“Occasionally, there arises a writing situation where you see an alternative to what you are doing, a mad, wild gamble of a way for handling something, which may leave you looking stupid, ridiculous or brilliant -you just don't know which. You can play it safe there, too, and proceed along the route you'd mapped out for yourself. Or you can trust your personal demon who delivered that crazy idea in the first place.
Trust your demon.” ― Roger Zelazny
How can I not agree with this? Roger Zelazny is one of my favorite writers, one that I've studied to improve my own writing. The way I see it, even when an author outlines (or plots out) a novel--organizing events, notions and ideas always crop up with the potential to make the story more interesting. Does it totally throw off the story's direction? Probably not, but it sure makes it interesting keeping on the general course.
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Trust the reader. Trust the demon. You're challenging me, Terry. You do realize that, right? ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, my advice is one thing. Roger Zelazny's is another :)
DeleteHi Terry! I've passed along your brilliant advice but I'm hopeless at navigating a preplanned route. If my stories fail to reach the mark, I know I can always blame the characters for leading me astray.
ReplyDeleteYou'll find the path that works best for you, Phyllis! There's no 'single right way' to write.
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