straightjacket or leash?

[gauchecritic]

Partly reflecting on the semiotics thing (but not really, don't stop reading because it says semiotics) but mainly because I've just been reading a thread on another site about "scenes and sequels". There must be a squillion 'rules' about writing and if you don't follow them you are somehow inferior rather than just different.

So, the gist of scenes and sequels (I think) is that each 'section' should follow the conflict - fight - resolution pattern that we all know and love followed by reflection/learning - next thing up.

My question is, in trying to follow these 'rules' do we straightjacket our creativity or are we merely on a leash by following them?.

Or put another way is our (your) writing confined by a fence when there is a whole world of chaos on the other side?

 

[Guest]

the fact that you used the word "squillion" made me smile huge.

i dislike formula writing. surpise me. use my imagination...by the same token, i promise the same.

 

[impressive]

Partly reflecting on the semiotics thing (but not really, don't stop reading because it says semiotics) but mainly because I've just been reading a thread on another site about "scenes and sequels". There must be a squillion 'rules' about writing and if you don't follow them you are somehow inferior rather than just different.

So, the gist of scenes and sequels (I think) is that each 'section' should follow the conflict - fight - resolution pattern that we all know and love followed by reflection/learning - next thing up.

My question is, in trying to follow these 'rules' do we straightjacket our creativity or are we merely on a leash by following them?.

Or put another way is our (your) writing confined by a fence when there is a whole world of chaos on the other side?

Depends on (a) WHY I'm writing a particular piece; and (b) WHO is my target audience.

If I'm being a hack, then yes -- I'm following the tried-and-true conflict-resolution formula that is known to hold reader attention. That does not necessarily "stifle" my creativity as much as it steers it.

If I'm trying to be all avant-garde 'nd shit, I'll say, "Fuck the drummers! I'm marchin' to my own beat." Given my temperament, that's probably due more to my rebellious nature than any rampant creativity.

Usually, in any one piece, I fall somewhere in between.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

As I have said many times before, I write for myself. I will rewrite entire sections of story to make it work for me (probably why Over the Sink 4 isn't finished). I don't like rules either. I break tons of them. I've broken my own rules.

There is no fence. There are no guildlines. I write what I feel should happen to the characters, and sometimes let them go their own way and see what happens (had to stop writing one story because the husband talked his wife out of the orgy I was planning for them )

 

[WarLordwrites]

Rules on a leash not us!

My question is, in trying to follow these 'rules' do we straightjacket our creativity or are we merely on a leash by following them?.

Or put another way is our (your) writing confined by a fence when there is a whole world of chaos on the other side?

Greetings

Good questions!

My problem is to get my writing on a leash, it hardly seems amenable to a full fledged strait jacket...

I write longer form stories like Blood and Iron that I submit and post as chapters serially.

This submission style causes me to look at "conflict and resolution" perhaps differently. I see it as a series of "Plot Arcs"

I can set up my conflict over several chapters and being me, I want my chapters to end in some form of cliff hanger with a big pay off at the story end.

So I don't know if this answered your question but I think the short answer is the rules have to fit our personal style.

Rules on a leash, not us!

Enjoy the journey

WarLord

 

[cumallday]

There are no lines to stay within if you have an honest imagination.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I've spent forty-five years reading books, and I think the conflict/resolution structure is probably hard-wired into me.
I write a lot of stuff that starts as two people are undressing, and ends when they roll over and go to sleep- not much room for C/R there, but I've had people tell me that they did find a satisfying story within my PWP...

But my conflicts are so minimal! When it comes to bigger issues, I have the damnedest time working out the plotlines. And I want to write ... bigger.

 

[impressive]

I write a lot of stuff that starts as two people are undressing, and ends when they roll over and go to sleep- not much room for C/R there, ...

Yeah, but the sex act itself is conflict/resolution.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Yeah, but the sex act itself is conflict/resolution.

"Can I bring her off?"

Most of my interpersonal conflicts are "Who's going to top?"

 

[Grushenka]

Or put another way is our (your) writing confined by a fence when there is a whole world of chaos on the other side?

I have never written anything (including novels) by thinking of technique or rules in any way. I make grammatical, structural and stylistic 'mistakes', then fix them in rewrites (and if getting published, with the help of an editor). Honestly, even in longer works I do not consciously (won't answer for my unconscious) think of conflicts and resolutions. I make my own fences too.

 

[Kev H]

There are no lines to stay within if you have an honest imagination.

I agree almost completely. Creativity is like Houdini was to straitjackets. Sometimes rules are there to facilitate communication with the masses, but often, they are in place to test your cleverness (queue movie examples such as Momento). Truly understand them and why they are around, and you are then free to experiment--this place is a perfect spot to test those experiments and learn from them.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I only follow one rule: Everybody has fun. Including me as I write it.

 

[WarLordwrites]

Greetings

I will have to admit that the one longer story I wrote Sea Cruise that was a pretty much a pure episodic stroke story is unfinished because I could not maintain my own interest without having conflict I solved some of it in Christmas Cruise

So I guess I would not completely blow off the conflict/resolution form.

My own experience is that its difficult (impossible) to sustain a longer narrative, no matter how appealing the characters without something to tell a story about -- that is, some conflict or two or three

Enjoy the journey

WarLord