Your favorite character is dead. The author of the most exciting book you’ve ever read doesn’t believe in sequels. And the world famous series you just finished is over.
What to do, what to do?
Well, you could cry into your pillow and ask how the universe and gods could mistreat you so. Or, you could approach Hollywood producers and pitch the book as the next box office hit, and of course you would play the lead since you know the character like the back of your hand even if he is a six foot four ninja and you wear the smallest point shoes in your young ladies ballet class – you could make it work. Or, if those ideas don’t pan out, you could research the money made from trilogies and stalk the author with pamphlets you’ve made depicting your findings in graphs and charts that sequels are a must and, if they don’t believe you, you will just wait right there on their front porch in case the have any questions – for the next ten years.
Or you could remember that you’re a writer.
Assuming that you’ve dappled in some of the ideas from my last post, and that you’ve reinvented the wheel a bit, here is something else you can try to ease the pain and tragedy that “The End” can bring.
First I want you to think of the last book you read where you knew, more than once, what was going to happen…and then it did. This is one of the biggest let downs for me in a book. As a reader, I don’t want to spend my time learning how much an author and I think alike. I want to see something new. Writers know this. Good writers prepare for it. When they are thinking about writing a new story, one of the most important things they consider is possibility. When you think of a new story this should be the first thing on your mind after you create a character.
I talked a little bit about character when I wrote about beliefs in “Cafeteria French…,” but for this exercise we are going to use characters we are already familiar with. First I want to make a list of characters you like. They can be main characters with lots of background information or side characters that you would like to know more about. They can be heros, villains, or characters with the potential to be either one. Try to have at least ten well thought out possibilities.
Next, I want you to close your eyes. Try and think about a book that has a setting so clear you felt like you could be in it. For me, the greatest example was Harry Potter and I know this because when the movie came out, everyone I spoke with said it was exactly as they had pictured it in their minds. Rowling was very clear and consistent with her descriptions and it was easy to picture where each scene took place. For you, it could be anywhere. Try to think of as many as you can with a goal of being able to write down ten settings. If I was writing down Harry Potter’s setting, I could write Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Diagon Alley, etc.
Now on to the fun part. A character is just a character until there is a conflict. Try to cover up the first two lists you’ve made and think about what kind of trouble a character could get into. I once heard Mo Willems say, “Don’t write what you know, write what you want to figure out. Otherwise, you are just dictating.” This is especially true when creating conflict. When I wrote at the beginning of this post about predictability in books, this is where that comes into play. If you write what you already know, then chances are, a bunch of other people know a bit about it too. It isn’t an interesting conflict if you already know how it works and how it will pan out. If you start off with a fresh conflict and try to figure it out as your character grows, you are letting things follow a natural course (like life) instead of trying to force them into what you think the outcome should be (aka a predictable story).
Once you have some ideas for potential conflicts write them down. Again, try to aim for ten. (I am OCD about things matching so just go with it.) And this is where the lists stop. I know you are probably wondering where to write the list for outcomes, endings, resolutions, answers so you can sleep at night for Pete’s sake!!! Well, there isn’t one. Whatever you do, DON’T MAKE THAT LIST! If you do, you will write a predictable story, you will defy Mo Willems’ genius advice, and I will be forced to write him a letter and tell him, thus resulting in not only the Pigeon driving the bus, but driving it directly to your house for committing a grievous writing crime and I will not be held liable for any of the Pigeon’s forms of torture – first of which will be that you are forced to read and reread your own predictable story. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?!)
So, now that you have your three lists: characters, settings, and conflicts, it is time to choose. You need to get creative and pick a character, put him in an unfamiliar setting, and present him with a conflict. Do not tell yourself how long the story will be, how it will end, or even worse – the lesson you want him to learn. If your character encounters a conflict and navigates his way through it, he will inevitably learn something. It is a given. You don’t have to aim for it. You just need to record the action as your character experiences it.
So here you go. I set you free to create something new. Something that has never been done before. I would, however, like to leave you with two thoughts about the inspiration for this post: my oldest daughter and Elvis.
When my oldest daughter was very young, she asked, “Mommy, what comes after outer space?” To which I replied, “I am not sure.” She smiled and said, “Then I want to be an astronaut so I can go there and see.” She didn’t want to be an astronaut so she could go to a space station or to the moon. She wanted to see what would happen if she went into the unknown. She wanted to experience what was “next” and that is really what writers do. They move on to what is next. My title comes after the famous saying, “Elvis has left the building.” Readers hear this saying and they think, “Aw, I am going to miss him. I wish he was still here.” Writers hear this and think, “I bet I can figure out where he’s going next.” Being a reader is amazing. Being a writer is even better.
The ultimate writer is always the one who sees his life as the greatest story he will ever create. It doesn’t matter if you ever become a published writer as long as you understand the importance of always asking, “What if?” And understanding that if you already know the answer, you should have asked a different question. Ask questions that baffle and challenge you (and your characters) and then write down what what you (and they) do about it.
My choices from my lists are Bunnicula goes to Slytherin and becomes the mascot/house pet that is going to get sent home with an evil student for the weekend.
I would love to hear what combinations you want to try or any other thoughts you have!
Happy writing!