tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post7080038153916840533..comments2024-03-28T01:44:27.279-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Break Writer's Block: Become the Storyteller, Not the ProtagonistDanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-47075408550310892382011-08-31T12:21:21.707-06:002011-08-31T12:21:21.707-06:00I suffered writer's block recently also--one o...I suffered writer's block recently also--one of my worsts! This is how I broke it: http://whisperedwritings.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/finding-myself-on-trail-2/ I got myself lost in the woods.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-15629662532482154962011-08-22T13:25:31.505-06:002011-08-22T13:25:31.505-06:00I love the notion of 'zooming out,' with i...I love the notion of 'zooming out,' with its photographic and cinematic suggestion that a writer needs a grasp of the bigger picture -- in contrast to that little corner in which she or he is stuck. You could also see that as being a contractive vs. expansive mode, which allows room for imagining. In other words, let the story breathe.Deborah Battermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08323806344051047240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-50443793299702906682011-08-11T12:44:57.789-06:002011-08-11T12:44:57.789-06:00Heidi, you know, I never used the word storyteller...Heidi, you know, I never used the word storyteller to describe myself either, yet there is something about the word that feels really endearing and authentic...that makes me want to claim myself as it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks for the book suggestion, Jerry. Checking it out now!Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-35395106028086821182011-08-11T12:44:45.189-06:002011-08-11T12:44:45.189-06:00I'm sorry I missed you, Helen!
Kathryn, yes,...I'm sorry I missed you, Helen!<br /><br /><br />Kathryn, yes, this doctoral student uses LOL a LOT! The minute I read "storyteller" in the article, my interest piqued exponentially. I'm pretty sure my desire to get into creative writing while in the throes of preparing for quals made this write-up possible. *chuckle* But you're right in regards to the memoir writing. Think this is something I might craft toward some of the memoir writers who come to me. They often don't see beyond them in their writing, and when editing their work, I'm usually asking them to zoom out a bit--now I have something solid to discuss with them, :-)Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-23647871789756239922011-08-09T14:06:51.833-06:002011-08-09T14:06:51.833-06:00Oh, neat article Shon. I'm glad to see a fello...Oh, neat article Shon. I'm glad to see a fellow writer interested in the theory of storytelling. I learn so much about writing by understanding more about the nature of story. An awesome (!) book on this subject is Brian Boyd's "On the Origin of Stories" - I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand why story is such a deep part of human consciousness.<br /><br />Jerry<br /><a href="http://www.memorywritersnetwork.com/blog" rel="nofollow">Memory Writers Network </a>Jerry Waxlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00945251286691895431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-2235741716404558342011-08-09T13:57:17.005-06:002011-08-09T13:57:17.005-06:00Fascinating, Shon. I'd never thought about it ...Fascinating, Shon. I'd never thought about it in those terms. Haven't thought of myself as a "storyteller" either. Funny.Heidiwriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593338979995203659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-29686899670489066302011-08-09T05:13:20.671-06:002011-08-09T05:13:20.671-06:00Shon, While I've always admired your succinct ...Shon, While I've always admired your succinct posts in 140 words, I have to say, this is my kind of juicy material! Guess I'm just a dissertation kind of gal, lol. (Doctoral candidates use "lol," right?)<br /><br />As a person who considers myself as much a storyteller as a writer—even while writing up a developmental edit, I'm telling the author a story about their project—this really hits its mark. While writing memoir, much role confusion comes into play. You are the protagonist, you are the story's raison d'etre, you are the author—you can get pretty twisted up in it. <br /><br />You (through Eisenberg) bring up an excellent point about taking that final step back from the material. This very point is at the basis of my "Healing Through Writing" workshops, and my "Healing Through Writing" blog (www.kathryncraft.com). We are not only bigger than the story—we can make a better story. Seek all the aspects of story we couldn't have known the first time through, and forgive ourselves the role we unwittingly played. Its big, heavy, important stuff, and I love how you applied it to fiction writing. Thank you!!Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-76576308861884100782011-08-09T02:47:32.603-06:002011-08-09T02:47:32.603-06:00Written simply and tastefully. It’s pleasant to re...Written simply and tastefully. It’s pleasant to read. Thank u.essay writing servicehttp://urgentessays.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-46099741018816069502011-08-08T12:50:12.407-06:002011-08-08T12:50:12.407-06:00I tend to write from the protagonist's head. T...I tend to write from the protagonist's head. The one time I got stuck, I realized I was identifying with her too much. I stopped writing her story and started over again from a different angle.<br /><br />Shon, I forgot you're at Texas Tech! I was in Lubbock this past Friday.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-41335643881955119002011-08-08T12:46:35.150-06:002011-08-08T12:46:35.150-06:00Dani, you know, I never considered the titled &quo...Dani, you know, I never considered the titled "storyteller" either until I read Eisenberg's essay. Not because of the lie part--as a writer, it's what we do, LOL, but I guess I was one to go, "But I AM a storyteller." I never thought about the way(s) I come to the story as a writer and how that might actually propel me into the world of writer's block while on the writing journey.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-85912757755321555402011-08-08T12:43:11.122-06:002011-08-08T12:43:11.122-06:00That's a good point, Maryann. And you know, sp...That's a good point, Maryann. And you know, speaking to some authors about plotting and pantsing, I get the sense that we all have both sides, with one side probably being dominant. I can see this issue affected a pantser as much as it does a plotter. Plotters can get lost in the story by adhering to the "one" story they set to be told in an outline. A pantser, on the other hand, by just jumping in and writing, can find themselves running out of "pantsing" steam by say 30k with a road of missing 50k ahead of them and no outline, structure in sight. Both scenarios could lend themselves to some serious writer's block.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-75128523483219812662011-08-08T12:39:32.736-06:002011-08-08T12:39:32.736-06:00Thanks for the comments, everyone!
:-)
Elle, tha...Thanks for the comments, everyone!<br /><br />:-)<br /><br />Elle, that was a great point to make. So many of us beat our heads against a wall trying to finish that ONE book instead of reserving "the right to tell a different story." It not only keeps us from telling ANY story, but it also weighs on us in regards to how we see ourselves as writers. I know way too many writers that think they stink because of major writer's block. If they had chose another road to travel in that story, or picked a whole other story to work on, this issue could possibly be resolved.Shonell Baconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827197354857197637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71096221667767114562011-08-08T12:25:40.916-06:002011-08-08T12:25:40.916-06:00I really like this shift in thinking. I can't ...I really like this shift in thinking. I can't say I've ever really identified as a "storyteller". Wonder why. Maybe because it's also a euphemism for "telling lies"? LOL. I really have to think about this! Thanks for a good, juicy post, Shon.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77729658078208928122011-08-08T10:00:22.764-06:002011-08-08T10:00:22.764-06:00I think the more novels I get under my belt, with ...I think the more novels I get under my belt, with more "voices" and povs, the less I feel like "I am the story". It is MY story, but it isn't ME. <br /><br />Keeping this in mind makes it easier to remember that I am the story-TELLER. I am the creator of my little universe. No matter how often I may let the characters "guide" me, I am the one in charge. <br /><br />Good to remember, thanks, Shon!Tere Kirklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13562750950130316280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-31039978036860043002011-08-08T08:10:20.122-06:002011-08-08T08:10:20.122-06:00Interesting points, Shon. I guess there is somethi...Interesting points, Shon. I guess there is something to be said for us who write by the seat of our pants. Someone recently made the comment, "If the purpose becomes you, then you have lost the purpose." This was in reference to leadership positions and how people abuse power, but I think it applies here, too. The story has to be about the story, not the story teller.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-57900593698158166702011-08-08T08:06:06.851-06:002011-08-08T08:06:06.851-06:00Terrific post on how to keep your focus, thanks!Terrific post on how to keep your focus, thanks!Angela K Roehttp://www.angelakroe.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-22188163209370670962011-08-08T06:20:45.577-06:002011-08-08T06:20:45.577-06:00A very good point, Shon. I also like that concept ...A very good point, Shon. I also like that concept of reserving "the right to tell a different story". I know he means that in the context of changing the story one is actually writing, but I've noticed this in terms of jumping from story to story. In the past I've often locked myself into trying to finish the novel I'm working on and it's like drawing blood. If I allow myself to put it aside and start a new novel, the writing flows beautifully. Eventually I'm sure I'll finish all the partials, but for now at least I'm writing and not procrastinating.<br /><br />Elle<br />HearWriteNow & Blood-Red Pencilhearwritenowhttp://hearwritenow.com/noreply@blogger.com