The River and the Roses by Sophia Martin

My short novel, Wild Wild Witch, is a really good example of me privileging structure over character. I'm trying to think of all the rules and structures and such that I've read about and that have resonated with me.įinding a balance is hard.

And I feel like the current result (I don't think it's in any way permanent) is that my writing is in this awkward growth spurt where I no longer have a strong sense of character or of what I really want to see happen.

I've gone from being a pantser (for decades!) to a dedicated plotter. So I've really been loading my brain with a lot of rules about how to approach a story. Because now it feels like it's slowing the story down.Įven before I took the Galatea job I entered a phase of my writing in which I started reading books on plotting and other writing topics, and watching talks, and my husband even got me a subscription to Masterclass, which I loved and no longer have any time for (keep meaning to pick it back up though). I mean, I do probably add more detail than I would in a Galatea story, but not much. So I went into my own story promising myself to wax on as long as I wanted and.I can't. This often creates a situation where I just don't get to include the details I want to include. Each episode has to be between 1600-1900 words, for instance. One reason I started making time for my own writing again, after the first few months of writing for Galatea, was that I wanted to be able to have more freedom with it. The lessons I'm learning writing for Galatea are interfering (possibly in a good way in the end) with my own natural inclinations, and that means that I find myself staring at my screen, unsure of how to move forward, a lot of the time. Because now when I approach my own writing, I'm not really sure how to go about it. I wonder if people in MFA programs and who write for TV have a similar experience.when you're in an environment where a lot of what and how you write is assigned. It's been interesting, doing my own writing these days. I really like this job and the way it is now, it fits really well for me and for my family. At best they'll alter course just enough that it doesn't come to pass. Hopefully at worst that's six months away, though. I'm still working for Inkitt, though they are making some changes that may lead to my not being able to do that anymore.

The River and the Roses by Sophia Martin