Finding the Story | Write Anything

24 Aug 2012 by Emma Venables in Emma Venables | 0 comments

So I?ve set myself the challenge of writing at least one short story before the summer is over and I begin my PhD in Creative Writing. It?ll get me back into the swing of writing and give me a chance to play around with some of the techniques I intend to incorporate into my future creative work.

But, the question is, where to start? I?m afraid I haven?t got a character constantly nagging at me, demanding I commit their story to paper. I have the vague outlines of characters who I?ll be writing about for my PhD but none that are vivid enough to write about now. Plus I?ve decided that I?m going to steer clear of any PhD-related writing for now. I want to write something different. I want to step a little bit outside of my comfort zone.

I?ve just pulled out my somewhat neglected notebook and had a gander through that in search of an errant story idea in need of attention. I?ve noticed that the one unwritten story I keep jotting random sentences in it about is this story about a guy sitting by his girlfriend?s hospital bed. I have had this image in my head for years now. Perhaps that is why I am so afraid to actually begin writing it ? the mere fact that it has been knocking around my head, always just out of reach means that the stakes are immediately well above my head. I want to write it well. I want to do this guy justice. But he is ever so elusive.

The fact is: I know nothing about him. I think I know more about her. But he is an ever present factor and so it only seems right to write the story from his perspective. But he won?t share his story with me. I don?t know what he wants or needs or even what he had. I don?t even know his name. I know hers. He is frustrating. Dark and brooding. But he needs an outlet and so I am going to embrace the difficulties and write his story. I?m going to get it out of him. He has approximately two months of my time to speak up.

So now I guess I?ve found a starting point: I need to seriously delve into the mind of my protagonist. Wish me luck!

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Emma Venables

Emma Venables has recently finished an MA in Creative Writing and is now on a PHD/ dream job hunt. She?s happiest when she?s stringing words together into people and places and problems. She mostly writes short fiction and likes the fact that she can give women condemned to the dregs of history a voice through her writing.

Source: http://wa.emergent-publishing.com/2012/08/finding-the-story/

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