Do we create the stories, or just tell them? I ' m of the apperception that we are just telling the stories. We make the last decisions, but in without reservation great writing, the author can observe the flow of the story and locale it ' s happening to go. You can caress when something is forced, or just doesn ' t fit absolutely appropriate. You can besides observe when things are progressing smoothly. You get that tangibility of bill and elation that automatically tells you you ' ve made the right decision.
It is a key element of writing to be able to accept everything you write straight off is not necessarily gold. Sometimes you have to change the story even if you don ' t like that change. In many ways, writing a book is like putting together a puzzle, only you have to contend with pieces that don ' t belong at all as well. The words have to work together to create the story as a whole. If pieces that don ' t fit are used, it detracts from the final product.
Looking at the big picture is a great way to think about telling the story. If you ' re questioning anything, be it a single sentence or an entire section, think about how it affects the story as a whole. Does it fit with what is going on? Is that where you want to take the story? How will it change future parts of the story? Trusting your gut is essential. No matter how much work it may require, if you feel it doesn ' t fit with the story, follow that instinct and rectify the situation.
So what is this feeling exactly? It ' s hard to describe really. For me personally, I would compare it to the feeling you get when on a roller - coaster. That weightless feeling just before you drop down at high - speed. When I can really feel the story, that this part is definitely how it needs to be told, that ' s the feeling I get inside. It may be different for different people, but it is an important thing to recognize. It ' s just as important, if not more so, than being able to recognize what doesn ' t fit. Few things grab a reader ' s attention like a story that invokes this type of feeling throughout the story.
Ultimately, you have to be aware of not only your thoughts and desires, but those of the manuscript. Jamming whatever you want in there will only serve to bring the story down. Listen to the story that wants to be told, and follow the guide posts you ' ll see along the way. Whatever you may be writing will be the better for it.
