What's your point?
Read It Your Way, Story Genius: Chapt 3-5
Last time we met, after reading the introduction and first two chapters of Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write A Riveting Novel by Lisa Cron, I asked you to start thinking about story and how it has the potential to revolutionize the way we write. Has anything changed about the way you approach your work because of what you’ve read in this book so far?
I’m trying to get up earlier in the mornings so that I have time to write fiction and be creative for myself before I go to my corporate office job where I have to be creative for other people. I’m experimenting with a no-phone zone in the bedroom and an FM radio alarm clock and not looking at screens for an hour before I go to bed.
So far it’s going pretty well. I’ve managed to go from waking up at 5:45 to waking up at 5:00, with an end goal of 4:45 being my usual wake up time. (I’m a natural early bird so this is going to be a little bit easier for me than for people who are night owls, so don’t compare, okay? <3)
Taking back my mornings helps me keep my creative self grounded, but also enables me to cross off a bunch of important stuff from my to-do list. Like writing this newsletter. And yes, it’s only a small chunk of time compared to the rest of my day, but sometimes all you have are small chunks of time, and so you protect them, you cherish them, you are grateful for them, you commit to what you can do in the time that you have.
This week, we’re discussing Chapters 3, 4, and 5. In this section, the author begins to lay out her foolproof plan for writing an unputdownable novel. I hate that word. Unputdownable. Whatever marketing person coined that to try and sell books should get a thousand dollars anytime someone uses it, but still… I hate it. What does that mean? Unputdownable?!!! Are the pages made of superglue??!! Anyway. I digress.
In this week’s chapters we explore the What If, the Who, and the Why. All of these questions center around the task of finding the internal center and emotional touchstones of our main character. We’re trying to understand why this story matters so much to them, so that eventually it can also matter to the reader.
My favorite quote from this section:
“The events by themselves mean nothing; it’s what those events mean to someone that has us compulsively turning pages.”
Playing the What If Game to Find Your Story
I told you I wanted to commit to this book, right? That I was going to dive deep and do the exercises and try the Story Genius way of storytelling to see if I learned anything about myself or the way I tell stories, or learned anything that I could take into future projects. I told you this, right?
Okay, good. Because as I read through these chapters, I did the exercises suggested at the end of each and oooo boy, was it an eye-opening experience.
First, is that I realized I already do a lot of what Lisa Cron suggests when it comes to exploring a character’s motivation and backstory. Except I typically do it inside the story itself, as I’m writing it. Which she is adamantly against, in case you’re wondering.
I love a good “What If” game. I love when I have the spark of an idea, an image, or a scene, or a person, or a vibe. I love to chase that idea down with a series of What If questions until I begin to shape something vaguely story-like. Usually that’s when I start writing, when I have the shape of a story. I don’t always know a lot about my protagonist—I tend to do a lot of discovery writing about my protagonist inside the plot I’ve built for them. It’s worked pretty well for me in the past.
Lisa Cron’s recommendation for me would be to turn all that on it’s head. Start with the protagonist and their wants and needs and misbeliefs and then build the plot around them. It’s a subtle difference, but it could be one that results in less rewriting. Could be, I say, because I am of the school of thought that much of writing is rewriting. I am in the camp of people who believe that you won’t truly know what you’re trying to say until you say it however you need to say it, and then, after you know what you’re trying to say, you can go back in and figure out how to say it better.
Lisa Cron is pitching a different way of thinking: that you can figure out what you’re trying to say first, and save yourself a lot of time and agony and wasted words. I don’t believe in wasted words, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to save some time. Saving time on one story, means getting to write another!
So, armed with a brand new short story idea and with a beginner’s mind, I tried out the exercises in the first 3 chapters. I got to know my main character more, so that’s great, and I have a better idea of what their emotional arc may be from beginning to end…but here is where I’m running into a bit of a problem.
I write mysteries. And the first scene I wrote for this short story, while a delight, is not setting up any kind of mystery. Because I don’t know what the plot is. Writing mysteries may be the reason I usually start with plot and THEN find my perfect protagonist to exist inside that plot. But Cron says that with all stories, regardless of genre, starting with the protagonist and then moving into plot is the best way to build your perfect story. Yes, even with mysteries. (Though there was a cryptic sentence about how mysteries and thrillers behave a little differently and she would tell us about that later…so I’m anxiously awaiting that.)
I haven’t finished reading Story Genius yet. I think in the coming chapters Cron may discuss all the things I’m feeling stuck on…like great, I know why my main character cries at night but WHAT ABOUT THE DEAD BODY IN HER BASEMENT? But for right now I’m still feeling a little skeptical that this formula of hers will work for all writers and all books. Specifically, for me.
I think she’s giving us a great stepping off point, though, a good place to start when we’re thinking about our story and our characters. I just think writing needs more room to breath and more space to grow organically. I’m not big on forcing my characters and plots into a formula, which is what this feels like right now. But I’m still here with an open mind, willing to give it a shot. You’re never too old to learn new tricks!
“…creating something out of nothing is always a bit unnerving.”
Discussion Questions
What is your favorite process for finding your way into a story?
Do you use any kind of character sheets or questionnaires to get to know your characters better before you start writing?
How do you like to decide who your main protagonist is going to be?
How long do you like to give yourself to brainstorm or explore a story idea or character before you dive into the writing?
Put It Into Practice
Complete as many of Lisa Cron’s suggested exercises from Chapters 3, 4, and 5 as you’d like. Do the exercises using a brand new story or use them for a story you’re already working on where maybe you feel a little stuck. Come back and let us know how it went for you!
Spend 15 minutes this week not writing, but just thinking about writing. Don’t worry about word count goals or if you’re “making progress.” Sit with your story and your characters and imagine who your characters are inside your story. Follow your what ifs to wherever they want to take you. Feel free to jot down notes, but don’t get stuck on the idea of making beautiful prose. Just sit down and explore.
Watch one of your favorite movies and try to figure out the main protagonist’s “what if” and “why.” Ideally, this is a movie you’ve seen many times so you already have a good idea of what’s going to happen to your main character later on. If you’d like to share what movie you watched and anything new you discovered about the storytelling, drop a note in the comments!
Reading Discussion Schedule
July 2, 2024: Kick off Party!July 9, 2024: Introduction, Chapters 1-2July 23, 2024: Chapters 3-5August 6, 2024: Chapters 6-8
August 20, 2024: Chapters 9-12
September 3, 2024: Chapters 13-15
Virtual Discussion and Write-in to be held in September shortly after our last discussion. Date and details to come!
1. I chew on an idea, a character, a feeling, a sentence, a word, for a while. Then I sit down and write from the moment that begins. The story doesn't start every time—not by a long shot. Often, the first scene I write gets set aside, and then I write the novel, but I have to jump in where it's the stickiest.
2. Nope. I just learn as I go, jotting notes about their favorite things or dislikes or quirks if they pop to mind (whether in the story or not).
3. I don't decide. They do. It comes down to who will tell the story from the most compelling angle. I usually have more than one narrator for that reason, as each one has insight into something another can't have. There have been times where I was wrong about who was most interesting and have to do some serious rewrites, though.
4. That depends on the idea. Sometimes it's years, other times it's days. I let the characters tell me when I should start writing. It's their story, so I just have to sit down and shut up, after all.