It's weird how my creative impulse works; it flits from topic to topic like a butterfly, landing on one just long enough for me to get interested, then flies off before I can get anything accomplished.
This past week, I've been interested in sword & sorcery, largely due to Return of the King I imagine. In the weeks before that, I was interested in my new Michael Macbeth novel idea, probably the lingering effects of rereading Prisoner of Azkaban and watching the preview for that. Suburban Jungle is not particularly prominent in my mind right now, taking something of a vacation while I think about other things, but I am aware of it bubbling quietly on the back burner.
I happened to remember today the Soloman fragment, "The Stones in the Desert," which has been posted in pieces in my LJ previously. In some ways, the story of my writing is all right there: interesting character, cool hook and setup, absolutely no idea where it's going, and never finished. I came up with a plot to graft onto the beginning I wrote, but then when the time came to write it, I found I had no interest in it whatsoever -- not that I wasn't interested in finding out the ending to the story, I was! Just that the ending I came up with, didn't satisfy.
At least with the new Michael story, I have the ending worked out -- it's just that I have to come up with a beginning and middle that lead to it!
I wish I could figure out why I have so much difficulty with the plot part. Characterization, setting, and prose are easy! But coming up with what happens, that's the tough part!
Edit: Addendum. I wonder if maybe I'm trying to hard to be brilliant. Maybe I should start with "not bad" and work it up from there. A lot of stories that I've enjoyed tremendously (Robert E. Howard in particular), were nothing all that special really when it came to plot, but were told in such a pleasing way that it didn't matter.
It's not really a Christmas song, but it gets played a lot this time of year...
"The Marvellous Toy" by Tom Paxton
o/` When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy. A wonder to behold it was with many colors bright And the moment I lay eyes on it it became my heart's delight.
{chorus} It went zip when it moved and pop when it stopped, And whirrrrrr when it stood still. I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
The first time that I picked it up I had a big surprise, 'cause right on the bottom were two big buttons that looked like big green eyes. I first pushed one and then the other then I twisted its lid And when I set it down again here is what it did.
It went zip when it moved and pop when it stopped, And whirrrrrr when it stood still. I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
It first marched left and then marched straight and then marched under a chair and when I looked where it had gone it wasn't even there. I started to cry but my daddy laughed 'cause he knew that I would find When I turned around my marvelous toy would be chugging on behind.
It went zip when it moved and pop when it stopped, And whirrrrrr when it stood still. I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
The years have gone by too quickly it seems now I have my own little boy And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy. His eyes nearly popped right out of his head and he gave a squeal of glee, Neither one of us knows just what it is but he loves it just like me.
It goes zip when it moves and pop when it stops, And whirrrrrr when it stands still. Neither one of us knows just what it was and I guess we never will! o/`
