For the past couple of months I’ve proof read, corrected basic errors, read a few books, one being Elements of Style, and researched myths. In some respects I feel at a standstill as I integrate new information and perspectives. There’s a lot to digest.
Top of the list are plot points for development that need to be rooted in the story and within the protagonist. The points are plot based but also speak to the themes so in some sections I need to better weave together happenings and imagery.
Next on the list is the style that I have written in. I am happy with it so far, there is room for more though. I need to be brave, to make my mark on the feel of the read with intention, to put myself in there as a writer. What I have written gives glimpses of a cohesiveness that I can bring together, the challenge that I’m pondering is how. This is a part of the process that I had not foreseen. I write with a vision in mind that I do my best to convey with words. The intention that I practice is for the story to add up. The shift from story alone to voice, style and feel has sent me ‘back to the drawing board’ in some respects.
As I take the next steps into the 4th draft I do so aware of writers whose styles, voices, and choices are distinct. This is not to compare to or take cues from others, only to look at the diversity of creative expression to lead me away from any limiting beliefs that I harbour unconsciously in my own creative process.
A few examples are:
A visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson
In reference to characters the author’s introduction includes:
‘…an invention of my own and has no basis in fact. It pleases me though…’
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman