Moving Rocks

Have you ever realized how writing a story can be similar to a game of Jenga?

After putting together a bunch of building blocks (including an intriguing premise, snazzy characters and some twists and turns to keep the reader occupied), you hope your story is solid enough to stand on its own.

Sometimes, though, you must pick and pull at various parts of it to make things right. And if you aren't careful, it can all come tumbling down into a big ol' mess.

How does this apply to me? I've been having some trouble with one of my WIPs. The story just doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and I've already invested almost 1000 words into it.

When one of my fellow writers, Jamie, got talking about moving rocks and the resulting shift in water patterns, it rang true – and reminded me of Jenga. Because the moment I pulled out the bad parts, changed my main character, and added some new pieces back into the mix the story seemed to unstick itself again.

Granted, I had to do a little more tweaking to make my minor character into someone more worthy of carrying the story, but luckily I had my trusty worksheets to brainstorm with. (Seriously – I am a worksheet fiend.)

So, just as it happened in Jamie's yard, I moved around some stones and the water is flowing again. Woot! If you need some worksheets to add detail to the backgrounds and motivations of your characters, I actually just did an article about it today. Serendipity!

Photo: Samantha Villagran

[NWC]