“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.” Ernest Hemingway
My current WIP is an old story. By that I mean I have been writing it for most of my writing life. (over 20 years) I have had it coming from the POV of a teenaged boy and and teenaged girl. I tried it as a YA romance. I tried it as a diary. I recently came to the realization that I was too wrapped up in all the stuff I’d written that didn’t work. I kept trying to cut and paste and tweak and edit my way to a good book. That’s not writing, that’s an art project.
I made the decision to read through my old stuff once and then not look at it again while I went back to work on VZ. It is both exciting and terrifying. Especially as I had been away from writing for so long.
This is a typical writing session for me now:
I sit at the screen and stare at it. I type the main character’s name. I delete it. I type it again and realize I have no idea what he is doing. I leave my Word doc open and go off to read blogs or do some online shopping or anything that ISN’T writing. I pick up my student pilot manual and read some of it until my eyes start to glaze over. I go back to my Word doc and look at the character’s name. I sigh and decide to go brush the dog.
But the book is there, just nibbling at the edge of my subconscious. I want to write it. I have to write THIS story at THIS time in my life. I know it is the right time. And then I remember Hemingway’s quote about writing just one true sentence. I think I can do that. Just one. It doesn’t even have to be a long one.
I go back to computer and start playing with verbs.
He runs . . .
He sees . . .
He thinks . . .
He likes. He likes….hmmm….I can’t work with that.
Wait, he doesn’t like. That’s better. Conflict. What doesn’t he like?
And then I have it – one true sentence. I know one thing about my MC that he doesn’t like. I know that for a fact. And when I know what he doesn’t like I know a few things he DOES like. So I write another sentence. And then a couple of more.
It’s not even a full page. Just a very small paragraph. But it’s a start.
This was so exactly what I needed to read today. Thanks!!
I’m glad it helped. Good luck finding your one true sentence.
Awesome post!!!
I have a list of questions I “ask” my MC before I start writing. It’s funny, but when I’ve finished the rough draft and go back to read them again before the first set of revisions, some of the answers have changed.
“I recently came to the realization that I was too wrapped up in all the stuff I’d written that didn’t work. I kept trying to cut and paste and tweak and edit my way to a good book. That’s not writing, that’s an art project.”
I loved this. It’s so true! I’ve tried that, also, and it just does not work.
I enjoyed getting this peek into your process. Congratulations on finding your way into the story, Susan. Go get ’em!
I still want the cut and paste to work. It seems like it should be so much easier but I know it’s not. I’m not brave enough to delete everything but I did zip it up so I couldn’t get to it easily.
Kind of like hiding the chocolate from myself!
You can hide chocolate?
Wow! I’m impressed.
Great pic!
If I hide chocolate I need to also knock myself over the head so I forget where it is. I need to work out a few kinks in my system.
Wonderful. And so perfect. Thank you. :o)
You’re welcome.
What a gift! I need to do just this!
Thanks Susan!
Good luck! I hope it works for you. It is so tempting to go back and grab some of those old pages and just see if I could make it work. Argh!
You’re nice to your characters.
I usually threaten mine with heavy amounts of angst if they don’t start working. It usually works. Heh.
I think that time is coming. I actually have to work on my character not being so nice that he’s boring.
Well; I tend to go overboard on the angst and usually have to tone it down a bit. (I love angst, like a lot, and know this)
That, however, doesn’t mean the Fairie’s getting out of the semi-prophetic dreams that are slowly going to drive her insane. No matter how much she might like it.
I love angst too. Which makes it even more strange that this kid is so nice. All my other stuff is almost over the top borderline depressing.
So I need to find the places I can poke him with a sharp stick.
Yea! A journey of a thousand miles, and all that. Celebrate your true sentence. And your whole true almost-page.
Fabulous!
Thanks, Laura. I swear this getting back to writing this time is the hardest yet. I can’t imagine writing the entire book this way and I’m about ready to go running back to my poems and see if I can make sense out of them.
That’s the weird thing. Having written one mg novel rough draft and one novel in verse fairly rough draft, the novel in verse (or poem cycle or whatever it is) feels so much easier. It’s like putting snapshots of moments on pages, without having to deal with transitions, backgrounds, etc. I mean, I know those have to be implicit in there, but if you can see one moment in your mind and capture it, you’re on your way.
*But,* I believe you when you say, “I have to write THIS story at THIS time in my life.” I think you’re doing the right thing in just buckling down to this and forcing the issue. It is time.
Linda Sue Park talked last week about how she couldn’t imagine writing a whole novel. Each time she starts, almost every day, she said, she just tells herself, “I don’t have to write a whole novel. But I can write two pages.”
Hang in there!
One true sentence is a huge accomplishment. Keep going.
It certainly has given me much to think about today.
I know your angst! I’ve been art projecting my current WIP for a couple of years, and have at last started the brand-new re-write I probably should have done ages ago. Here’s to true sentences!