Storytelling Part 2: Curing the Creative Rut

You writers and creative-types – you’ve been there. It’s a hellish place, for sure. A chasm of fear, doubt, agony, frustration…

While everyone else around you seems to be excelling in their craft, awards are given to others, your neighbors hit the jackpot…

Come on, I’m not the only one. You’ve surely been there, right?

Idea-less.

A hellish place for sure. It’s worse than that moment you’re about to start the first sentence on a blank page. It’s miles before you ever even get to that point. Only in a galaxy far, far away do you feel your idea – your one perfect, once-in-a-lifetime, crowd-pleasing idea – awaits.

It’s out there. You might feel like Horton standing at the edge of the field of pink clovers looking for that one tiny speck that’s out there somewhere calling your name.

“We are here, we are here, we are here…”

Sometimes you can just feel it, can’t you?

You know how I find my ideas? It’s embarrassing, and no one has ever seen me do it, except Sarabeth when I thought I was alone or I got carried away.

I dance.

I talk out loud.

I sing.

I act.

And I’ve yelled.

It’s humbling, but true. I imagine myself standing before the heads of Universal or Disney Studios and I’ve got five minutes (I’m generous) to pitch them my idea.

So I yell, I act, I pitch like a storyboard artist convincing the director that my idea is the only thing that will work. I talk aloud about something that I believe in.

I might not yet have an idea to believe in, but I believe that I will find one.

I’ve found several this way.

When I worked in retail, I would often disappear to the shipping room when it was empty and I would plot my book out loud, pacing, lost in my imagination. 

“So this guy Robbie,” I would say, “he wants to be a good father and husband, like most men do. That’s relatable. But something keeps him from that. I want there to be action, but not much action happens in today’s reality… so he finds a fantasy world! In a… wardrobe! No, on a star! No. In a… in a…” I glance around the shipping room and I notice that I’m surrounded by – “In a box!”

Thus, The Man in the Box was born.

Working from home makes it really easy to do this on a regular basis. And if you are stuck in a creative rut, I encourage you to give this a try. Crank up some Fun. or Owl City, or Delta Rae on the ipad and dance.

Yes. Just start dancing. Let your body go. It sounds zen-like, but just release the stress of everyday life. The last thing you want weighing you down when you’re trying to be creative is the rock-hard facts of  life that your readers are looking to escape from.

So… escape.

Dance.

And talk.

And then ask yourself later, What did I talk about? Anything interesting? Jot it down.

*     *     *     *     *

This is just something that happens to work for me. Please share with us some interesting ways you make creative breakthroughs in the comments below.

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Seeking Artist for Children’s Book

I wrote a children’s book complete with stick-figure drawings, which you’ll have a chance to look at in a moment. I’m seeking a publisher or agent to get it printed and published, but in order to really sell it, I need an artist to do the artwork. If anyone is interested (publishers, agents, artists), please email me at adoptingjames@aol.com.

Below I have pasted the manuscript which you are all welcome to look at. Please feel free to leave some feedback, keeping in mind that I might send publishers to this post to see if there is enough interest built up to make this book marketable.

The Giving Tree was one of my favorite picture books growing up. So it makes sense that if I’m going to make my own children’s book, it would be inspired by Shel Silversteen’s masterpiece. I’m not much of an illustrator, so stick-figures is really the best I can do. But since we’re all about stories here, this little story can’t be told without pictures. Check out A Warm Cup of String by Andrew Toy.

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Storytelling Part 1: Motivation

Cindy struggled in the chair she was bound to with ropes. She yelled out at her captor, “Why do you hate me so much? Why do you want me dead?”

Her captor, a tall, leggy woman in spandex tauntingly caulked her gun and said with a smile, “Because you destroyed my one chance of being the greatest runner in the world. Because you stole my gold medal. And now, you will pay.”

Really? Never mind whether this is good storytelling or not… is it at all realistic? Would someone really murder their sports competitor? Doubtful. Would you be driven to threaten someone who bested you at an event? I truly hope not.

When it comes to writing and developing characters, you need always to keep one word in mind: motivation.

Motivation is helpful in two fronts. Motivation:

a) defines characters, and

b) pushes the story along

Think about it. In order for the beautiful harmonizing of a solid story and lovable characters to occur, several things must happen, but the main thing is motivation.

Think Lord of the Rings. Not only is the story itself driven by the motivation to destroy the ring, but the characters are defined so clearly because of that motivation.

Think Finding Nemo. The title itself is the motivation behind the story and the characters. 

Motivation is nearly everything in a story. Why am I writing this? Why is the bad guy bad? Why did my protagonist just do that?

Motivation.

But the catch is, the motivation must be believable. Now, this is where it gets a little subjective. Certain members of my household like the show Once Upon a Time. I don’t. (Though I do recommend it as clean and safe family viewing.) And the sole reason is because the motivations behind the characters is, to me, completely unbelievable.

The Queen wants to curse the whole fairy tale world because Snow White got her prince? That’s like saying the girl whom you detested in high school got married before you, therefore you’re going to go on a shooting rampage at the mall.

Folks, writers – don’t make your characters bad just to be bad. Don’t dwell on it, but give your readers a reason why they’re bad. The Toy Story franchise does this best with their antagonists (need I say more than Lotso/Daisy?).

Likewise, give your readers a reason to believe that your protagonists really are good, and ask yourself the question: Why is my protagonist good?

Another trick: To help keep your story on track, ask yourself at the end of each scene, Why? Why did this scene just happen? Why did my character just say/do that? You ought to be able to answer confidently with the ending in mind so that you’re always heading in that direction.

When I wrote The Man in the Box, I was always prepared to answer someone who might ask me, “Why did you write this book?”

You should be too.

Let me be your writing coach or editor. Click here for more information.

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About Fiction

I have an unusual New Year’s commitment for someone as widely-read as myself. It’s not to read more history, more biographies, or even more theologically-grounded books. It’s to read more fiction. I’ve thought through this. Since picking up a book is often a large commitment, I have discovered that this will do me (and possibly you) some good in a variety of different ways.

The first being my line of work as an author myself. I haven’t yet found that great biography to pen, but ideally, with every other writer, I would like to write the next great American novel. I study movies in a different light than most people (sometimes to the detriment of my wife), analyzing the pacing of plot-points, the story line, the character-development … but fictional books will serve me a lot better than movies will in this regard.

But how can fiction serve you? What good could it be? Isn’t fiction a waste of time? Well, I used to think that for many years, and yes, sometimes – many times – it can be. That’s why book recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt. In years past, if I was going to read fiction, it would just have to be classic American or British fiction. But now I’m slowly learning that contemporary fiction can do some good.

1) Fiction can help shape or break a worldview

Oftentimes an author will write about a certain topic because they’re passionate about it. And more often than not, that topic will be explored from every angle from a singular point of view. For instance, if you read the book Unwind by Shusterman, it may cause you to realize the horrors of abortion. The Jungle by Sinclair has been known to turn convince many people to become vegetarians.

2) Fiction can help you understand or acknowledge certain worldviews 

There are many belief-systems out there – hundreds that we’re not aware of, and authors tend to be the leading voices for these hidden beliefs. For Christians, be cautious seeking these systems, but become well-read for the purpose of getting to know the culture around you. We ought to know about the world we live in, so that we can engage in intelligent, thoughtful conversations with those around us who subscribe to the surrounding belief-systems.

3) Fiction can spark your imagination

This one seems obvious. But what is the first thing you thought of when you saw a book with the cover of a boy and a lion in a lifeboat in the middle of the sea? My thought, as an author myself, was, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Just look at what Lord of the Rings did for the fantasy world, and what Jurassic Park did for sci-fi and mainstream movies in general.

4) Contemporary fiction can help you write to today’s audiences

“I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading,” says writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I think we all do that. When I only read classic literature, I wrote just like it (or tired to, anyway), but much to my detriment. I never found an audience that related to my style of writing. So with the help of popular fiction like The Hunger Games, I learned to write with a more popular and modern prose.

I realize this is a partial list, but since I’m, for the most part, a newcomer to contemporary fiction, I want to hear what fiction has done for you. Please leave your comments below about how this genre has affected you, for good or for bad. And feel free to recommend books as well to help us all develop a promising reading list for 2013.

Please purchase a copy of my debut novel, The Man in the Box for your bookshelf or Kindle here.

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NaNo Day 1 – Please Write Responsibly

Today is the first day of NaNo! I hope your Halloween was safe and your kids brought home lots of candy.

If you scroll down the page a little, you’ll notice on the right sidebar that I have added a place for you to post your developing NaNo projects for readers to look through. Please note that I reserve the right to delete or ban any projects that are not suitable for audiences under 13, or that I just don’t find meets the basic moral code

May your protagonists be men/women of outstanding citizenship or be condemned for breaking the moral laws, thus convicting your readers of said crimes. May your stories inspire hope and truth set in a spiritually and physically war-torn world. May good conquer evil, and may justice prevail. May vulgarity be used sparingly, violence be only necessary, and fornication banned or condemned, and may your readers be shielded by the inappropriate lusts of human thoughts and their bedrooms.

As a writer, you have the freedom to express yourself and tell stories that people will never forget. Don’t abuse that trust and refrain from perverting that freedom. Write responsibly, honestly, and wisely. Be shrewd with your words, compassionate with your teachings, and push your characters’ endurance past their limits to inspire your readers to press on when things get rough.

Don’t forget to feel free to post your developing stories on the right! Good luck NaNo-ers!

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Last Minute Jitters [or] What Will You Be Writing?

Last week I posted about NaNo. I said I was going to do it, and I will. But as you can see by the duel title of this message, I am growing very skeptical – or undecided – about what my subject matter should be.

I had it all figured out until last night. I was going to write a Christmas story that I’ve had planned for the last seven years, but I realized I’m just not ready for it yet. It’s a precious story to me that I don’t want to be rushed.

Then I started thinking about what people have been saying about my book The Man in the Box (coming out Nov. 30th). And it seems I’ve established myself as a suspense/adventure writer. Now granted, my next book is nowhere near said genre (Scroll down here for synopsis), but I wouldn’t want to disappoint fans of the book by deviating from suspense for too long – hence, keeping people in suspense…

Anyway, all that to say, I thought I had my book for this NaNo writer’s contest all figured out. But clearly, I don’t. I’m writing this as an encouragement to those of you who find themselves in the same boat as me. You’re not alone. And (I hope) I’m not alone.

When it comes to stories and books, I don’t want to just wing it. I want to deliver the best plot, the best characters, I possibly can. And I hope you’re the same way. I hope there aren’t many people entering this contest just to write a book, without having any concept of what they want to write. (How many times have you seen an awful movie and wondered, “Did they just make this because they were bored?”) No, I hope you go into November with a clear reason as to why you’re writing a book, and with some concept of what it will be about.

Because if you just start writing something without having any idea where it’s going or why you’re writing it, then it’s very likely you’re going to give up, and you’ll kick yourself and eat a lot of ice cream and you won’t be in any shape to eat a hearty Thanksgiving dinner… hmmm, I think I see why this contest is held in November…

I’m not there yet. But I have four days to get there. And so do you. And remember (as soon as I figure out how) I’m going to have a link somewhere on this blog for you to post your developing stories for all to see. So, stay encouraged, get prepared, and be ready to write the best book you possibly can. NaNo starts November 1st.

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NaNo

I’m finally doing it. After years of hearing about it and shrugging it off as some silly little exercise… this year, I’m going to participate. Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“Andrew, you’ve already written a novel called The Man in the Box which will be available on Kindle for download on November 30th“

(Did you catch that?)

“And you’ve written another one called I Am the Lion, which will be out next year.”

That’s true too.

“So why are you trying this NaNoWriMo thing?”

Because as a writer, I want to push myself. Plus, I’d like to have another book written by the end of the year.

“That’s great,” you say. “But what the heck is NaNoWriMo?”

(Were you thinking all of that?)

National Novel Writing Month begins on November first. The goal is to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in just one month. No edits, no proofs, no corrections… just fly through and get your story told.

I used to be against this project because I believe in cultivating the art of storytelling and letting your ideas simmer and then slowly but surely mold those ideas into a seamless narrative that others can look at and appreciate all the time and effort that went into it. I still advocate for that, but I also realize many people have great stories to tell, but simply haven’t told them yet because they just haven’t gotten around to it because “Swamp People” has been consuming them or something.

Well, no more excuses, people. I’m going to be jumping into this crazy little endeavor right beside you, even in the midst of the oncoming holiday season, heated election, November birthday parties, and Thanksgiving togetherness, I’ll be at my computer dark and early each morning typing my 1,666 daily word-count.

I’m not going into this blindly. I’m preparing for my book now, doing my research, and noting plot lines that will help fuel the story. But the great thing about this contest is that you can write about virtually anything you want!

So, for you inspiring writers, I encourage you to take this challenge with me. And as Sarabeth suggested, I will be posting a link on here for you to list your samples and your blogs for others to find. Yup – free advertising!

So, buckle in and get ready. November will be quite a month. Visit nano for more information and to sign up. Dig down deep for that novel you’ve always wanted to write, start getting some notes together, and let’s embark on a really cool writing adventure together!

Oh, and did I mention? I haven’t seen the movie or read the book, but Water for Elephants was the winner a few years back, which is how it became so popular.

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