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I spend the “awake but not up” portion of the very early morning thinking about an idea I had yesterday for Book V. All along I’ve had a particular vision of what happens when Mmmph and Ummph meet. It’s been stable through the other books, but I had a bright idea. What if Rrrmph and Mmmph were connected? What if Rrrmph wanted to do A and Mmmph wanted to do B, and then Ummph never met Mmmph in the same circumstances…???
Last night, after I got home, that seemed a perfect idea. This morning, in the cold light before sunrise, not so much. Because if this, and then that, then the other important thing…wouldn’t happen. And it has to. Because that other important thing is connected to what I call the Deep Logic of this story-universe and this particular story. So it has to be conserved, unless something else has a better connection to the Deep Logic. Yesterday’s bright idea doesn’t. It goes down three levels (so to speak) but after that its root is dangling in the air, refusing to sink into the deep logic. So far.
This is not the first bright idea to hit the rotating blades of reflective thought. “Ideas” are great, and important, but they aren’t the core of writing fiction. Rather like Churchill, I can spout bright ideas by the dozens, but…many of them aren’t good bright ideas. They’re just fairy-dust, sparkly and dancing in the air at first, but useless in the end.
Writers are (still!) often asked where they get their ideas. We all have stock answers; they’re all partly true and partly wrong. (Mine is “dust bunnies of the mind.”) And we all know that “having an idea” for a story or book (or part of a story or book) isn’t the answer to writing the story or book. The bright idea needs to be eyed critically–interviewed, tested, made to show its potential in the real world, then enlisted in the work of story-telling.
The real bright idea–the one that belongs in the story–will stand any amount of hammering on the anvil. Will link immediately to other story elements at every level from surface to Deep Logic. It becomes both surprising and inevitable…”Wow, didn’t see that coming, but…of course!” pretty much defines the real bright idea. (Other instances of “Wow, didn’t see that coming…”) are not the result of sudden bright ideas but of slogging until “that” hits the writer over the head via the character. You can’t tell the difference afterward. )
The fairy-dust/fools’ gold bright ideas promise a lot (they have their Phi Beta Kappa keys, their MBAs of MFAs from the right schools, their appropriate interview attire, etc.) but once you stick them into the dirty reality of story-making, they…quit. They don’t link up. They don’t root down to the Deep Logic. And the sooner the writer realizes this and discards the shiny-sparkly thing, the better. Overnight is really fast. Sometimes I write a chapter or two of Mr/Ms Bright Idea before realizing that nope, this one’s a loser.
There are elements of yesterday’s bright idea I’d like to save and use. Not the whole thing, but this especially sparkly bit right here…surely it’s true-gold. Or maybe not. The answer’s in the writing. Sinking into the POV character and reaching down through the character for the Deep Logic from which true characters arise. Throw things at the character–that other character, that other event, even the fabled team of ninjas crashing through the door–and see if the reactions are related to the bright idea. If not…it’s just another bright idea that looks a lot dimmer in the daylight.
So far, the morning’s writing hasn’t reawakened the sparkly-shiny part of yesterday’s bright idea except in the writer’s ego. I still think it’s a really bright idea. But it’s not the right idea.
Comment by Kerry aka Trouble — March 1, 2012 @ 12:54 pm
the fabled team of ninjas crashing through the door
Nope – moved this post to the spoiler thread…
Comment by Sharidann — March 1, 2012 @ 1:59 pm
@ Kerry
Remember, if they come through the chimney, even odds those are Santa helpers! 🙂
@Elizabeth
I fully sympathize with the “bright idea syndrome” having been victim of it myself time and again.
Comment by Genko — March 1, 2012 @ 3:13 pm
This is a terrific post — applies to more than writing, methinks, but definitely an important bit of information on the writing process.
Comment by elizabeth — March 2, 2012 @ 11:15 am
Genko: When I was a kid writing stories, I had a file (I thought that was important) of story ideas because the ideas came faster than I could write the stories. Then…about ten years later….I looked at all those 3×5 cards neatly written in blue washable ink and thought “Oh…dear.” But yes, it does apply to other things (as I found out last night with my before-bedtime knitting session. “Why not try *this*?” Because it doesn’t work very well. All those knitters before who said “Do it like that” were…dadgummit…right.
Comment by elizabeth — March 2, 2012 @ 11:18 am
Sharidann: Santa’s helpers, or Santa’s ninjas? These days you don’t get a piece of coal in your stocking if you’re a bad kid…you get a team of ninjas to haul you off to a special camp.
Comment by tuppence — March 2, 2012 @ 8:46 pm
At the price of energy soon coal will go to the good kids!
Comment by elizabeth — March 2, 2012 @ 8:53 pm
There is that.
Comment by Kip Colegrove — March 3, 2012 @ 1:53 pm
“This is not the first bright idea to hit the rotating blades of reflective thought.”
Gotta remember that wonderful way to put it. Always to be cited with due attribution, of course.
Reminds me of many a sober moment during sermon composition, discarding a bright idea that won’t preach.
Comment by Sharidann — March 3, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
Elizabeth… true, right now, kids can’t be kids anymore without the police intervening… Would still hope to see Santa’s helpers coming down the chimney and not a local SWAT team because my kid got in a row with another kid about a stocking full of sweets or coal. 😉
Comment by Jenn — March 5, 2012 @ 7:14 am
Elizabeth,
I received your book two days ago. A dear friend bought it for me. It was gobbled up in seven hours and I lost 5 hours of sleep over it. I think this makes you an official member of the Evil Author Society whose sole goal is sleep deprivation among the masses.
Wonderful book. I will now start reading it a slower pace.
Comment by Linda — March 5, 2012 @ 8:56 pm
Interesting (to me) experience of Echoes.
1st read kindle version (cause I could) and then print version (from a proper independent bookstore).
Forced to read in measured bites 1st time, on a four day road trip with 89 yr. old mother (after she was in bed, but with enough sleep to drive 8 to 10 hours the next day) … and then, second reading at home at last, during a 2 day snowstorm with cat and a proper fire in the stove.
Splendid either way, but loved being able to flip back so easily in “real” book to check on details … what exactly did he say, etc. Also the usual checking of previous volumes on second and third readings requires hard copy. Best done in bed where all can be spread out without disturbing cat.
Comment by Jenn — March 6, 2012 @ 7:28 am
Linda,
You have a wood burning stove! I am so jealous.
Comment by Gareth — March 6, 2012 @ 1:11 pm
Apologies for being off topic but couldn’t see a good thread for this. (Feel free to move)
Influences… Liked the ‘interview’ section at the end of the UK edition – haven’t seen Zenna Henderson mentioned for a long time – her work used to be my favourite back 40 years ago! Lovely to see her mentioned and remembered.
I note the UK edition still uses American spelling (color for example). Given the UK went straight to a beautiful paperback I assume that’s a different typesetting than the hardback. Could it (easily) also use English spelling rather than American. (Haven’t checked any of the earlier volumes or other authors).
Comment by elizabeth — March 6, 2012 @ 2:26 pm
I think Orbit UK simply takes the digital copy-edited file and sets it directly. I don’t have any dealings with their production people, only with editorial and very little–though Bella Pagan, my former editor at Orbit, did ask for a title change last year and explained her reasons so well that both my US publisher and I agreed (so there’s only one title, thank goodness.)
The contract specifies trade paperback format. Format type is determined by the publisher on the basis of profit margin and usually written into the contract. You might get an answer from Orbit UK, if you asked them about all the details.
Comment by filkferengi — March 6, 2012 @ 2:31 pm
Gareth,
As for Zenna Henderson being an influence, at the 2008 WorldCon in Denver, they had a panel about her. The room was full, & some folks were standing in the back. On the front row & citing her as a significant influence during the more open discussion portion was the GOH, Lois McMaster Bujold. Iirc, several other authors were also enthusiastic attendees.
Comment by Catherine — March 6, 2012 @ 8:20 pm
the warrens that you find/ with teh dustbunnies of your mind…
Comment by SnowGator — March 7, 2012 @ 5:39 am
So you never utilized the ideas on the 3×5 cards? Do you still jot down ideas for future use, or simply relinquish them if they’re nedross for the current story.
Comment by Sherri — March 15, 2012 @ 8:50 am
I can very much relate to this. In my current work, I’m 160+ pages into it (90,000 words), and the two “ooh, shiny!” ideas I had for it recently both need drop kicked. Luckily, I wrote one of them as a separate scene, without placing it into the story itself, so that one doesn’t need deleted.
The other, however, did get placed into the story, and I’m going to lose at least five pages when I delete it. Oh, well. Better that I look at it and realize it now, than when I go to publish.