 Action/Adventure: November 07, 2007 Issue [#2046] |
  Action/Adventure
This week: Edited by: W.D.Wilcox  
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You have to feel your stories and characters in your body. In fiction writing, this means you have to become your character. |
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Losing Yourself Within Your Story
There is a tremendous freedom for you as a writer when you become the character you are writing. It might sound a bit crazy, but it is the only way to really get in touch with your creative unconscious. And that’s a marvelous place: a place of feelings, dreams and images—of worlds you never knew existed. It is a place of intuition and imagination; a place of dragons, monsters, and even flying monkeys. And it is all just waiting for you.
They say we’re supposed to write what we know, paradoxically, when you write from the imagination you’re writing what you know but from such a deep level of knowing that you don’t know that you know it until it’s revealed in your writing, you know?
You see, you have two brains in one: a left side, and a right side. The right side tells you, “I’ll never write again. I might as well give up. Nobody wants to read what I write anyway. Just look at all the time I’ve wasted when I could’ve been cleaning toilets!”
Now, compare this to what happens when writing with the left side of the brain in a rush of creative heat. You turn out pages of material in a blur. Time flies by unnoticed. When your finished writing, you’re exhilarated and feel so complete you don’t have to read what you wrote. The memory of the writing experience settles about you like a warm, cozy blanket. You know it’s good—you can feel it. When you do read it, its like, “Wow, I wrote that? I’m awesome! Unstoppable!”
There’s a reason for that. You, the conscious you, weren’t writing. You, the conscious you, weren’t thinking language. You had lost your conscious self to the characters and the unfolding drama. You were writing from your heart and gut. You were in The Zone.
This is writing as a visceral experience, and writing should be, first and foremost, a visceral experience. You have to feel your stories and your characters in your body—you have to become your characters.
There is a simple exercise using different points of view that can help you tap into that creative zone.
First write a scene between two people using one person’s POV. ‘Inner thoughts’ is what defines point of view. The other character speaks and acts, but all the inner thought belongs to you.
Secondly, write the same scene from the other person’s perspective. When you write the second scene, it is no longer your story. All inner thought, motivation and drama come from the other person’s POV. When you’re in the other person’s POV, the experience will be very different. The entire story can change.
It is not easy to see the world from another person’s perspective, but as writers, we must do exactly that. This exercise will give you a visceral experience of the power of point of view.
Until next time,
billwilcox
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AND....ACTION!
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| | The Bob (13+)
In a case of mistaken identity, Bob tries to save the Known Universe.
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GOOD REASON TO RESPOND
keeshlon
Submitted Comment:
W.D. Wilcox, you are so right! We are "politically correcting" ourselves to death in this country! (I heard this on the radio recently and I agree.) We cannot worry about what others think of us. We must do what is right in God's eyes and trust Him with the consequences.
Thank you for this good, informative newsletter!
-Keeshlon
esprit 
Submitted Comment:
Bill, I just wanted to let you know I thoroughly enjoyed this week's editorial about heroes. I would love to see less politicians and more of the 'common man' in Washington DC. Thank you for writing on this subject and I expect to see your hat in the ring someday.
avan
Submitted Comment:
Definately AMAZING! If only all of America realized it the whole thing would be so much easier...
-Avan
GirlsNGlasses
Submitted Comment:
Tell us how you really feel about the state of America. I'm with you.
Erik Stark
Submitted Comment:
Hi W.D.!
I unfortunately agree. The U.S. of A. is its own worst enemy and the ones outside keep getting worse and more numerous! Great motivating piece that shows how a hero and heroic language get the juices going.
Great newsletter! We need a hero!
Vivian 
Submitted Comment:
*puts red highlighter back in tools* Bill, you know I can't stop being a teacher, but this issue was so strong, so good I can't point out the typos. I enjoyed this one very much.
~~ Viv
Ric The Woolicane
Submitted Comment:
Interesting. You have certainly managed to provoke a reaction with this. Maybe it's that I'm not American but that description of a hero didn't apeal, I always thought a hero was meant to do what's right and not just kick butt. You also reminded me of a wonderful old proverb with one of your phrases, the trouble with an eye for an eye is we all end up blind.
You also have opened a can of worms by including Iraq, you say it is unamerican to be critical of your people going into a country, turning it's people against you and getting so many inocent people, both soliders and civillians, killed. I have not shed a tear over the death of Saddam, I however was not impressed with his murder. You had no reason to go there, except to secure oil. You want to call me anti-American for saying this then go ahead, I'm British, I'm used to being hated.
The only thing I can take away from this that's positive is you've given me a wonderful outline for a villain. So for that I thank you.
S S
Annje - Jewel of Darkness
Submitted Comment:
Sounds like we need The Tick...or John Wayne. He might be a little moldy. But all kiddin aside, having George Clooney in the political arena would make things interesting. He's handsome, has extrordinay, acion minded friends (see Quentin Tarantino, "Brangelina," etc.) and hey, he beat down a temple full of vampires in Mexico once. Yeah, he's my vote for American Hero.
larryp
Submitted Comment:
Great, challenging newsletter W.D.
Just yesterday, I was talking to man about heroes. I am one generation ahead of him and he asked who our heroes were when I was growing up. He stated that he didn't think his generation had heroes. The world does need heroes. What a good topic for Action writing.
kansaspoet
-Larry
Acme
Submitted Comment:
Loved this call to arms for Heroes. Traditionally, both film and literature tend to look for them when all is dark. Look at the timing (depression era) for the emergance of Superman. The Crumbling of the British Economic Empire and James Bond. I can't help but celebrate the Hero, as they always turn up as symbol of cultural hope, when a society demands them. Hurrah, for Heroes, and Hurrah for a wonderful Newsletter!
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