Uncertainty

Setting out to write a story or novel is one of the most difficult tasks a person can undertake. Several things make the work hard, one of which is uncertainty.

We start out at the beginning of a story, thinking we know where we are going, holding some idea of where we’d like to travel.

Yet even with a destination in place, marked and pinned through outlining and planning, the path to the end holds many forks and turns, more so than when working with no blueprint.

If one chooses to make a plan or blueprint for one’s story or novel, the possibilities of what might occur in the narrative line multiply exponentially.

Setting down ideas and thoughts allows for brainstorming. It ignites an exciting pattern of creativity both consciously and unconsciously.

Perhaps this is why many writers choose not to outline, at least in a literal sense. The fear of uncertainty guides their hand. They want to control the outcome of their story.

And yet we all have a plan or some sort when setting out to tell a story. We have a process for writing that novel that leads us either within, or outside the range of our awareness.

The question we face when writing becomes, Does our way of writing the story, the manner in which we relay the order of events, allow for elements of craft and happenstance to blossom?

Or do we set out to craft a story in such a way as to control what takes place on the page?

Life does not guarantee happy endings. And yet every story must come to a close.

The way in which we resolve the displayed dilemma(s) has as much to do with how clearly we distill the protagonist’s yearning as much as cracking open the depth of transformation that she or he undergoes in an attempt to reach her or his goal. Or do they avoid what externals urge them to acknowledge and accept within her or himself?

It is the side roads, the detours from the plot or narrative line we so eloquently devise or avoid erecting by not drafting an outline, that lead to the overall change in perception wrought by obstacles on the way to the forum.

We, the writer, travel this unwieldy road with our protagonist. The plot of their journey lies intermingled with ours as we struggle to craft, revise and edit their story.

Whether we plan, outline or simply write the story seeing where the words take us, we encounter uncertainty. As writers we must become warriors battling to keep our hearts open long after the mind shuts down on possibilities.

We must brainstorm. And yet stay the course as we write.

How much does the excitement of discovery drive you in writing?

What frightens you most when writing?