Reading and Writing #3: Morals and Meanings

So, on the last Reading and Writing post which was all about Plotting, I got an interesting comment from Shirley Marr asking about how to plan the 'moral of your story' and whether it's possible or whether it is something that evolves through the writing. This is an interesting question, and can be summed up by some advice I got by the wonderful author and editor Sue Whiting a while back:

What is your story about?

This question might not be answered with anything to do with the plot. It might be "how people cope with trials and tribulations" or "the struggle between good and evil inside us all" or "how society accepts difference". I mean it might also be "one person's dealing with a horrible family" or "what drives us to bully others" or "the way ice cream melts in the sun"... who knows!

When I was asked that of a junior fiction novel I had written, I had no succinct answer. I still don't. I might not ever. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it is a very interesting thing to think about at any point in the writing process. Before you begin, when you're half way through and working out where you're going, or when you're done and need to edit. The final answer might not come to you until the whole thing is done and dusted. But, as Shirley asked, can you PLAN for it?

I think you can, although it's a very difficult thing to do. Well, in my limited experience, anyway. And entirely depends on the book you are writing too.

The one I'm working on at the moment, for example, was born in a idea of plot. It is being driven by what is happening and I am hoping will be an exciting adventure. So while I don't have a clear picture of what I want 'the moral of the story' to be, I have characteristics I want my protagonists to portray which might, in the end, speak to nature of humanity, or some such pretentious nonsense (I jest, I'd love my book to MEAN something). I just don't really know exactly what I want to say about it.

On the other hand, just last week I had another idea which tied into a potential book idea I'd had sitting on my shelf for years and years now. I kept I diary right through my whirlwind of a first serious relationship which ended rather abruptly after that significant event of every young person's life. Anywho, I had always thought of turning it into a book of some description, but had never known what. Then last week, a completely different, but parallel aspect occurred to me. I now know exactly what I want to do with that story and it will be a coming of age story where I know the moral, I know what it will mean before I even start working on it.

I think (again, this is coming from my almost comical inexperience) that depending on how strongly you know what you want to say with your story, you can incorporate it into the plot to begin with, or wait for that meaning to show itself through the actions that you want to describe. Either way, you can constantly be asking yourself, 'does this achieve the meaning I want it to' as you write.

Because let's face it, it is the books that mean something that we remember. By all means, the storyline and characters are vital, but they are the elements that contribute to the "significance" of the story in the end.

I don't know if any of that has made sense. I feel like I've prattled on for ages.

But if you are someone who reads and writes and have any questions, comments or suggestions, I would love to hear them (not just Shirley - though you are more than welcome to comment - let's get a community conversation going here). Even if you don't write anything, Readers, please tell us your thoughts on morals and meanings. After all, it is the readers who end up with our writings in their hands.

Reading and Writing #2: Plotting

About a month ago, I wrote a blog post about my experience as a reader and a writer and how I've been trying to juggle the two. You can read it HERE.

The Lovely Shirley Marr made a comment suggesting she'd like to read a post about how I went about my plotting out the story I am currently writing. I thought that would make a good topic for another 'Reading and Writing' post.

I'll start by explaining things I have heard other writers tell me before I go into my (very) amateur method.

I'm a bit of a junkie for author events. Basically anything I can find out about (and actually have the time to attend) I'll go to. I go events for authors when I've never read any of their books. I go to events that are designed for primary school aged children to meet an author. I'll go to anything. Basically, I'm like a sponge, and I'm willing to soak up any information at all that might help me on my journey to become a real, proper and true, "Author" myself one day.

So, that said: Plotting.

Emily Rodda has always been one of my favourite authors. I mean, I grew up reading her books. Literally and figuratively. I was obsessed with Teen Power Inc in primary school (still am - I nearly have a complete set!) and then I got to read Deltora Quest and Rondo, and most recently the Three Doors! (I Love that I'm still reading new releases from someone I loved 20 years ago). And if there's one thing that Emily Rodda can achieve, it's the twist at the end. She is genius at getting you to really believe something, wholeheartedly before telling you, actually, you're wrong, this is how it is, and see all these clues I gave you that you misinterpreted. Gold.

Anyway - At an event where she was talking to 10 year olds (and I was hiding up the back pretending not to be a groupie-fan-boy), one of them asked the question I most wanted the answer to: "How do you get your twists to work at the end?"

She said, she will always know EXACTLY how the book will end before she does anything else. Sometimes even before she knows where she's starting. Then she fills it in in the middle, and she can add twists and turns as she sees fit. This was interesting, because I had heard other writers say they start a book and see where it will go. So there's one tip you could use... Know your ending!

Then, when I heard Garth Nix talk (admittedly, this was to a group of grown-up-groupie-fan-boys-and-girls) He said he will always write out an entire chapter by chapter outline of any book he is going to write - he just never looks at it again. I guess, in this case, if you have got it in your head where you want to go, you can let the writing process open up other possibilities.

What about you? I hear Shirley ask.

Well, I've tried to employ both of these, in some ways. I'm a real list freak. I write them all the time. And excel geek too. Sometimes my partner will come into our study and say "another spreadsheet? what's this one for." or "You'll need to make a list of all your lists" etc. I love that fluff... I can't help it.

So when asked the first question, I said: I'm plotting out my story! And, indeed, I was. My novel has alternating chapters from two different characters' perspectives. I made a spreadsheet that had 3 columns: Chapter / Elsie / Angus. I arbitrarily picked a number of chapters (24 sounded good) and put numbers in the first column. Then I greyed out alternating cells in a checkerboard type way so show when that character will not be narrating at that point. Then I wrote in what happened in chapter 1 because I'd already written that one. Then, borrowing Emily's idea, I put my twist in towards the end, and then worked backwards. Being in excel, I found it easy to move things around if one character's discoveries didn't time well with the others. I've got it to a point where I'm happy with it, but haven't been too prescriptive. I can't guarantee I won't look at it again, like Garth, but I'm ready to start writing the book proper now.

This is just what I did for this current book. I've done different things in the past, but as this post has gone on so much longer than I intended, I'm going to stop there. I was going to talk about how my reading helps my plotting and how I plot my reading to help my writing, but we can save that for another time.

I hope that wasn't too boring and feel free to ask questions to inspire further 'Reading and Writing' posts.

Reading and Writing # 1

I've decided to start a series of posts that I'll do from time to time about my experience as someone who reads a lot, and also is attempting to write their own stuff at the same time.

So, I'm currently plotting and planning a YA novel and I think I'm getting to the point where I just have to start writing it. I tried to hold off writing until I had worked out where I was going with it, but then I needed to write something for my Creative Writing subject at Uni and so I wrote the first chapter.

I got lots of positive feedback, and it's helped in fine tuning that first chapter, but at this stage, that's all I've got done. And I know it's going to change by the time the books done, because as I write the rest, facts and happenings in the first chapter will have evolved, but I also have to hand it in as an assignment in a few weeks. So I'm currently working through that thoroughly, making it as good as it can be as a first chapter of a book that doesn't exist.

The dilemma I'm facing though, is with my reading...

I'll be reading for work, or for uni, or for pleasure (when time permits) and I'll find that my eyes go through the motions, following line by line, then I'll read the bottom of the page and realise I have no idea what just happened in the book because for that whole page I was actually thinking about characters and plot points for my own story.

Is this my mind telling me it's time to write?

I think so.

I think I need to take the time to, at the very least, write out a plot plan.

Oh where do all the hours in the day go?