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Indie Book Lounge Article
On Writing Naturally
Francis W. Porretto Published: 4/26/2012 Category: Writing
Amidst the many sources of counsel on how to write fiction, the indie writer
is sure to encounter this one: "Write naturally." "Let it
flow." "Trust your voice." And so forth. (Steven Pressfield, in
his little book Do The Work (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936719010/)
says "Trust the soup." The last time I did that, I got it all over
the stove, but that's a subject for another day.) This is not necessarily bad
advice, but like all maxims, its core idea can be carried too far.
To "write naturally," it seems, is to eschew preplanning to any
degree of detail. Of course, the writer has to have some conception of his
Marquee characters, what animates them, and where he wants them to go, but
beyond that, the natural writer is guided by impulses: his own, and
those of his characters.
This approach can yield nicely character-centered, character-driven fiction:
the sort of story where the characters don't feel as if they've been forced to
conform to a predetermined plot. However, unless the characters are strong --
that is, unless their traits are well developed
and their motivations completely unambiguous -- the story itself won't be; it
will feel more like a paste-up of character sketches, and not particularly
interesting ones, at that.
Strong characters don't simply pop out of the ether and onto the typed page.
It takes time and hard thought to develop them. More, the development should be
very nearly complete before the first words of the story are written. This is
the flip side of "writing naturally:" the work it requires to get a
good product out of it is greater than it initially appears.
The other dark aspect of the writing-naturally approach is its propensity to
mistakes. There are many sorts of correctable mistakes in fiction writing, but
some are harder and more expensive to correct than others, and unfortunately,
those are the sort that tend to plague the writer who chooses to "let it
flow:"
-- Timeline mistakes;
-- Misplacement or omission of critical disclosures;
-- Muddling the position, action, or motivation of a Marquee character.
Compared to the above, problems of spelling, grammar, and punctuation are
trivial, requiring very little from an editor. But any of the above mistakes
can force the author to undertake a major rewrite, sometimes of the entire
book, because the plot, which emerged as he wrote, has become dependent on it.
After such a rewrite, the author is strongly recommended to submit his opus to
a second editor, which is likely to double his expenses.
And yet, "Write naturally" isn't bad advice! It merely has to be
tempered with a degree of caution, and with recognition of one's own
fallibility. If you have confidence in your style, and clear, vivid conceptions
of your Marquee characters, you can make this approach your own, always
allowing for the need for dispassionate professional editing once your first
draft is complete.
I "write naturally" to some extent. In composing the individual
segments of Chosen One (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/9844),
I allowed myself to wing it to a great degree, because the characters,
especially protagonist Louis Redmond, were so clear and vivid in my fictional
vision. I won't say that that's the reason Louis is my readers' favorite
character...but I won't say it isn't, either.
To close: Remember that writing advice, like any other sort of advice, comes
from a source that will pay no costs for whatever costs and damages it might
inflict on those who choose to follow it. There's no bit of advice that
deserves to be followed uncritically, with the possible exception of "Know
yourself." And in the course of a decade or three of writing, you're more
likely to hit upon procedures and guidelines unique to yourself than you are to
adopt someone else's formulas wholesale.
Food for thought.
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Caucuses, Cabals, Assignations, and Trysts
General   View Francis W. Porretto's bio page No reviews yetTales of love, hatred, brilliance, blindness, greed, vengeance, patriotism, triumph, and a little inside baseball. Ambitions are thwarted and ambitions are fulfilled. Common people find exaltation and absolution, while great men reach their highest heights and suffer their worst nightmares. Children cower, women wail, and nations reel. Explore!
"A For Effort:" Morgana wants a man, but she has a little problem.
"Ceremony:" Some gifts can't be purchased at Macy's.
[read more] Purchase Caucuses, Cabals, Assignations, and Trysts:  
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