While driving, I think about stories. Some may say it’s not productive, but it beats worrying about things I can’t control. In the car, I’m a captive audience. I can focus on the vehicles around me, and I need to since I drive in the 5th largest city in the US. But I can also consider which stories to work on and what might happen to the characters.
I’m proud to call myself a linear discovery writer. I start at the beginning of the story, and I keep going until the end. I rarely know much about the characters, the setting, or what will happen. Sometimes I think I spend the most amount of time coming up with last names. Today, I thought about details for the main characters. Their careers, other family members, and possible backstories.
Because I don’t plot, I don’t know where the story takes place. It might on a mountain or a ranch or a city. I do a little research to discover what location works best. I also research the weather, the streets/highways, the direction of land forms, public transportation, etc. I set Of Art and Air, Book One of the Tanner Trilogy in a town in Wyoming. As I was working on edits, I thought I should check the population of the town. Turned out, it was a ghost town. I searched on a map and found a suitable alternative, then had to change the name and location throughout the entire manuscript.
Usually all these details come to me when I write. However, the rolling transitions I’ve had the last six months have prevented me from making progress on any fiction project. I have two remaining transitions. One has a hard deadline of October 11. The other will float until the time is right. With such sporadic writing, I’ve decided to think about these stories while driving. I’m hoping this keeps the muse at least a little bit entertained, so when I do return to the page, something will be there to get the words flowing. How do you keep yourself interested in projects you’re not consistently engaged with?
0 Comments