Wednesday, July 8: Tune It Or Die!
THE READINESS IS ALL
by Rob Lopresti
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Thursday night I was watching a concert, having a wonderful time, when I was blindsided by an idea for a story.
Normally the first thing I do at a time like that is pull out my notebook and write it down so I won’t let the idea slip away. It didn’t seem necessary this time, because there were way too many details popping up to forget.
Besides, the story was a sort of companion or sequel to an earlier story, and that was another memory-anchor.
By the time the concert was over I had the title, and the title gave me a half dozen clues about where the story was going.
Prep time
I’ve written before that this is my favorite part of writing: thrashng out the details, before you mess it up by committing a lot of imperfect words on paper. Alfred Hitchcock said much the same: that the best part of movie making was the storyboarding, before a bunch of actors come in and spoil it all.
I haven’t started writing yet. Am I just postponing the part that isn’t as much fun? I don’t think so. I’m actually eager to start. But I find that jumping in too fast can be a mistake. I write very slowly so I try to make my first drafts pour out as quickly as possible; no editing, no second thoughts.
If I haven’t worked out the important details in advance—some unseen trap it could stop me short and I might have trouble getting started again. So I have been thinking my story through, postponing the moment I put pen to paper. (And yes, my stories usually start with a pen, not a computer. Gives me more freedom to move around.)
Make way for ducklings
But I think I’ve run out of excuses. I know the villain’s motive (money, of course, but more specific than that). I know all the minor characters. Got the location nailed down.
And just as starting too quickly can be a mistake, so can waiting too long. The story can go stale before you even have a chance to get to it. It’s a delicate bit of baking and shouldn’t come out underdone or overdone.
The time is right. All the ducks are in a row. So no more excuses.
Ready? Begin.
Rob — I do it the same way. Thinking it all the way through beforehand is even more fun, for me, than writing it down.
I have not tried the concert method of coming up with story ideas but may give it a try. Rob, I suggest you buy a season ticket.
I was wondering the whole time how the Araneus came into it . . . does it play a crucial role in your story, by any chance?
Anyway, good luck with your story!
YT-
Seems to me that a spider is a good symbol of preparation and readiness. Besides, I’m proud of the photo I took.
Ahhh yes. Spiders spin their yarns, constructing their lovely and complex webs, pouncing on their unsuspecting prey whenever they’re ready to survive.
Spiders and mystery writers have more in common than one might think at first…
Maybe it’s my darn computer but the spider pic is covering the first part of the article!! What I see is great! Thanks!
“Spins a web/Any size/Catches thieves/Just like flies” That line fits a mystery writer too!