Let Your Story Grow Naturally

[Here is a video version of this post.]

How has your writing grown? Have you managed to write out that amazing story that you can visualise in your head? Still finding it easier to run errands and do anything else other than writing? You don't have to feel guilty about it. I usually just give in to these urges because I know that whenever it happens, it is because I am still in the process of figuring out how to turn my ideas into words.

Sometimes I have trouble with the motive of the characters. Other times I worry about there being too much  coincidences in the story. Many times, I wonder about how to transition from the logical to the fantastic. From reality to the dream world. How do I bridge the gap between cowardice and heroism? Or from selfishness to self-sacrifice? 

I have tried planning these transitions into my stories. Planning the heck out of a story, however, never worked me. But I find that if I relax and let my imagination run wild, I will figure a way around it. 

In this video, I will give a few tips on how you can relax a little. Remember, if you don't like anything, you can always edit it out or just delete it. At the very least, you would have found out what you don't like. That is progress. 

1. Allow the story to express itself

Whenever I am stumped for ideas, I let the story to express itself through day-dreaming. Imagine how your character was as a child. Imagine what sort of trauma or high point she went through in life. You don't have to write it down. I find that this helps me develop my character's likes and dislikes. Sometimes, I can even use these little day-dreams to add details into dialogue or flashback. 

For example, in Iban Woman, I wrote about how Ratai missed travelling with her father to the trading port. He stopped taking her because as she grew older the foreign men in port began to leer at her bare chest. These details may not be of particular importance to the story but it gives a sense of realism and continuity to the character.

You can also draw an important scene in your story. As you do it, imagine how people will move in the space. This might save you a lot of time later on, when your character has to hide or fight in that space. This is also a helpful way to position emotional objects. Most times when I do this, I will get new ideas on how I can develop the story.

2. Train yourself to play

I believe that to write a good story, you must have a fluid imagination. In my case, because I write fantasy, I must prepare myself to be ready for any idea that might suddenly pop into the story. Admittedly, this is an organic style of writing. I do a mixture of both organic and outlining techniques. Maybe I will do a video on how I mix these techniques together next week.

Okay, back to the organic style of writing. This method only works if you allow scenes and characters to develop naturally. If it wants to be dull, then you must let it be dull. If it wants to be super crazy, then let it. It can be disorienting though, especially when you move so far off tangent that you are forced to change the premise of your story. My suggestion is to get to know your own storytelling tendencies as best as you can, so that you will be more prepared.

To get myself to this point, I wrote a lot of short stories. Once upon a time, I made myself write one short story a week. Many were not good, but the aim was to have as much fun as I could. Anytime anything bore me, I would stop and start over until I get a story I like. I also love poetry, so sometimes I would write a poem instead of a story.

This training has helped me understand my tastes and my work cycle. Sometimes I will go for weeks without writing but it never stressed me because I recognise that I am using that time to observe people and my surroundings. 

3. Don’t write to sell

It is never a good idea to write a book because you want to sell it. This puts too much pressure on yourself. It makes you feel that you must be interesting or exciting, or sad and emotional, or a host of other emotions that you think can sell a book. This will only make you create a flow or progression that is unnatural to your story. And this will happen because you think that one or two extra fight scenes, or more clever dialogues, or more gory details might make the story more interesting. More often than not, they will make the story more tedious.

For this reason, I never submit a proposal for a story. I always finish writing the novel first. Only then will I submit it to a publisher. I always make sure I am the first one who loves the story. Some people might not agree with me, but that is alright. It is just how I work. I do not want to be held captive by my own plot.

I remember when I started Fairy Con, I had planned it as a contemporary crime fiction but it ended up becoming a fantasy based on Iban folklore characters. Did that put me off? No. Because I have trained myself to expect the unplanned.

Remember; relax. Trust yourself. It's only the first draft. 

Start writing. Keep writing.