About What You're Expecting

Post 667:

One of the reasons lunatics like me write stories—we want to control something. This is all fine and good. A perfectly reasonable response to life, which is something pretty much beyond control. It’s not all that nutty to have a little thing that’s at the mercy of your imagination.

But then the worst thing happens. Your wonderful invention starts taking on a shape you didn’t intend. You’re no longer in control. This sucks.

You can do two things here. Keep in mind, if your end game is to write the best thing possible, then you’re who I’m talking about. If it’s only about fun and good times for yourself, obviously throw all the cautions to all the winds.

So, for the entertainers. Take a breath. No matter how much time you spent plotting out the deal and no matter how solid the premise was, it ain’t gonna go the way you wanted. Not all of it. Try to hold tight to as much as you can, but if a strand of the story keeps fraying, cut it. This is so easy to say and so hard to do. There’s a lot of work in writing that goes unseen. Most of it, actually. Just because it hits the cutting room floor doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your time.

This isn’t about being a responsible editor. This is about having the guts to admit that even your precious frigging tale ain’t all about you. You’re more of conduit. A vessel. I don’t know if that’s true, actually, but it makes it easier to drop stuff that you thought was going to be the bomb. Try it. Nothing sacred, except the pursuit of the best stories and characters possible. Cheers and see you after.