Writing Wonderland

As I write this it’s still early December, and I’m looking outside onto snow-blanketed trees and frost-heavy twigs. The sky is a clear, whitish-blue, and I’m glad to be inside after idiotically spending half an hour outside in eight-degree weather wearing only jeans, a light down jacket, thin gloves, and a baseball cap. Coming through my laptop speakers is The Piano Guys’ Christmas album, A Family Christmas. It’s nice.

Today was a surprisingly good day following a rather rough couple of days that I’m sure will carry over for at least one more week, until life settles back into normality. But there’s been good bits in the week too. And that’s what I’m here to tell you about.

I’m finally writing again, guys. And it feels good.

About two weeks ago, I came to grips with my problem. I had a story idea. A historical fiction set in WWI. Blah, blah, I’ve talked about it here before. But something was wrong with it. It was a good story idea (and still is), I desperately wanted to see it written, and some of my friends were even excited to read it.

But something about this particular story weighed heavily on me; it overwhelmed me so much that I wasn’t even trying to write it. I just avoided it. It is a deeply personal story, and, honestly, at this season in my life, I don’t have the energy to tackle something that weighty. And lastly, a sense of guilt surrounded the story. While I wanted to see it finished, I didn’t have a fire to begin and stick to it. It wasn’t making me tick. I was doing it, because I felt guilty not writing it, I felt guilty not working on a historical fiction. To me, working on a fantasy sounded more appealing, but…was it worth anything if it wasn’t about real people and places?

I had enough. Why waste time and mental energy shaming myself over a story I wasn’t even writing?

Concerning Historical Fiction

It was after drafting Writing Between the Lines, that I began thinking deeper. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a fantasy. But The Lord of the Rings has resonated deeply with people for decades. Watching the movies through the lens of knowing he served during the first world war, opened my eyes to how many things Tolkien probably pulled from his experience there. Even in a fantasy, he still honored sacrifice. He still inspired courage and endurance. He just did it in a place called Middle Earth and used hobbits instead of humans.

Jesus told parables. He wrote history, but He also told stories. Isn’t the fantasy genre a story within the story of our history? Aren’t stories still tools, no matter what genre they are? Don’t they still create emotion, push us to something greater, and comfort us in the dark?

So, while I still want to see said WWI novel written, I’m putting it on hold for now. Maybe now isn’t the time for it. Maybe, as one of my acquaintances said, I haven’t learned everything I need to yet for that particular story.

So, if there’s a genre you want to write, and a genre you feel like you should be writing, remember this: stories belong to both. And stories are what change people. Genre can help, but that isn’t the key ingredient.

Concerning Content

As I already mentioned, something about that WWI novel wasn’t making me tick. I wasn’t excited about the process of writing it. It was a drag. I kept finding myself getting sparks of excitement over various fantasy ideas, but all writing felt like a burden as I was still fighting EWE and discouragement.

I needed a story that I couldn’t help wanting to write. I needed excitement. I needed something that made me ask questions. I drafted a synopsis that in its first and very rough form looked like this:

When The Scourge surrounds the city of Cord and the king’s son vanishes, both on the night before the Festival of Stars, it can only mean one thing. Desperate and against all wisdom, the king sends his most trusted servant, Dragano, alone through the wild lands to the Destrier Wall for aid.

But a detachment from The Scourge captures Dragano in the wilderness where he encounters an enemy he never prepared to face. Will he accept an offer to do the unthinkable, or will he sacrifice his freedom to stay true to an honor no one can see?

Does this synopsis stink? Very much so. Does it give away awesome plot twists? Duh, the guy gets captured. Does it ask a sappy question at the end? No comment. Do I plan on pulling from Old Testament stories? Absolutely. Did I steal bits and pieces from three different prompts? Sh.

But does it raise questions? Yep, it sure does. And not just for the reader. Because when I wrote that, I had absolutely no clue who or what “The Scourge” is, what was significant about “The Festival of Stars,” or what the phrase “it can only mean one thing” really hinted at or meant. And it makes me curious to write this story to find out.

Maybe your mind and pen aren’t quite ready to draft the story you feel like you should write. Maybe it’s too early for the “for duty” story that’s in the back of your mind, because maybe you need a few more months or years for that story to make you tick.

But for now, don’t force out a story you’re not excited about. You’re not writing for a publisher yet. Write what makes you come alive. Maybe that’s what you were meant to write. Write a story that makes you ask questions.

Concerning Technique

Writing without an outline wasn’t working for me. I wanted to try writing by the seat of my pants, but nothing was happening. I’m probably not ready to ditch outlines just yet.

Don’t get discouraged if you have to change your plans. Some of us grow slower than others. Who knows? Maybe someday outlines won’t cut it for me anymore and I’ll need to move on. But write the way that works best for you.

Concerning Energy

It’s been about six months since I’ve really written. As I wrote in When You Run Out of Ink, this isn’t the first time that I’ve faced a writing desert. It’s not the last.

Sometimes we just need a break. Take it. Sometimes it’s longer than we want it to be. Take it. Wait. Be patient. The story will come.

Conclusion

Do I sound like I’m winging this whole writing life thing? Good job on figuring that out. :) The truth is, the writing life is just that: life. You figure it out as you go. Sometimes what worked before doesn’t work anymore and you have to make adjustments. Sometimes writing is exciting, and sometimes it’s torture. It’s just a rollercoaster; it’s supposed to be fun, but sometimes we just take it too seriously because it scares the snot out of us.

But I’m happy to say that I’ve entered back into the writing world and that I’ve found the wonder in it again. It’s good to be back, guys.

Happy writing!

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What excites you most about writing? Tell me about it in the comments!

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