I love this. How have I never before thought of the two meanings of "plot"? As gardener and writer, I find it such a helpful connection. Sometimes you plant seeds that don't come up, or sometimes one little plant takes off and another doesn't, and sometimes things that you didn't plant suddenly show up after the rainy season (the best kind of surprise). I find crafting a story such a delicate balance between conscious thought/intention and following the ideas that come up and surprise me. I tend not to plot too much in advance, though sometimes I wish I could. It's definitely anxiety-producing at times, and I constantly have to remind myself to trust the process.
I love how your mind works! Thanks for sharing these thoughts - I too struggle with plot, and it ends up paralyzing me at moments, as I get a few pages into a draft and workshops of years past start nagging in my ear WHAT'S THE CONFLICT? WHAT DOES THIS CHARACTER WANT? While I love the books that explore how a character's mind works or those New Yorker stories that just kind of meander until the end when you see how it all braids together.
Needed this today! Feel so often pushed to write towards plot, even as so many of my most loved books are driven by the other kinds of queries and curiosities you mention.
today's post is resonant, as i've been thinking lately that somehow my two novels feel very plot-driven and yet, i never start anything knowing more than the character and general themes i want to explore. it's only at the halfway point (around 40K words) i start thinking, okay, well, where is this going and how do i see it ending? then i'll sometimes jot ideas on index cards that function as signposts, tho inevitably i'll discard a few. but even when you think you know where you're going, the detours are often where the strangeness and excitement happen. i really hate the sound bite packaging and PR shorthand, tho i get why it's necessary (so many books, short attention spans). thanks for posting links to those author conversations!
I love this. How have I never before thought of the two meanings of "plot"? As gardener and writer, I find it such a helpful connection. Sometimes you plant seeds that don't come up, or sometimes one little plant takes off and another doesn't, and sometimes things that you didn't plant suddenly show up after the rainy season (the best kind of surprise). I find crafting a story such a delicate balance between conscious thought/intention and following the ideas that come up and surprise me. I tend not to plot too much in advance, though sometimes I wish I could. It's definitely anxiety-producing at times, and I constantly have to remind myself to trust the process.
I love how your mind works! Thanks for sharing these thoughts - I too struggle with plot, and it ends up paralyzing me at moments, as I get a few pages into a draft and workshops of years past start nagging in my ear WHAT'S THE CONFLICT? WHAT DOES THIS CHARACTER WANT? While I love the books that explore how a character's mind works or those New Yorker stories that just kind of meander until the end when you see how it all braids together.
Really appreciated reading this. Thank you so much!
Needed this today! Feel so often pushed to write towards plot, even as so many of my most loved books are driven by the other kinds of queries and curiosities you mention.
today's post is resonant, as i've been thinking lately that somehow my two novels feel very plot-driven and yet, i never start anything knowing more than the character and general themes i want to explore. it's only at the halfway point (around 40K words) i start thinking, okay, well, where is this going and how do i see it ending? then i'll sometimes jot ideas on index cards that function as signposts, tho inevitably i'll discard a few. but even when you think you know where you're going, the detours are often where the strangeness and excitement happen. i really hate the sound bite packaging and PR shorthand, tho i get why it's necessary (so many books, short attention spans). thanks for posting links to those author conversations!