The Free Spirit
We all know at least one person like this: they're going on a trip, they grab their toothbrush and not much else, and they're good to go. Doesn't matter if it's around the block or around the world -- they're ready and chomping at the bit to hit the road in five minutes or less.
Some writers are the same way. They get an idea, love the idea, and jump into the idea with both feet. They don't want to plot anything out or write a synopsis first. It's all about the journey and the joy of discovery. Writing anything down before starting would ruin it.
I kind of envy those kind of writers, but I have to do some advance prep and planning before I start a project -- or go on a trip. Just ask my husband. When we go on vacation, I pack damned near everything in the medicine cabinet. I mean, hey, you never know when you're gonna come down with something. And as to packing clothes -- well, the weather could change. So yeah, my suitcase is heavier than Derek's.
When writing that first draft, there's a lot to be said for being able to clear your mind, step outside the box and embrace all of the possibilities -- everything The Free Spirit is about. Excess plotting and planning can narrow your vision, constrain your creativity into a single line, and when you run into that wall called Writer's Block (and we all do), you haven't left yourself enough room to turn around. It's your book and your world -- you can make it anything you want it to be.
Monday is The Wary Traveler -- no detours or side trips allowed.
posted by Lisa Shearin at
9:37 AM
4 Comments:
I volunteer to be Exhibit A: The Free Spirit. As such, I can say it is loads of fun, but when it comes time to prepare a manuscript for submission it's a real bear to deal with. All of a sudden, I have to make it comprehensible and that does require a lot of researching and planning and out-and-out work. Thank goodness for so many generous authors, such as yourself, who've chimed in with encouragment and advice! I have one more month on my self-imposed deadline to launch the Holy Bennu into Queryland. Then, I'll know if this Free Spirit has learned to land better than an albatross.
Well, I've done it both ways. MLTF was written and revised and edited extensively before I sent it out to find an agent. Armed & Magical was written in a blaze of inspiration, very much Free Spirit style. The plot was literally evolving by the hour. MLTF went through two rounds of revisions once it was bought. A&M was accepted with no revisions. It's gone straight into copyediting to make sure I spelled everything right. ; )
Wow! I aspire to that point - write the story and send it in with no need for massive revisions first. Except copyediting.
With Starcaster, I'm going the free spirit route, but I did have a high-altitude idea of what it is about. I'm getting through the ending now. I have not cut very many scenes out of this one, compared to all I cut out of my previous two novels. But then, I'm still on my first draft.
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