Saturday 27 November 2021

What Don't You Know? by Claire Fayers

This is another writing/piano crossover post.

In my weekly piano lesson last week, I was trying to explain why I was having trouble with a particular piece when my teacher interrupted. 

"Usually, when you're stuck, it's because there's something you don't know," he said. "What don't you know here?"

Essentially, I didn't know which fingers had to go on which notes, but in a mini lightbulb-going-off moment, I realised this could apply to far more things than just music.

My plot has stuck? What don't I know? What do I need to find out in order to fix it?

Sometimes it's a problem with the characters. What don't I know about them, their histories, their likes and dislikes? Maybe I need to spend some time with a notebook, asking my characters questions. When I get stuck I often find it's my villain's motivation which is lacking. I have a habit of starting to write without having a clear idea of who the villain is or what they're doing (which is fine as long as I remember to work it out before I do the second draft.)

Sometimes it's the setting. For someone who writes mainly fantasy, I do surprisingly little world-building up front. I start with the starting location and fill in my mental map of the world as my characters travel. It avoids vast info-dumps early on, but it also means I can get stuck because I haven't properly worked things out. What don't I know about this particular location? What are the obstacles? What are the people like here? How does this location link to the wider world of the book? 

Sometimes it's a scene that causes me to stumble. I might have a great idea for a set piece - a tense conversation, a fight, an explosion or a dramatic encounter with a dragon - but I haven't thought through the implications. I write the scene and then I stop, wondering what should happen next. So, go back. What happened exactly? Who was involved and what were they trying to achieve? Was that scene part of some bigger plan that I need to work out?

Donald Rumsfeld famously said: 

"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know. And... it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones."

What don't I know?


Claire Fayers

www.clairefayers.com






5 comments:

Nick Garlick said...

As much as I try to plan and plot in advance, there's always something I didn't think of that brings me to a grinding halt while I work it - very slowly - out. And it's always those unknown unknowns! I agree completely.

Penny Dolan said...

Thanks Claire.

A great way of un-sticking a stuck plot.

Joan Lennon said...

Yes - asking the questions! Excellent post.

Susan Price said...

Agree with all of the above.

Lynne Benton said...

Excellent post! Of course we don't know everything before we start writing, and we shouldn't expect to!