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Welcome to Day 11 of the Write the Story! writing challenge! Let's dive in, shall we?
I wonder if this sounds familiar to you.
Have you ever been writing a story, working on a scene, and you think you know where things are going, and then, suddenly, the story takes an unforeseen turn? You think your character is about to discover something, but instead it's you who learns something new---about the scene, the character, or the story.
These are some of my most cherished moments when it comes to writing. I remember one time when I sat down thinking my main character, Alec, was going to visit a new kid from his school and, while in that kid's room, Alec was going to discover how similar their love of and talent for the game of hockey was. The only problem? Alec never got inside the house. There had been events in the story to that point that made this new kid stop Alec in his tracks and pretty much close the door in Alec's face. That wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Or was it?
As a writer, we feel like we have all the control, but when it comes down to it, our job really is to let the characters tell their story. In other words, we need to be willing to let the story lead.
And that leads us to today's encouraging quote about the power and wonder of creativity from Madeleine L’Engle in her book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art. This is from a section titled, A Coal in the Hand:
Creativity opens us to revelation, and when our high creativity is lowered to two percent, so is our capacity to see angels, to walk on water, to talk with unicorns. In the act of creativity, the artist lets go the self control which he normally clings to, and is open to riding the wind. Something almost always happens to startle us during the act of creating, but not unless we let go our adult intellectual control and become as open as little children. This does not mean to set aside or discard the intellect, but to understand that it is not to become a dictator, for when it does we are closed off from revelation.
I love these words. I love her idea that creativity opens us to revelation and also inspires our capacity to see angels, to walk on water, to talk with unicorns. I love that she encourages us to hold our stories, our creativity, with a loose grip and to re-enter the world of childlike wonder and imagination where so much more is possible.
I hope that as you sit down to write your story that you will follow where it leads. That you will allow your characters to provide you with unexpected moments of revelation and wonder. And I'd love to hear about what your character(s) teach you today!
Enjoy the wonder of this writing journey, friends!
Remember: drop your daily word count in the comments so we can track your daily word count and provide you a final total when we hit November 30.
