No Plot, Just Vibes
Autumn. The ultimate “vibes” season. Everything seems to get a little sharper with the hint of the coming cold in the mornings and the promise of cozy and warm things. As I write this, I’m nestled in an overstuffed rocking chair, a purring cat resting his head on my wrist as I type, with a cup of hot tea beside me and brand new thick socks on my feet. (I’m ignoring the fact it’ll be 24C/75F this afternoon.) It’s the perfect time of year to delve into all those ideas and images and aesthetics that build up in the back of your mind and see where they take you. What do you keep coming back to, either reading or writing? And is there overlap between the two?
Lately I’ve found I’ve been shamelessly indulging myself in writing practice. Forget plot, forget narrative arc. Heck, forget even making sense. Instead, my notebooks are full of shards of descriptions of strange beasts, landscapes swept with malevolent fogs, women with lightning for hair, sea-children with barnacled feet, salt-rimed lighthouses. Some of them have found their way into my current project (the most complicated and convoluted thing I’ve ever undertaken), and some just live in my notebooks, content to exist. And it’s been freeing in such a wonderful way. That drive, the sometimes desperate determination to get published and “make it” can be soul-killing. It’s been good for me to remember why I love writing, and why I keep picking up my pen.
When autumn comes, we begin to pull ourselves in. We bundle, wrap ourselves in warm and soft things. We cook favourite soups and stews, and bake pies and cookies and all manner of spiced goodies. There’s such an instinctual urge to nest and burrow deeper. Take that urge and see what’s been hiding underneath the stones in your imagination.
Upcoming Workshops:
October 15: I’m teaching a character development workshop, exploring how body language, clothing, culture, physical mannerisms and more come together to create a three-dimensional person on the page. Registration and more info here.
November 12: Breaking through writer’s block. Open to writers of all levels and experiences, this workshop is designed around a series of prompts and exercises to get you writing, and shared in the group. Registration and more info here.
December 10: Flash Fiction, 100-word stories. There’s only a few spots left for this one! Registration and more info here.
I’m also teaching a 4-week writing workshop series in February and April for teenagers. More info soon!