Chatting with my cousin about writing is always fun and informative. Here is a recent tool we discussed that you can apply in your writing.
Reed has found the not-so-secret key to staying on task and keeping your creative momentum!!
< angle brackets >
Here is the scene:
She sits at her computer working on a scene where the main character is thrust in front of a crowd to inspire them before they join the rebellion against desert tyrants. She knows that if she stops to think about something for more than a moment or two she will get stuck on that scene. If the words do not come to her in that moment of writing, she uses angle brackets around the closest word or phrase. Then later she can go back and add in a synonym or a different phrase with “the right vibe” for that scene.
Here is the example she was working on this week:
Looking to him. As though he were any kind of example, any kind of person with an opinion worth salt. His demons woke, growling and hungry, in the back of his head, and his breath was suddenly heavy in his throat. Did his Mark flicker, or was it just the lantern light?
_Caleb. Breathe. There is no job. No mission. No battle._ Dirt flung his head up from his hiding place, and Caleb caught the gleam of the hisanraj’s scimitar-horn from beneath the glamour. It burned like a kiln, steady and red-bright. _You need only speak your truth. You do not need to lead them there._
Dirt’s words steadied him, and he breathed, slow and deep.
Speak his truth.
He remembered the riot in Jara; the Aurakel refugees thrusting their burnt, sooty evidence in the faces of whoever would listen to them. The ash of grief and lost homes smeared across their cheeks.
“You want to know about th’ Waterlords? Y’ want to know what _I_ think about th’ Waterlords?” Caleb said, and it wasn’t hard to keep his voice rough and deep. Once he got started, the words pattered forth like freed rain.
“Koruzan!”
“Y’want to know what I think about the Rising?”
“Koruzan!” “Badlands!”
< inspiring speech goes here >
He gestured at the musicians to start up again as he jumped down off the table, chest heaving. They did, with <vigor>, and the rush for the cleared space gave him a moment to collect himself. To try and damp down the power—and the light—he’d inadvertently called up. How in Sudai’s name had the Marked in the ballads kept control of it?
He slipped into the shadows, a hand clamped over his Mark. The glow settled, faded, and he made his way back to Dirt’s side. The stallion touched his horn to Caleb’s shoulder; he felt the glamour slide gently off him. He was Caleb again. He could breathe.
_Apologies,_ the stallion murmured, his breath warm down Caleb’s shirt. _I did not mean to push. I thought their goodwill might be a balm for you. Do you good._
– from Chapter 8 – Canyon Masks the Novel by Reed Mingault (early draft; work in progress) reedmingault.com
Other ways she uses this tool:
< get there > – using brackets to signify action that needs to happen or research that needs to be done to complete a scene. Or to maintain momentum and edit later; often she finds she does not need to add anything at all, or possibly only a short transition between scenes
< insert inspiring speech here > – add in the details later when in the mood for speech writing, or introspection, or whatever needs to be added
< research > – adding in detailed information after some online research
This is effective for avoiding the rabbit hole of gathering historical facts.
Here is an example of a deep rabbit hole to take:
the scene: The main character is looking at a bounty board with wanted flyers posted.
the research and rabbit hole:
- What material are the paper flyers made out of? plant pulp, cloth rag, other fibers?
- How fresh are they? How many? Who else is on the board?
- Are there ripped pieces of paper stuck under the nails holding flyers to the board? (indicating missing flyers)
- How easy is it to get paper in this fantasy world? (indicating multiple copies for taking, or one for memorizing)
- How are they made; are they printed or hand-drawn? Are printing presses available? Are they simple block-presses or is movable type technology in evidence?
angle bracket to the rescue!
< the material that the paper on the wall is made out of: the poor quality cactus pulp paper with sticky black ink > This is a rough idea and needs to be edited for wording and matching the world-building later.
– or – a worldbuilding decision is made in that moment that has implications for the character or the world for the rest of the book. eg: the main character leaves with copies of the flyers in his pocket – so paper must be cheap enough and highly available that many copies are feasible.
“Writing is re-writing and is a constant making of decisions.”
– Reed’s Ernest Hemmingway inspired quote🙂
I have often used this in my writing when I repeat words or phrases. I place [brackets] or the == symbol to remind me to go back and look up synonyms or fix the flow. I find it keeps me in the act of creative work and helps me stay focused. Or when research is needed to complete the information in the text.
Here is my non-fiction example from my book draft:
Fighting Decision Fatigue –
I stood in the canned soup isle. I stared at the shelves into they all were swimming together in my vision. I looked at my list. Chicken noodle soup. That was the last thing I needed. Something so simple my grandma could make it homemade in her sleep. [cut this sentence?] A simple pantry staple.
“Why are there 20 types of chicken noodle? Why are they all different sizes and prices? Why is life so freaking complicated?” [fix dialog formatting]
We had just moved and I was in a new grocery store, new neighborhood, reorganizing all our stuff, our priorities… everything was getting flipped upside down and reordered. The decision fatigue was wearing me out. I woke up tired every morning and went to bed completely numb with exhaustion. I was so fatigued that every decision felt heavy and difficult.
The average 20 something living in the U.S. makes ==== decisions every day. [==add footnote] ===repeat number. That is nuts. Compare that to 1900 (only 100 years ago) the average person made ==== decisions every day. [==add footnote]
– from Chapter 1 – Subtle Resistance by April Edwards (work in progress) (about my book)
I sit at my desk with my writing and power through the section. I look at my goals for the chapter and what I am trying to communicate in this part of the book. I want to show not tell. I want to relate to my audience and not sound condescending.
Chapter 1 notes:
- What specifically are we fighting against?
- What specifically am I resisting in our culture?
- Use beta reader feedback notes about using humor to point out the ridiculous expectations from our culture.
I know that spending time finding the research that I heard in an audiobook a few months ago will not be the best use of my time right now. I am in the zone of creative writing and I want to flesh out details specific to this chapter. So I continue on working on chapter one knowing that at some point I will go back and fill in the missing information.
Every author has their own notes they make or symbols they use. What works for your writing? Are you world-building or just need more research?
We would love to hear what is working for you!
📖📝Keep writing!
– April & Reed Mingault
( check out what she is up to at: reedmingault.com )
Photos by Lauren Mancke and others on Unsplash