Picking up from the previous entry on structure, it’s important not to confuse structure with process. Everybody goes about process in their own way. Some people use plotting boards, some people create elaborate collages, some use 3×5 cards, some people use diagrams and fill out sheets on characters and goals, motivation and conflict. It goes on and on. When it comes to process, the only thing that matters is whether or not it works for you.
My process is 90% unconscious. Most of the activity in our brains goes on below the surface. Doesn’t mean it’s not thinking, it just means it’s not conscious thought. What does this mean? It means I couldn’t fill out those sheets or diagrams or build a plotting board, but other than that, it doesn’t mean anything.
Here’s an example; math class. I used to have a horrible time showing my work in math class, because I could often arrive at the right answer but by using a different method than the one we were supposed to be demonstrating. I got there, the answer was right, I just did it a different way. In some cases, I could point to the right answer and have no idea why it was right. I just knew it was.
What matters with a story is that you get there in the end, not what method you use. Compare story structure to building a house. You need to know your lot size (length of story) and how big a building you can fit into that space. If you have a tiny lot, forget putting a 3-car garage in your plans. You don’t have the space.
I talked about things like turning points and reversals in the previous post, which may have made unconcious kinds of writers whimper and curl up in a ball, but here’s a secret. You don’t have to know what your big reversal or your turning points will be until you get there. You do need to know that you need them. In building terms, you don’t need to know what kind of doors will be used, just that there needs to be space for them. You need to know the building code and the basic things your building has to have. Walls, roof, foundation. If you know the structural requirements, you’ll end up with a solid story in the end, no matter what process you use.
I used to worry a lot about the fact that I couldn’t draw an elaborate blueprint in advance. Just a general one that covered the basics. But I made peace with my process a long time ago and I accept it for what it is and how it works for me. It works, that’s the bottom line. I do end up with characters who have goals and motivations and conflicts. I do end up with turning points and reversals and three acts that contain all the things they need to contain to accomplish their structural purposes. I end up with a completed story that makes sense and that’s what matters. And it works every time.
So if you don’t know every detail of your story in advance, don’t panic. Trust your storytelling brain to know what needs to be there, and go write. Of course, if plotting boards or GMC charts or whatever else work for you, by all means do that.
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