This week: The Journey vs The Destination Edited by: Storm Machine More Newsletters By This Editor
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Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. Drake
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The adventure is the journey, not the destination. And yet we focus so much on the destination, because often the journey, seen only as physical distance to travel, is boring. But is it?
Distance traveled is not simply measured in miles. I can say that it's 200 miles to get somewhere, but that journey could take a lot of different forms.
A couple examples:
I drove directly from start to finish, trapped in a car with someone who told me endlessly about their novel and when I mentioned mine, pretended to fall asleep.
Snow falling all around us, the ice black and slick, while we stayed within the 11 vehicle caravan (6 semis, 2 trucks, 1 car and 2 SUVs) and counted the cars in the ditches until we arrived safe at home.
Sunshine pouring down, impossible to see, the road has split into two - and while I don't have the words for it at the moment, I read later this is double vision. I don't think I'm going to make it to my destination.
Flat tire, trooper behind me, and I think I'm going to be late for work. He volunteers to help me, as if I'm a helpless person who can't do it myself, and then he injures himself with my jack. I'm not late this time, but I'm glad I was prepared.
While those ideas are condensed, they each read as if they're different and they can be expanded into whatever the lesson is for the protagonist. These lessons might be more real life than your current work-in-progress, but what can you do with those long pauses before you get to the end of the road?
Endless scenery isn't the only thing we're traveling through. The party of characters has a lot to learn about themselves and each other. The bumps in the road aren't just there to provide a thing to read, it's about building up to that final battle. How do these incidents stack up for the conflict?
One of my novels, I knew I needed something else to happen, but it wasn't in the rewrite until the conflict finally came together so it made sense for all of the characters to be doing what they were doing. It might be that way in your story, too, where it happens but it isn't making sense yet. Brainstorm, see what you can do to weave those loose ends together. Happy writing! |
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