A story has no beginning or end; arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead. ~The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (1951)
There’s truth in that first sentence of Graham Greene’s novel. A writer does have to pick that moment to let her characters come to life and begin their story road. There has been story before that first sentence gets things going. There will be story after the last sentence in the book is read.
I often have readers ask if I’m going to write sequels to my books because they want to know what happens next. Just yesterday I had a couple of comments on a Facebook post asking that very thing about my story Along a Storied Trail. Here’s what one of them, Julie, said, “I throughly enjoyed this book. I read it in just a few days. Will there be a sequel? Would love to know what happened to Tansy and everyone else.”
That’s a good thing for a writer to hear from a reader since it means those people who have lived on the pages of a novel now live in a reader’s mind. Do the characters go on to have happy lives? What new trouble do they encounter? And oh, we, as readers, do want the fictional people, who have become real to us, to find hope and happiness.
I’ve been researching my new story. I’ve been playing with plot ideas and what this or that character is going to do or be or look like or… At this point there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of questions without answers. Answers I will have to find if I am to get this book written. The ideas for this new story have been percolating in my head for a while. My characters have gone along with me on my walks with my dogs. They’ve said what if this or how about that or do you think that could have happened in this time period or are you sure you know enough to jump into this story.
This isn’t my first rodeo, as the saying goes, but somehow when I begin a new story, I always wonder if I do know enough. Will the story come again? It’s not like I haven’t written plenty of books. I have. Thirty-five of those books have been published. Some of you have read some of them and been kind enough to let me know that yes, I did know enough to write this or that particular story. But what about this one?
What about this first sentence? This first scene? Will I arbitrarily pick the perfect moment of experience to beginning sharing this story?
Those questions can make a writer drag her feet and delay putting her fingers on the keyboard. And yet, it’s time and past that I need to have this story well on the way. Characters have been talking to one another in my head. I don’t know everything about the story. Not even close. But I’m not the kind of writer that has everything plotted out before she begins. I’m what in writers’ circles is called a “seat of the pants” writer. That means I sit in front of my computer, put my fingers on my keyboard and begin with the hope that my characters who have come to life in my imagination will pull me along in the story and show me how best to reveal that story to readers.
Right now everything is still a little shadowy. I tell myself I’ve done it before without knowing everything. With Along a Storied Trail, I had no idea Aunt Perdy would become such a focal character and insist of being the one to tell her own story instead of it all coming through Tansy’s point of view. I had no idea a girl named Coralee would knock on Aunt Perdy’s door in the middle of a snowstorm. But then there she was, half frozen and in desperate need of a friend. So for this new story I need to trust my storytelling instincts and see what these new characters are going to do and what surprises they have in store for me.
Tomorrow, God willing, I’m going to roll a fresh, blank piece of paper into my typewriter and begin. No, I’m not really going to do that although I used to write that way. Nowadays, I pull up a fresh clean blank screen on my computer and begin filling it with letters that make words. When I think about it, I’m always amazed so many words can come from the twenty-six letters of our alphabet. Before I find the five letters to write “the end,” I will have used those letters to make about 100,000 words. For reference this post is a little over 800 words.
The only way I’ll get those many words written is to begin. Do you like knowing more about how I go about writing my books?
Have you ever wished you knew what happened next when you come to the end of a book?
Thanks to Susan Snodgrass for this graphic of an Aunt Perdy quote from Along a Storied Trail
Comments 10
We’ve been learning our letters, along with all the other things including a 4 week study of trees. The kids are really into learning about trees and we have done a lot of activities with it; such as , tree rubbings, gathering sticks and making trees out of them, using our 5 senses activities, me going to the park and taking pictures of a bunch of different views of trees (roots, new trees starting from old ones, bark, trunk, branches, leaves; etc. ).
But, back to the alphabets! Just yesterday I was telling them that the letters they are learning will make words (as I have been doing throughout the year) and it finally seemed to click! That was such a great moment! They are asking to learn to read! We’ve learned enough letters that I can now teach them a few words. I teach the alphabet out of order to be sure they are learning them. If you teach in order as most preschool teachers do, they just relate it to the alphabet song and don’t really learn to recognize the letters. They are also learning to read the days of the week as we do the calendar each day. I have a list of the days on a poster and I mix the days up also, to make sure they can recognize and read the day “words”. I started out doing this as a group and now they don’t want to do it together, but individually! Your statement of putting letters together to make words is what got me started to write this. Sorry for getting carried away!
And yes, I do want to know more on your writings, how you begin, etc.
Author
You sound like such a good teacher, Linda Dianne. Those kids are fortunate to have someone who cares about them the way you do. And so fun that you’ve turned them on to the escitement of reading. Way to go!
Love to see the mind of the author behind the stories. Thank you for sharing.
Author
Glad you enjoyed taking a peek into a writer’s ways, Gin. Fun that you stopped by.
Lots of times I wish the book would go on and on so I knew the story till they grow old.
Author
I love that, Lucy. Watching and knowing those favorite characters through life. Through marriage and babies. Through children growing up and going to school. Through troubles and blessings. Yes, thatis a good thought on how the story could go on. But I would want them to live happily ever after into their golden years. 🙂
I love hearing about what goes on in your mind as you are writing.Then,when I read the book sometimes I remember something you wrote here while you were writing the story.
I am always excited to know you will have another book out.
I like to savor a good book a while after finishing it before I start another one and often wonder what is next for the characters.
Author
Savoring a book you have really enjoyed is a good way to finish the story off, Lisa. Sometimes I have trouble with that after I finish writing a story and need to start a new book with new characters. I have to tell those former characters that they’ve had their time, at least for a while, and to make room for some new people to show up. 🙂
This book sounds amazing and I Love The cover Ann!
Author
The cover of Along a Storied Trail is lovely, Sarah. I’m glad you like it and hope if you read the story, you’ll like it too.