The poem came first, and when I think about it, it feels much like the
next step on from yesterday. If and when you (and that definitely includes me) make
the effort to proceed down the path of getting up, going out, clearing your
head so you can come back fresh to what’s in front of you, maybe there’s a
chance to approach the task from a different perspective. I mean, if what you’re
doing isn’t working, there’s no point coming at it the same way every time and
expecting a different result.
When it comes to my writing, if I’m in the middle of something that
feels rather mediocre, I employ the ‘What if’ equation to see where it leads. What
if my main character is suddenly faced with financial ruin, mental illness
either of himself or someone close, relationship turmoil, unexpected
inheritance, death of a child, terminal illness, false accusation, character assassination,
permanent disability following an accident. Throw them back into the Ice Age instead of the 21st century, or way into the future, stick them in Siberia or in an impoverished village in Africa instead of downtown New York, London or Melbourne. The list is obviously endless, but brainstorming even one idea I hadn't originally planned for any of my characters can take me on an unprecedented journey and have surprising results. Novel characters are forever being thrust headlong into all manner of situations
and disasters, some of their own making, some not, and we as readers wait to
see if they have the moral courage to hang on and win out in the end.
Whatever the pursuit, be it artistic or not, there are times when we simply
have to scrap the blueprint in front of us and start over, not an easy task if
we’re heavily invested in its outcome. Or maybe we just need to add a little
here, subtract something there, reshape it, even turn it upside down or side on
to see if the view from a different angle sheds new light on the way
forward.
Re-imagine, turn
an idea on its head
re-configure it
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