Writing Outside the Story

The Storyteller Squad welcomes Caroline C. Barney, author of The Trebors, to share today’s writing tip. Here’s Caroline’s advice for both new and experienced writers…

I love goals, almost as much as I love writing the lists to accomplish the goals. I mean I really love those lists. I’ve been known to write things on a list that I’ve already done simply so I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off. I know I’m not alone in this! How about you…are you motivated by goals and lists?

The truth is, goals are a necessary and important part of a writer’s journey. No doubt about it, we need them and good habits to keep our momentum going. But I have learned that if I become overly attached to my goals, especially when it comes to word count, I often do so to the detriment of productivity and creativity.  

Although seemingly counterintuitive, I have discovered that by loosening my grip on output just a little bit, I actually work at a much higher level of productivity, and more importantly, my writing is better.

So, here’s my tip, give yourself the freedom to write outside of the story, even if it means the word count doesn’t count.

There are some days when the words flow and the characters take on a life of their own. They are busy and interesting, the story twists and turns in exciting ways, and the word count stacks up. Then, there are days when these same characters are bored and stagnant. They just don’t seem to want to do anything. That’s when I step outside of the story for a bit.

What’s the backstory? What makes the character tick? What happened to them years earlier? What do they eat? What does the world they live in look like? What’s coming their way?

These are just some examples of the endless stream of questions I consider. By giving myself the freedom to explore ideas about the setting, characters, or plot that I might not think are relevant for the story, I always discover a new twist or turn that springboards my writing in the story.

This approach was not easy for me to start. The idea of taking the time to write words that didn’t rack up my word count to hit my goals felt like a waste. Until I tried it. And now I’m hooked. I now know that when I let the reigns go a bit, I gallop ahead at a rate that is so much faster.

The freedom of being unencumbered by structure from time to time ignites new ideas and in the end fuels efficiency and effectiveness.   

Give it a try! The next time you find it hard to reach your goal, write outside the story. I bet you’ll find you become re-invigorated and better yet, you’ll love the story you are writing even more!

Don’t become a slave to the goal. Set it. Aim at it. But know that sometimes the path to reaching it isn’t always a straight line.

Happy Writing!