Observations on the Art of Fiction

     I've never done a reflective blog so I'm not quite sure what to expect. Writing about my journey of learning and trying techniques, the invention process and everything in between might be a great way of processing what works and what doesn't as well as a written record I can refer back to anytime. It should be helpful now and in the future. Imagine coming back and reading this five or ten years from now. . .Most of all, I'd like this to be a tool in sorting through the chaos and "talking out" story ideas. Writing thoughts down and seeing the words has always helped me to avoid feeling overwhelmed because the problem with my writing has never been a shortage of ideas, but rather a lack of focus and having a hard time choosing an idea. I'd like to write hundreds of books and thousands of short stories but there is only so much time.

      Another purpose of this could be purging thoughts to make room for focusing on the story itself. It's so easy to get caught up in day-to-day stress and lost in the millions of thoughts swirling around, and writing has always been a way I sifted through the junk and got to what's important. Like the magic and wonder of the invention process. As impossible as it is to know exactly where a story idea came from, it's important to be able to recognize it when it happens, to be in tune, to be on the right frequency. And then to immediately write it down and start to work it out. Sometimes, I'll let it go for a while and come back to it. But the times when I created my best work were when the trigger for the story was not important; it was when I let the story be in charge, let it develop naturally. It requires a lot of faith to let go a little and trust the process, trust that even though I can't explain it, what is meant to happen will happen, whether that means it becomes flash fiction or a novel.

      Having a strong foundation and knowing the techniques of fiction writing are important but the rest is allowing the story to evolve and take on a life of its own. Superstition is the ever-present elephant in the room. Knowing where the idea came from or why, feeling the need to discuss it in detail is unnecessary. In the words of Debra Spark, I don't want the "inspiration to flee."