Writing a novel: What's your favorite analogy for the process?

Novelist in Paradise · Aug 4, 2009

Mr. S. King has famously said that writing a novel is like excavating a castle out of the sand (if not exactly "castle" and "sand" and "excavating" that was the general idea). This analogy (and it's only an analogy, not to parsed too fine, none of these are) is a good one but doesn't exactly cover all the backtracks and dead ends and missed turns and toppled towers.

In a New Yorker article on Nora Roberts, the Rani of Romance (over 180 novels to date!) implies that writing a novel is modular engineering--just pull the pre-manufactured bits and pieces off the shelf, give them names and quirks, put them in one of several plot lines, and there you have it.

I like the idea of novel writing as a very long JPEG download on a slow-as-sludge Internet connection. You get the big chunks and colors, then a little bit more definition, then more detail, then at the very last, the final sharpness and clarity. (I am obviously not an outliner).

What's yours?

IfNotNow · Aug 4, 2009

My personal analogy is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle by tipping the whole box out on the table, hiding the picture and then trying to assemble it by putting hands down flat on the table and sliding the pieces around until they end up in the right place.

Ugh, no wonder I need so many revisions.

Nora Robert's description makes it sound so boring and non-creative.

Ken Schneider · Aug 4, 2009

If I had to attach an anology to it, it would be. Like hiking.

You start off at the base of a mountain, and as you walk higher you gain experience and knowledge about your surroundings, and when the hike is over, you have a mental picture and the memories of a grand journey.

Novelist in Paradise · Aug 4, 2009

IfNotNow said:
My personal analogy is like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle by tipping the whole box out on the table, hiding the picture and then trying to assemble it by putting hands down flat on the table and sliding the pieces around until they end up in the right place.

Ugh, no wonder I need so many revisions.

Nora Robert's description makes it sound so boring and non-creative.

That's a great analogy! BTW, I've heard that in jigsaw puzzle contests, the top puzzlers actually put the pieces picture side down and only put them together by their shapes. Could this be true!!??? I could Google, but I am off to book and bed in this part of the world...

NeuroFizz · Aug 4, 2009

It's a relationship. First is the emotional high of infatuation, eventually noticing little chips in the paint-lustre as you get to know her/his little quirks and peculiarities. Then is the fender-bender that comes when the thrill dies down to reveal what she/he is like once the "warranty and new car smell" expire. This is followed by the loving comfort of familiarity tempered with the need for regular maintenance, sometimes just grease and oil, sometimes something broken needs fixing. If you stick through all of this, the real love comes when all of the trips blend into the realization that the story just fits and you are glad you bought instead of leasing.

It's also possible to break this into little abstract bits. Parts of the writing process are...

...like jamming soft butter up a wildcat's a$$ with a hot poker.

...like taking a big dump. It sure feels good to get it done but you realize you're just going to have to do it all over again tomorrow.

...truely like waiting for the second shoe to drop, but then realizing that there aren't just two shoes.

scarletpeaches · Aug 4, 2009

I like Fizzy's relationship analogy. Too many people jump to another lover when the passion dies, little realising that relationships take work, and if you keep jumping to a new lover when the need for work kicks in, you'll never reach any kind of deeper fulfilment.

And when you feel 'blocked', expecting your lover to give something to you, perhaps it's time to shut up and start giving back.

Block doesn't exist. That's you saying to your lover "What now?" and hearing them say, "You tell me, big shot."

Phaeal · Aug 4, 2009

I often use a sculpture analogy but a collage analogy may be better. I have a vague idea how I want the finished work to look, what will be the prominent feature arcing through the whole. Then I start gathering bits and pieces of this and that (research) and fitting them together in an absent, playful sort of way (the first rough outlines).

Eventually patterns emerge (the outline starts turning into a first draft). I step back and observe the initial efforts, gather more bits to define and complement the central motif and strongest patterns, delete extraneous or discordant elements (second draft outline and writing.)

Now I should be heading into the refinement stage, adding scraps of velvet there, a few sequins here, fewer and fewer as the reworkings (drafts) pile up. At last there's nothing left to do but give little pokes to the matrix of material, so that it's all just so before I apply the final drops of glue (last polishing draft.)

Then I start carting the huge thing around to the galleries. You know what that means...

DeleyanLee · Aug 4, 2009

Ken Schneider said:
If I had to attach an anology to it, it would be. Like hiking.

You start off at the base of a mountain, and as you walk higher you gain experience and knowledge about your surroundings, and when the hike is over, you have a mental picture and the memories of a grand journey.

I've used this for the process of learning about writing and story, but not for the actual act--though the hike is never over. Once you reach a summit and look around, you have the vast vista opened up to you and you see all the continued challenges before you. 'Tis very cool.

My personal analogy for writing a novel is blatantly stolen from Michaelanglo talking about how he carved David. David was always in the marble. He just had to remove the bits of marble that wasn't the statue he wanted.

The story is inside me. I just have to get to the state where I can remove my desires and ambitions to find the story and then work meticulously to get into the right words and not remove or leave extra chunks that don't belong.

And after I reach that summit, I'll discover what the next challenge is.

Danthia · Aug 4, 2009

I always use building a house. Story structure is the same no matter what you write, so it's like building a solid foundation with a good framework. The plot is the decorations and the things that make the house look good. Every house has the same pieces, but they all look differently.

lucidzfl · Aug 4, 2009

I'm going to second the dump.

Writing for me is like drinking a 5th of tequila in one night, after eating a lot of rich food, waking up super hungover, drinking a batch of coffee, then following iit with some krystal sliders to soak up the booze, and finally just sitting on the toilet seat and praying to god you don't pass out from effort when you finally poo-splode because how embarrassing would it be to be found naked and unconscious on a mound of shit?

At least, thats my experience.

Stunted · Aug 4, 2009

DeleyanLee said:
My personal analogy for writing a novel is blatantly stolen from Michaelanglo talking about how he carved David. David was always in the marble. He just had to remove the bits of marble that wasn't the statue he wanted.

The story is inside me. I just have to get to the state where I can remove my desires and ambitions to find the story and then work meticulously to get into the right words and not remove or leave extra chunks that don't belong.

Arg! You stole mine!

Or, like...archaeology. You come across piece of a story sticking out of the desert, and you start digging around, trying to pull sand off of it, but there's sand caked on in some places, and you think it's story, but it's not, and only by going at it with delicate little tools can you clear it all away, but even then, you probably won't have it perfect.

Adam · Aug 4, 2009

Like skimming stones. Do it right and you'll go far, do it wrong and you'll sink without a trace.

OR

Like smacking yourself in the head with a shoe. It bloody hurts, most don't see the point, but... um... I don't know how to finish that one.

scarletpeaches · Aug 4, 2009

My first draft is over 100k words of masturbation.

The edits are where I learn to make sweet love to my readers.

quickWit · Aug 4, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
My first draft is over 100k words of masturbation.

The edits are where I learn to make sweet love to my readers.

hubba-hubba

NeuroFizz · Aug 4, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
My first draft is over 100k words of masturbation.

The edits are where I learn to make sweet love to my readers.

So you get the pages of your drafts all slickery so your readers can get the pages of the book all stickery.

Charlie Horse · Aug 4, 2009

I always liked the sculpture analogy, but the other thing I compare writing a novel to is a symphony, which then makes short story writing on a par with writing a song.

Or you could just go with the masturbation thing. That works just as well.

HelloKiddo · Aug 4, 2009

lucidzfl said:
Writing for me is like drinking a 5th of tequila in one night, after eating a lot of rich food, waking up super hungover, drinking a batch of coffee, then following iit with some krystal sliders to soak up the booze, and finally just sitting on the toilet seat and praying to god you don't pass out from effort when you finally poo-splode because how embarrassing would it be to be found naked and unconscious on a mound of shit?

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I think writing is like ballet--it looks so easy until you attempt to do it yourself.

RG570 · Aug 4, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
My first draft is over 100k words of masturbation.

The edits are where I learn to make sweet love to my readers.

This is perfect, especially given the way you don't want to admit to doing it, and the urge to wash one's hands after doing it.

Caramia · Aug 4, 2009

I had no idea as I read over the thread but as time went by, the same analogy tapped my head. Sadly, it can only be related to by some. Writing = Pregnancy & childbirth. The not so thrilling parts = Raising & releasing the child

scarletpeaches · Aug 4, 2009

RG570 said:
This is perfect, especially given the way you don't want to admit to doing it, and the urge to wash one's hands after doing it.

Oh, I freely admit to doing it.

I even write my first drafts in public sometimes.

lucidzfl · Aug 4, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Oh, I freely admit to doing it.

I even write my first drafts in public sometimes.

I've only done it in public once, and I was really drunk, and it was really late...

Suzan · Aug 4, 2009

Here's a good one for all the ladies out there. I wouldn't try this one fella's, if I were you!

Writing a novel is like growing a baby inside your stomach for nine months, going into labor and finally (after many hours of hard labor!) giving birth only to have it grow up and leave the nest.

Suzan

kuatolives · Aug 4, 2009

A blind dentist pulling out his own teeth to make a necklace.

SarahMacManus · Aug 4, 2009

kuatolives said:
A blind dentist pulling out his own teeth to make a necklace.

I think this one is my favorite.

sunandshadow · Aug 4, 2009

I think the feeling of not being able to see is spot-on. A 3D puzzle rather than a 2D one, where some of the pieces are hard and some are squishy and some magnetically attract or repel each other, and the box of pieces contains the jumbled pieces for several puzzles. Once you pull a piece out of the box you can look at it, but since magnetism is invisible you can still only see some of it's properties.

Although, maybe it's more like weaving than puzzle-building, because the process of putting ideas together feels like tying knots and bows to me, and the process of imposing a chronological, narrative order on the pieces is a lot like braiding or weaving a tapestry. Weaving with magnetic strands of yarn that unpredictably attracted and repelled each other? It reminds me of this model I saw that the architect Gaudi made to design the gravatic distribution of weight for La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral which looks like a coral reef. I guess it's called a funicular model. Anyway the model is constructed upside down from the actual building, using wires and weights. http://www.gaudidesigner.com/uk/sagrada-familia-funicular-model_357.html

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