzuki Sidekick, racing the snow up the ALCAN from Seattle to Anchorage.
A two-thousand mile drive is a bit intimidating in itself, but doubly so when its the Alaskan-Canadian Highway. It cuts through the vast Yukon territory, and has long stretches of absolutely nothing resembling civilization. If you are lost in the Yukon, baby, you are fucking lost.
But we had a good car, an extra can of gas, water and a sweet map. As Diana likes to say, it was all good.1
Plot outlines are maps for writers. At least, writers like me. Some writers can jump in the car and go, eschewing any kind of premeditated plan. They think maps stifle creativity, keep them from seeing the funky detours that might lead to amazing adventures. But that’s confusing planning with control.
Maps are not about control. On the contrary, they are about options. And that’s what makes them so great. The ability to plan a journey is often what gives us the courage to take it. Then we aren’t afraid of the detours because we know that if we don’t like them, our map can lead us back.
In preparation for NaNoWriMo, I read a few books on using plot outlines and then sketched one out for my story. Anxiety quelled and courage bolstered, I set off down the road.
My story started out as a light-hearted, almost farcical occult fantasy, with ironic characters and sarcastic one-liners. Somewhere along the way, though, my muse got a wild hair and took a hugely unexpected detour.
While she started out cruising down the sunny highway of the mind, she now finds herself navigating the dark alleys of the soul.
Thus the journey has halted for the time being, as my muse camps out at the side of the road to revisit the map. The good news is, its main road and final destination are fairly solid.
That and a can of gas in the trunk gives her the confidence to keep going.
Technorati Tags: writing, fiction, fantasy
- Of course, anyone who’s every used MapQuest knows that all maps are not created equal. A bad map can turn a fun road trip into the Yukon into a foot-eating survival ordeal. Do your homework and find a map you trust. [↩]
6 Responses to “Here there be dragons”
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I like the way you write, and if this is the sort of writing you have in your novel, it ought to be published, at the very least.
I myself attempted the nanowrimo challenge, but length is a problem for me…..I did not get much done.
Unlike you, I have a map, an ending, and bits and pieces in between…but it just wont come out!
I have decided I would writ at least a 100 words a day on my novel, let us see where that gets me.
Good luck with your novel, may you find a great ending soon!
Damyanti, your comment made my day.
Thank you for the words of encouragement. I wish you best of luck on your journey as well!
You are welcome, and in case you need a sounding board for your fiction and trust a stranger enough to bounce off your ideas, you know where to get in touch. I am starting off two blogs at a go, hoping to get the juices flowing!
I am also an avid lover of maps. In times when I’m feeling lost, I usually find myself going back to this book. I think you would enjoy it. Can’t wait to read the novel when you have found the correct trail to blaze! Hope you include Potpie in your pen name.
Bayou - Extremely cool-looking book; I’ve ordered it from Amazon and hope it gets here by Friday so I can spend all weekend on it.
Pen name: Uppity Potpie… Whaddaya think, too many p’s?
I hope you find is as inspiring and refreshing as I have! Unlike most books, I’ve read this one in pieces taking what I needed, when I’ve needed it and coming back for more later.
Uppity Potpie has a nice ring to it.