Gardeners, Architects, and Introducing my Novel

Hello all!

I will get right to it, my latest "prose" post was a big one for me. It represents the first of my discovery writing exercises to continue development on my first novel. You see, the novel is fully outlined and even a few chapters are written. However, I hit a block and turned to a well established trick that Brandon Sanderson reminded me of: Discovery Writing.

For those of you who might not know, creative writers tend to separate their pre-writing into two camps: outlining (architect) and discovery (gardener).

Architect style pre-writing is just how it sounds. You plot out all the events of your story point for point. You plan when story archs will crescendo and end, you make character sheets for reference, and generally make a perfect blue print for your story. This is great for developing nuanced foreshadowing, symbolism, continuity of plot, and all the staff that can make your work really complex from a structural standpoint. However, this can often lead to rigid stories and characters that do not feel real. I have heard this also called a "railroad" problem because it feels like the characters are on tracks sending them straight to the conclusion.

Garden style pre-writing, on the other hand, is less structured. Notice I say "less" structured, and the significance is why I love the term gardener for this style. A gardener doesn't just throw seeds into the wind and find them later. A gardener knows the intended bed, probably a lot a bout it, and even plants seeds in exact spots. When the plants start to sprout though, the gardener is open to variations in how they grow. Reading each sprout, they might add shade to help a late bloomer grow, or add a trellis for more climbing space. This directly contrasts the perfectly measured beams and rivets of the architect. When writing, your outline is your garden bed and the seeds are your characters. Writing this way is great to get your ideas out there and really write from the heart. I find casual conversation quotes flow more easily in this space and each sentence has more "heart". The downside this time is that writing of this style can often become rambling the longer it goes, and any kind of deep plot crafting is extremely difficult to keep consistent. This leads me to Discovery Writing.

Discovery Writing is a gardener style pre-writing exercise perfect for when you have finished your outline, but still need work on characters (like where I am right now). The idea is to take one of your characters, and throw them into a scenario of your choosing to see how you write them reacting. This can be plot relevant or not, as they most likely will not end up in your final manuscript. Think of it like having a diner date with the character. Get to know them. Ask probing questions. But all in the language of the intended final work. I like to think of "David in the Lion's Den" as a discovery writing exercise in the Bible for example.

You have this big story about kings and god, and morals, and all that. You also have this perfect character idea for little guy who is a pacifist amidst all that stuff. But how do you make him believable? How about you throw him in a hole full of lions and see how his pacifism holds up in your imagination? Next thing you know David is this really deep character who believes in forces beyond other's understanding, and accomplishes something really profound that sets up your moral ideas perfectly!

This is exactly what I have done with Kita in the prose article titled "Discovery Writing 1: Kita". Destined to eventually become the main character in my novel, I wanted to show how Kita has many innate skills, but is still plagued by self doubt in the forefront of her mind. So I decided to get her lost and have to find her own way home. Given that a surprise nomadic lifestyle will be a central plot point for the people of my story, I figured this would be a prime way to see how Kita will feel, talk, and act in a mini scenario of something bigger to come. FYI, all you need to know at this point in my story is that it is about little 3 inch tall people. All the other rules of this world apply to them. This has been done many times before, but, where these little people end up? Well, let's just say its a surprise you will have to read to find out and that it is a pretty wild ride!

I hope you enjoy this first ever preview of my book as well as the notes on pre-writing style! Please let me know what you think of the chapter, if you want to see more, and of this helped you overcome a block!