Anne Tyler recently published a novel. I received an e-mail regarding “Redhead by the Side of the Road ” in which Ms. Tyler explained that this book had been different from the other books she had written. She had not developed the story. She had heard the story and retold it. You can read the piece about her process at the end of this blog post.
A few weeks ago, I was reading Stephen King’s book, “On Writing,” in which he said he watched characters in his mind, then wrote down what they did. He didn’t make up their stories. He just put on paper the crazy moves his characters made. Then, he waited to see how things moved forward.
Several authors have told me that they don’t create their characters. Characters just show up and relay their stories.
Of course, after receiving the initial images or stories, the writer has a long way to go. The story has to be written, edited, and re-written. It’s a big effort to shape the story so it has a good pace, fresh dialogue, and sufficient description. It needs to be formed into some semblance of a book that readers might enjoy. But the characters? They are just telling their stories and the note takers are listening.
Along the same lines, I read a blog called “Lives of the dead.” The author hears stories from the deceased, writes them down, and molds them into something we can read in awe. This is the link to “Lives of the Dead.”
I work with several people who channel messages from unseen Guides. The channelers say aloud the words they hear in their minds. They channel and I record. I am the scribe.
One time, this kind of inspiration happened for me. A year or two ago I began writing a story in a dream. After I woke up, the words continued to appear. That was wonderful. "I’d like more, please."
So today’s rumination is, “How much creativity comes from us? How much inspiration comes from ‘The Muses’”? A continuum of thought and inspiration exists. If we are lucky, we can tap into an unseen world and pull wisdom and creativity through to this world.
Let me know if this kind of inspiration has happened for you.
Gail
gail@MyPsychicSearch.com
This is the note I received through Goodreads:
“Red Head by the Side of the Road” by Anne Tyler
Dear Reader,
I've never really believed in inspiration. For me, plotting a novel feels like hard work, and I have to shove my characters around awhile before they come to life.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road,” though, was an exception. I was looking out the window one day, debating whether I had another book in me, when a single sentence all at once popped into my head: "You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like _____ _____."
(I didn’t have an actual name yet.)
This was interesting, but not very helpful. Why would you have to wonder?
Then here came another sentence: "He lives alone; he keeps to himself; his routine is etched in stone.”
By now, I knew enough to wait. I didn't have to wait long. "At seven fifteen every morning. . .”
And I was off and running.
Oh, the book didn't write itself. There were still a good many missteps and hesitations. But throughout the process, I had the sense that some neutral, anonymous voice was telling me a story. I came to trust it.
Maybe this was a gift of age: I’ve learned to just let things happen. Or maybe—who knows?—it was a random one-time event, and my next book will be a full-on struggle. In any case, I had a wonderful time writing this story down, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.
Anne Tyler
A few weeks ago, I was reading Stephen King’s book, “On Writing,” in which he said he watched characters in his mind, then wrote down what they did. He didn’t make up their stories. He just put on paper the crazy moves his characters made. Then, he waited to see how things moved forward.
Several authors have told me that they don’t create their characters. Characters just show up and relay their stories.
Of course, after receiving the initial images or stories, the writer has a long way to go. The story has to be written, edited, and re-written. It’s a big effort to shape the story so it has a good pace, fresh dialogue, and sufficient description. It needs to be formed into some semblance of a book that readers might enjoy. But the characters? They are just telling their stories and the note takers are listening.
Along the same lines, I read a blog called “Lives of the dead.” The author hears stories from the deceased, writes them down, and molds them into something we can read in awe. This is the link to “Lives of the Dead.”
I work with several people who channel messages from unseen Guides. The channelers say aloud the words they hear in their minds. They channel and I record. I am the scribe.
One time, this kind of inspiration happened for me. A year or two ago I began writing a story in a dream. After I woke up, the words continued to appear. That was wonderful. "I’d like more, please."
So today’s rumination is, “How much creativity comes from us? How much inspiration comes from ‘The Muses’”? A continuum of thought and inspiration exists. If we are lucky, we can tap into an unseen world and pull wisdom and creativity through to this world.
Let me know if this kind of inspiration has happened for you.
Gail
gail@MyPsychicSearch.com
This is the note I received through Goodreads:
“Red Head by the Side of the Road” by Anne Tyler
Dear Reader,
I've never really believed in inspiration. For me, plotting a novel feels like hard work, and I have to shove my characters around awhile before they come to life.
“Redhead by the Side of the Road,” though, was an exception. I was looking out the window one day, debating whether I had another book in me, when a single sentence all at once popped into my head: "You have to wonder what goes through the mind of a man like _____ _____."
(I didn’t have an actual name yet.)
This was interesting, but not very helpful. Why would you have to wonder?
Then here came another sentence: "He lives alone; he keeps to himself; his routine is etched in stone.”
By now, I knew enough to wait. I didn't have to wait long. "At seven fifteen every morning. . .”
And I was off and running.
Oh, the book didn't write itself. There were still a good many missteps and hesitations. But throughout the process, I had the sense that some neutral, anonymous voice was telling me a story. I came to trust it.
Maybe this was a gift of age: I’ve learned to just let things happen. Or maybe—who knows?—it was a random one-time event, and my next book will be a full-on struggle. In any case, I had a wonderful time writing this story down, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.
Anne Tyler
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