In so many words

In So Many Words

Nicki Ehrlich

Funny how our writing minds work, or seem not to sometimes. I saw a quote today by Leo Tolstoy: “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow—that is patience.” I thought it might be something every writer would want to print out and tape to the wall…near their writing desk.

And here we are in autumn, sweater weather in some parts of the country, Indian Summer in others, the season of patience. The busy, active summer winds down, as we await winter. Of course, winter begs patience as well, while we await spring. It seems to be the human condition, always waiting for the next thing. Anticipation is good (just ask Carly Simon), looking forward just enough to keep us peddling and upright. But let’s not lose sight of the moment we’re in right now.

And that brings me to the crux of this missive. When writing a story, long or short, the main idea will offer you the opening, and point you to one or more appropriate endings. But perhaps you’ll join me in mutual frustration with advancing the middle. This is where I find myself as autumn fledges. Careening far too fast toward an ending I tripped over missed opportunities along the way. I had to stop, wait, and put myself in my character’s “now.” What is happening externally around the character now? What is happening inside that character’s head right now, and why?

I recently participated in a Phoenix Writers Network workshop on backstory presented by Karen Odden. It reminded me that all the work we do on our characters’ backstories, all that does and doesn’t make it onto the page, informs their actions every minute of every scene. Just like your (the author’s) backstory informs all you do, say, and write. So, if you get stuck in the middle of that book or story, you might ask the character what they are feeling at the moment. What got them to where they are? Why did they want to be there in the first place? What’s stopping them from moving on or what’s keeping them going? What do they believe about themselves and others around them? What happened in the past to cause that belief? How is what’s happening now affecting their belief?

Identifying what the characters think about themselves, not only better defines their voice, but also their actions. Those thoughts and actions move the narrative forward and slowly, patiently, will lead to a satisfying conclusion.

That conclusion may be a few chapters away yet if you’re writing a book, or a few paragraphs away if you’re writing a short story, but knowing your character’s “now” will get you to the next thought, the next word, the next line. And that’s how we write, not only in autumn but all year long. As Anne Lamott would say, “…Bird by bird…”

It still amazes me that just twenty-six letters can make up millions of words. All we have to do is change the order and add a bit of punctuation to create new poems, stories, and books. For those who have the drive to do it, and the patience to do it well, untold joy awaits. There it is again, that waiting thing. Here’s to patience…and sweater weather!