From Edie: Discover how to stay true to your storytelling voice, unleash your imagination, and avoid predictable plots. Learn why authentic writing resonates more deeply than chasing trends—and how to let your creativity lead the way.
Write With Imagination: How to Stay True to Your Voice and Avoid Predictable Stories
by Cindy K. Sproles @CindyDevoted
The writing world is a wonderful place to adventure through. There are stories of fantasy, intrigue, joy, and hardship. One only has to close their eyes and imagine.
Imagine! That's the key. Imagination drives our creative sources and allows us to craft a story, but without it, our stories grow dull and fall flat. They become—predictable. So, why do I mention imagination? I bring it to your attention for a couple of reasons.
First, authors tend to "ask" what to write. They may have that one story that bubbles inside them, but when that story doesn't sell immediately, they begin to question what they should be writing. Let me say that I am the queen of writing out of the box. My heart has always led me to write truth in my stories. By 'truth,' I don't mean that my characters lie (well, some do), but rather truth as we see life unfolding. In other words, I'm allergic to ending a story tied up in a tidy bow with a predictable ending.
When I began my writing adventure, several folks tried to get me to veer out of my lane. My lane was writing Appalachian historical. Now, in all fairness to those folks, Appalachian was not what publishers were looking for. I was told my writing was beautiful. My stories were unique, but they were literary, and the market was "sorta done" with literary. "Write romance. Romance is selling. Write contemporary fiction. That's hot right now. Even cozy mystery." The thing was, those were not the areas where my voice was strong. My gift lay in the Appalachian tone.
I struggled with this until I had the opportunity to sit and talk with the amazing Cecil Murphey. He read a few pages of my novel. I'll never forget, he lifted his eyes, then rubbed his chin. "Cindy, I don't like Christian fiction." That was the moment I thought I would die. "But, this is how fiction should be written. It should mimic life, not the party we believe life should be.
Readers look for authenticity in writing. Not only in your characters but in the realistic ability to walk a path and show readers that there are answers to their problems without making things unrealistically end." In that moment, I completely understood what he was saying. It changed my perspective on what to write. If a character needed to die, I needed to allow that to happen—not concoct an unrealistic scenario that would enable them to survive. I needed to write "me" and to develop stories that give the reader a realistic view, yet show them answers and how life may not end the way we want, but end in a way that we can live with.
It doesn't sound like ending a story with what we can live with is very entertaining, but it is. I've learned that readers look for satisfaction, and satisfaction doesn't always end the way we expect, but again, in a way that we can live with. When readers experience their own life issues, they are happy when they can live with the resolution they get.
Lesson one in my imagination explanation is: Write you. Test the waters in other genres. Learn them and how to write them, but write primarily in the genre where "you" stand out.
Secondly, we've forgotten how to play. What? What does that have to do with the price of eggs in China? It's true. Not only do writers get sidetracked from who they are in their writing, but they've also forgotten how to play. Learn to push your writing to the limit. When you do, you'll be amazed.
One of the wonderful things about children is their incredible imagination. They can set out on an adventure and be rolling down a path, then suddenly see a side trail that looks like fun. That side trail for a writer can become a secondary plot or even a twist. The thing is, we plot and outline, and we forget to allow our imagination to take our character on an unexpected venture. We're too busy keeping our characters on the rails. Sometimes going off the rail is awesome. All I'm saying is trust your imagination.
Our creativity lies in the depths of our imagination. If you can look at the sky and remember the game you played as a child, where you guessed what animal you saw in the clouds, then you are on your way to unleashing your imagination. Don't be a fuddy-duddy. Let yourself imagine, dream, and play with the ideas you put on the page. Just because a character may move in one direction doesn't mean they have to. Allow your characters to make unexpected decisions. Set your imagination free. I love it when a reader tells me, "I didn't see that coming."
There is nothing wrong with plotting and structure. Every story needs those things. But when you see your story going the way folks expect it to go, then make a sharp left turn. I heard an interview with Nicholas Sparks. The radio host posed the question to Mr. Sparks, "Do you intentionally make your stories predictable?" He sat quietly for a moment before he answered. "I didn't realize my stories were predictable. But now that you mention it, I can see where you get that."
We all know Nicholas Sparks writes wonderful stories, and the quality of his work was never at play in this interview, but the question brought him pause. I believe that, although the tone of his stories has never changed, I am convinced that his endings have evolved.
Writers assume they have imagination. After all, they develop stories out of nowhere. But coming up with a story and then allowing your imagination to take you to unexpected places will take your stories to new heights. Learn to let your character follow the path you have set in place, but then, when they come to a yield sign, ask the question, "What if…" Then give your imagination permission to fill in the possibilities hidden in the 'what ifs.'
TWEETABLE
Wow, Cindy. What a great article. Thank you for being so open and revealing. The advice that Cecil shared is so true. A story should mimic life. Not only the good or bad, but the interesting and the informative and the encouraging or whatever the writer wants to tell their readers. Thanks for sticking it out and being true to yourself. That's a great inspiration for all of us. Especially me.
ReplyDeleteTim Suddeth