On Writing by Stephen King

[thelake]

I'm reading On Writing by Stephen King and I want to share what he thinks about "plot", because it's very close to my ideas.

Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice. The story which results from it is apt to feel artificial and labored.

I lean more heavily on intuition, and have been able to do that because my books tend to be based on situation rather than story. Some of the ideas which have produced those books are more complex than others, but the majority start out with the stark simplicity of a department store window display or a waxwork tableau. I want to put a group of characters (perhaps a pair; perhaps even just one) in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free. My job isn’t to help them work their way free, or manipulate them to safety—those are jobs which require the noisy jackhammer of plot—but to watch what happens and then write it down.

The situation comes first. The characters—always flat and unfeatured, to begin with—come next. Once these things are fixed in my mind, I begin to narrate. I often have an idea of what the outcome may be, but I have never demanded of a set of characters that they do things my way. On the contrary, I want them to do things their way. In some instances, the outcome is what I visualized. In most, however, it’s something I never expected. For a suspense novelist, this is a great thing. I am, after all, not just the novel’s creator but its first reader. And if I’m not able to guess with any accuracy how the damned thing is going to turn out, even with my inside knowledge of coming events, I can be pretty sure of keeping the reader in a state of page-turning anxiety. And why worry about the ending anyway? Why be such a control freak? Sooner or later every story comes out somewhere.

I agree with this point of view A LOT.

I used to be more spontaneous and rather have fun then to know where I'm going in the end, and those times were the most exciting (and innocent) writing times of my life. As I grew up (both as a person and a writer), somewhere along the way I stopped having fun and tried to be more serious. I know this, my best friend knows this and I can't write. Oh I write, every weekend, at least 3000 words, but I rarely feel that genuine excitement. I catch a glimpse of it when I come up with a brand new idea, but then again there's no plot to it yet, it's just the idea of a new story that makes me glee with joy!

I know that my writing joy was lost, because I kind of felt it yesterday. I forgot about the plot, because the plot I planned was so deep and yet so far away that I was bored even thinking about it. So I let it go, I spontaneously decided to write a regular day, seeing random things, having adventures with my characters and I had SO FREAKING MUCH FUN, it was insane.

I'm not at gun point, I'm not writing for anybody, I should be having fun, right? As long as you have a plot--a certain, written on the stone plot with an obvious ending--there's no way you can have fun. Some might disagree with me, that's expected. I know a lot of writer friends who solely rely on their plots and planning stages, but never have the time/interest to actually write it. I've been there, done that, because I wanted to try it. It's not working for me so today I decided to go back to my old self.

But all in all, I suggest everyone to try and forget about the plot and write for the sake of writing, to be the part of the universe you're creating, to have fun. Kill the plot, or in kinder words "forget about it for a while"... If it works, YAY! If it doesn't, you'll never say "I've never tried that one before." You'll know what kind of a writer you are.

I'm going back to my reading now, thanks for listening :)

Comments

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

It does seem like every time I plan plot to the point where I know the end I either don't enjoy it or it does feel artificial somehow...

[thelake.livejournal.com]

It happens to me all the time. At first I thought I was being childish and snob, but it's what it is. I don't enjoy knowing too much about my own story.

At some point Stephen King says something like this: "I'm the first reader of my own story and if I'm interested in the flow of things, then most likely some other person will also be interested."

It's very true, because when I plot into the very small details, I feel like the story is already finished in my head, and there's no point to to write it.

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

Yes! Yes, I get this feeling exactly!

[thelake.livejournal.com]

I say go with the flow next time and see where it takes you.

I have hundreds of ideas that can easily be written into a book, but when I sit down and try to plot it I almost always kill it in the end and start writing something else (and mostly not finish that one either)

So don't think about it too much! (Unfortunately) we're not Stephen King, we don't have a deadline on our stories (UNLESS IT'S FOR A CHALLENGE) and I beliebe we should have fun as much as we can.

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

I think part of the problem that made me not do this anymore was I'm crap at editing and after 25 pages I have a tendency to write a bunch of stuff that just has to be cut for plot/pace/it's boring reasons.

[thelake.livejournal.com]

Editing is a whole different story! I suck at it even though all my novels need it very badly.

I've written 9 complete novels (regardless of their quality level) and I didn't edit any one of them. That's why I never feel confident enough to actully try and publish at least one of them. (Someday maybe...)

Editing is difficult. It's messy and if you want to write something different as soon as you're done with one story, editing is almost impossible.

[sakuracorr.livejournal.com]

I know, part of me taking this creative writing course was to maybe learn more about editing (though I have so many ideas waiting, yeah, it's hard to wait to work on one!), but we've barely talked about it. :(

[awakencordy.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD I AM SO HAPPY LOL THIS POST IS THE ONLY GOOD THING THAT HAS COME OUT OF TODAY.

I agree wholeheartedly. You know my thoughts on this already AND YOU EVEN POINTED OUT LOL. I'm glad that you can notice the difference, and I'm even glad that you felt that numbness yesterday cause it made you feel like this today, right?

AND HOLY CRAP I'M ONLINE. *uses her new gazillion icons*

ICON KULLANALIM BUNDAN SONRA. BEN KULLANMAZSAM HET SEN KULLANMAZSAN SLASH DRABBLE YAZ.

[thelake.livejournal.com]

I actually wanted to cry yesterday, because after 3 WHOLE DAYS only 200 words I wrote were dear to me. Sad sad times. BUT I KNOW IT NOW. I'M NOT A PLOT BUNNY ANYMORE, THANK YOU! I SERIOUSLY DON'T CARE. I didn't write 7 volumes of Crash by going with systematic plot points--HELL I EVEN TRIED BACK THEN AND FINALLY FAILED AND LET IT GO.

ICOOONNNSSS!

LOOOOL DEAL! we have 349853498t5749587495869 icons, we shall use them.

[awakencordy.livejournal.com]

Oh my God I'm so happy with that decision! I loved your writing the most when you were writing Crash and related. I loved Viva too but when you and I had both fun on Viva, we didn't know what was going to happen sentence by sentence again, it was uncalled for!

So is Feylin, you were the happiest when you were beginning and busy with little details you couldn't have foreseen.

So yes, I was secretly wishing and hoping for the day that you'd become plotless again. That is your style, and you have to remember that you are NOT a plotless person, you just write is as you go along. Don't ever deny what you are, that's the key I guess. (WRITES SLASHHHHH.)

And YAY FOR THE GAME! I'M SO GONNA BUST YOU FOR THE LOVE OF SLASH.

[thelake.livejournal.com]

SPONTANEOUS WRITING FTW!

LOL I'm so going to forget to use a new icon one of those days... I shall keep my slash ideas near, just in case...

[katayla.livejournal.com]

Hee, you know I disagree with you . . . or not really disagree because you should definitely write the way that works for you, but it's not for me. I get so badly stressed out when I don't know where my story is going. BUT I definitely don't plan it out in too much detail. It's more like, "This happens, than this happens, then this happens." That gives me a guideline, but still allows me enough freedom for the random stuff.

If you're ever interested in an opposing point of view, check out Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks. His philosophy of writing is pretty much mine. :) I didn't like On Writing nearly as well.

[thelake.livejournal.com]

:)) I know we're on the opposite side when it comes to plotting..
"This happens, than this happens, then this happens." works to some degree for me, but when I start doing that 5 days in advance, when it comes to writing I get bored.

I'll definitely check that one out as well. You know how I love reading about writing!