L. Hyland
Invisible Fences
My experience in the creative writing program thus far has been a trip, meaning both an experience and a trippy journey at that. I can still vividly recall talking to my CRTW 201 teacher Amanda Goldblatt and confessing my worries about being forced to learn a bunch of nonsensical poetry and high-minded literature. I had been writing avant-weird comedy for quite a few years, and was convinced that all I really needed was mentorship to help get me into a more productive work mode. What I can see now in hindsight is that I was actually in a rut spanning more than twenty years, and had arrived at a lousy stall-out where my creative choice on any day was largely based on how offensive I felt like being for the sake of a laugh.
Having taken 335 with Halpern and 422 & 426 with Hume, along with several art and lit classes that played a role, my perspective has radically shifted- not just as a writer, but as a person. I told a friend the other day that I felt as if EMU was a massive tower of knowledge that was leaning into me, behind me, lifting me up from below, providing me a chance to take steps on a journey that millions of minds have contributed to along the path of human history. I’m referring here to inter-textuality of course, which I now see constantly and everywhere with by brain’s new eyes.
I have learned not to seek easy resolution, not to give up quickly on frustrating passages (while reading or writing), and I have learned to look at time from several different angles that I did not consider before. As a writer, my new focus on the spatial axis is breathing life and detail into my work, providing me a chance to break away from trying to see what’s next. This new habit seems to inspire a burst of creativity…and then the whole process repeats. Learn, break, fix, change, move, analyze, move, stay- this is a random snapshot of steps I might take on any project now.
Regarding the reading: “Literary vs. Genre Fiction- What’s All the Fuss About?” this is an area of thought that I have recently begun entertaining after taking Bruss’ postmodern lit class last semester. Prior to that, I was stuck (am likely still stuck) in a nasty rut. Whenever I even begin to think about fiction I seem to automatically put myself under pressure to come up with the most amazing plot the world has ever known. I’m realizing of late, that shifting the way I think about writing fiction may help me snap out of this swampy rut and find some new space to write. For me, thinking about plot is a huge burden that seems to stifle creativity, whereas form and trans-generic form often set my mind racing and open possibilities.
I love writing poetry, comedy, philosophy and songs, but my new area of great satisfaction has been essay work. I finally realized last semester that while many people may lack the attention span for essay reading, it is an amazing format in which to make points, discuss issues, and break new creative ground. I have also recently become enamored of the idea of chap-books, and am thinking about breathing new life into a project I wrote years ago with this form.
My Postmodern Swell by L. Hyland 
Plot, to me, is tough. Mainly because I have no idea what it is. Now, I have no idea what a lot of nouns or verbs are, but I hope that doesn’t lessen the chance that I can help. And by help, I mean talk about this “plot thing” meaningfully, wonderingly and goodly (?).
What is plot? Is plot a story? Is a plot what makes the piece of what its a part of emotionally moving or impact-full. Is the plot of ” Of Mice and Men” what gives the text power? (Summed up by Wikipedia the plot of “Of Mice and Men” is that “it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in California, United States.” That’s the plot, and no more. Pretty simple, aye? Yet, its still read and combated in school across the United States.)
I have never cried from a plot twisted, I have only cried from what the twist had done to the people in the story who I have cared for. A good plot is one that is built on the motions of the characters that inhabit the world of the text. Action either rises or falls from what these people actively do, the plot runs or stops when the characters are either running or stopping. So, if your plot is stuck in in a rut, lean down and ask your characters, “Guys, what would you do here?” And when they tell you, let them do it. The plot might not always seem to be under your “control,” but does that mater? It will at least be driven somewhere.
Now, this might not relate to any of your concerns. And, that’s okay. (Really all this is based on what my concerns are when I write a story. Personally I believe great stories come from trial and error, the more the merrier.) And, some might think this is some mystical kind of writing, but no, it isn’t. Characters are your creations too, their ideas are your ideas, they exist just as conduits to build a story you didn’t know you could, or that didn’t know you were writing.
Finally, lets give a simplified example of asking a character where the story should go. Let’s say you’ve been writing a story for a long time, full of twists and turns, through betrayals or moving introspection, but now you are stuck. You’ve got no idea where to go, what to do, or what must happen to move to story forward.Time to ask your character. You bend over to your text, and ask your character named Hulk, “What would you do here, how would you get out of this?” And he would say. “Hulk smash.”
I enjoyed your thoughts and reflections and I don’t think there is any way to approach such a subject without involving your own thought process and experiences in it. I have to spend more tome chewing on some of the particular things you wrote, but the initial idea I’m taking is to stop over thinking plot and focus more on honest character development. It does seem like plot is like dinner that goes poorly after being fussed over too much, and lately, I have taken to developing multiple projects at the same time to alleviate the burden of trying to write a masterpiece. I find that good plot ideas like to arrive in their own due time, and I’m going to try to spend more time immersing myself in character growth the next time I get stuck. It’s funny, because as a songwriter I literally do not know the meaning of writer’s block, but when it comes to fiction anxiety sets in and I get myself all worked up before I even sit down to write.
I like the idea of thinking what a character might do next and letting them do it. Thank you for the probing thoughts!