Allowing the story to unfold
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After a couple of relaxing weeks, we are up and running again with new exciting ideas and stories to tell. Isn’t it just so easy to wander off and let the days go by enjoying trivial things? I find fascinating how much fulfilment I can get from spring cleaning or a successful trip to Waitrose. However, after a mini work-cleansing break, it is also inspiring to get back into the rhythm of the keyboard and the flow of new projects.
I’m extremely pleased with the progress of my novel. Chapter one is now completed and I’m well into chapter two. It is interesting to see how the story is evolving at its own pace and rather exhilarating to discover that, on occasions, my protagonist almost guides me on to the next chain of events. Of course, as the author, I have always had a clear intention on what story I want to tell. How it starts and how it ends. What I wasn’t prepared for was the power that characters bring, drawing me into their ways of thinking and perceiving, without prior planning or purpose.
I am, therefore, learning to allow my story to unfold. Enabling them free thinking and moulding the scenes to follow their decisions. Surely one may think that since I am creating these characters, I am fully in control of their thoughts. This sounds pretty logical. And of course, I have the power to change direction, but I feel that by doing this, I will be letting them down in a way. I’d like to give my readers the joy to get to know them, page by page, to either like or dislike them, and to unveil their private self through the narration.
I come to realise that one of the hardest tasks I face as a novelist is to detangle myself from my protagonist. How much of her being exists of its own accord and how much it could be considered a fictional extension of myself. I guess I have only one way to find out: to keep writing.
Enjoy the week!