“I've always felt you unearth story, like you're on an archaeological dig. Stories tell you what they are—you don't have a say in what bones you're going to get, and when. You just have to have the intestinal fortitude to acknowledge, Oh, my stegosaurus is actually a T. rex,” says Andy Stanton, the writer and director of Pixar's Finding Nemo and Wall-E, in a recent article in the New Yorker.
Photo by Dean Beeler
For about a year and a half, I have been thinking of the same story. I have been circling it with a trowel, slowly digging it up, fistful of dirt at a time. It's taking me a long time. It's a very big story.
You do not create your story. You unearth it.
Allow it to be itself, but take the dirt off of it. Get rid of the bad stuff, and make the good stuff shiny. You write not to build a world, not to beget new characters, but to discover them. It's a different mindset.
Your job is to endure, not accomplish.
What story are you unearthing? What story have you been circling for weeks and months and years with a little trowel, a magnifying glass, and a brush? Why don't you spend some time digging today?
PRACTICE
If you have a story you're working on, spend some time “unearthing” it. What is it? A T. rex or a Stegosaurus? Which characters do you understand and which completely confuse you?
Let's just dig around in random parts of our stories, searching for bones, asking ourselves, “What is it?”
“Dig” for fifteen minutes, and post your archaeological work in the comments. Maybe we can help you find your story.
“You do not create your story. You unearth it.” Enlightening!
Writers generally expect everything to come from them, when in truth it’s something higher than us that gives us a story or an inspiration. I’ve especially struggled with this, trying to create something from scratch, trying to materialize a work spontaneously. This post is a good reminder of how writers need to just let the story be itself sometimes.
Here goes nothing:
When I dig I find a space station above a big green planet. In this space station, several characters wake up from long-induced sleep, and explore. They all remember some sort of apocalyptic scene, but nothing else- no family or conceivable past.
The space station is vast, and there’s a blue bridge connecting the two halves of it. Below the bridge, there’s a mysterious black abyss. In other parts of the station, there are rooms (such as an armory with weapons and an observatory with charts and a greenhouse with plants that yield water out of their stems). A very assertive character says this station will sustain them.
It happens to be that there are other people sleeping in the station’s chambers, but these people won’t wake up. Apparently, the station’s omnipresent security computer is keeping these other people asleep.
Some of the characters trust the security AI, while others think it’s out to get them. Unofficial factions form over this. Both groups get a hold of the station’s weapons, and it’s a bit of a standoff.
One of the characters discovers how to open the observatory’s interface, and sets the station’s orbit for the sister station. Meanwhile, a seemingly mischievous character claims that the sister station is dangerous, that the security AI of their station wants them to go there so it can kill them. He wants everybody to follow him on the lander to the planet below. Nobody knows what to do.
Basically, this is where I’m stuck. Great exercise, though, because I was able to figure out some of the kinks as I wrote this. Nothing’s solid about this plot!
This seems like an interesting plot! You might have something here. One question I have is who the main character is? I think discovering who your characters are can get you out of these tight spots. This plot reminds me a lot of Lost, the distrust, the factions, the others. But what made Lost so great was that it was deeply grounded in its characters. So who are they?
Haha, the funny thing is that it probably is subliminally inspired by Lost. I’m on my second time through that show. And good question; I’ll have to give it some effort.
Ha nice. It’s an amazing show.
nice work JOE keep it up
“You do not create your story. You unearth it.” Enlightening!
Writers generally expect everything to come from them, when in truth it’s something higher than us that gives us a story or an inspiration. I’ve especially struggled with this, trying to create something from scratch, trying to materialize a work spontaneously. This post is a good reminder of how writers need to just let the story be itself sometimes.
Here goes nothing:
When I dig I find a space station above a big green planet. In this space station, several characters wake up from long-induced sleep, and explore. They all remember some sort of apocalyptic scene, but nothing else- no family or conceivable past.
The space station is vast, and there’s a blue bridge connecting the two halves of it. Below the bridge, there’s a mysterious black abyss. In other parts of the station, there are rooms (such as an armory with weapons and an observatory with charts and a greenhouse with plants that yield water out of their stems). A very assertive character says this station will sustain them.
It happens to be that there are other people sleeping in the station’s chambers, but these people won’t wake up. Apparently, the station’s omnipresent security computer is keeping these other people asleep.
Some of the characters trust the security AI, while others think it’s out to get them. Unofficial factions form over this. Both groups get a hold of the station’s weapons, and it’s a bit of a standoff.
One of the characters discovers how to open the observatory’s interface, and sets the station’s orbit for the sister station. Meanwhile, a seemingly mischievous character claims that the sister station is dangerous, that the security AI of their station wants them to go there so it can kill them. He wants everybody to follow him on the lander to the planet below. Nobody knows what to do.
Basically, this is where I’m stuck. Great exercise, though, because I was able to figure out some of the kinks as I wrote this. Nothing’s solid about this plot!
This seems like an interesting plot! You might have something here. One question I have is who the main character is? I think discovering who your characters are can get you out of these tight spots. This plot reminds me a lot of Lost, the distrust, the factions, the others. But what made Lost so great was that it was deeply grounded in its characters. So who are they?
Haha, the funny thing is that it probably is subliminally inspired by Lost. I’m on my second time through that show. And good question; I’ll have to give it some effort.
Ha nice. It’s an amazing show.
nice work JOE keep it up
Great post, Joe. The unearthing process (such a great term for it!) is one of my favorite aspects of writing.
I love what you say here: “You do not create your story. You unearth it.” Reminds me of Michael Angelo’s quote on discovering statues inside blocks of stone.
We’re on the same wavelength, indeed. Eager to learn what your dig reveals!
Exactly. I know that quote. It’s the difference between willpower and the power of observation. It may just be a way to trick your mind. When you are observing, you become present, and are actually able to create better.
Great post, Joe. The unearthing process (such a great term for it!) is one of my favorite aspects of writing.
I love what you say here: “You do not create your story. You unearth it.” Reminds me of Michael Angelo’s quote on discovering statues inside blocks of stone.
We’re on the same wavelength, indeed. Eager to learn what your dig reveals!
Exactly. I know that quote. It’s the difference between willpower and the power of observation. It may just be a way to trick your mind. When you are observing, you become present, and are actually able to create better.
Wow. Joe, this is super timely. During the last two weeks I wrote, for the first time, part of a story I started “unearthing” in high school.
The genre is fantasy. The main character is an orphan, of some sort. His only memory is always having a chain around his neck with a blue stone. He haphazardly goes through life as a soldier, a travel guide, and other such jobs. He has exceptional skills with fighting and survival. The only other thing is that he matures much slower than others, which is one reason for his chosen professions. Over time the main character finds himself wrapped up in the affairs of wars, politics, and economies. He makes friends, builds allies, and finds lovers. At some point he discovers his heritage and mission.
Here is my problem. I can’t figure out an over-arching conflict. Who is my protagonist’s nemesis? In the end, what is he fighting to for? I guess I never got that far in high school.
Often, I think, the best nemeses come from within. To use Andy Stanton’s Finding Nemo, for example, his nemesis was his own fear spawned from the death of his wife and the dangers of the world. In Star Wars, Luke’s nemesis was just projected outward from himself, his own darkside, and put into Darth Vader.
So what is “wrong” with your hero? And what outward nemesis would be best at exploiting your hero’s inward nemesis?
Excellent advice. I was just reading my book (10 Days to Faster Reading- very good actually), and ironically my mind wondered off to your comment. A light bulb went off, and I think I know the antagonist.
Someone much like the protagonist grows up, but makes different decisions. I guess kind of like Bizzaro Superman or the two Prophecies from the Belgariad/Mallorean. They would be exploiting each other the whole time, not just one way.
That sounds like a good place to start!
Wow. Joe, this is super timely. During the last two weeks I wrote, for the first time, part of a story I started “unearthing” in high school.
The genre is fantasy. The main character is an orphan, of some sort. His only memory is always having a chain around his neck with a blue stone. He haphazardly goes through life as a soldier, a travel guide, and other such jobs. He has exceptional skills with fighting and survival. The only other thing is that he matures much slower than others, which is one reason for his chosen professions. Over time the main character finds himself wrapped up in the affairs of wars, politics, and economies. He makes friends, builds allies, and finds lovers. At some point he discovers his heritage and mission.
Here is my problem. I can’t figure out an over-arching conflict. Who is my protagonist’s nemesis? In the end, what is he fighting to for? I guess I never got that far in high school.
Often, I think, the best nemeses come from within. To use Andy Stanton’s Finding Nemo, for example, his nemesis was his own fear spawned from the death of his wife and the dangers of the world. In Star Wars, Luke’s nemesis was just projected outward from himself, his own darkside, and put into Darth Vader.
So what is “wrong” with your hero? And what outward nemesis would be best at exploiting your hero’s inward nemesis?
Excellent advice. I was just reading my book (10 Days to Faster Reading- very good actually), and ironically my mind wondered off to your comment. A light bulb went off, and I think I know the antagonist.
Someone much like the protagonist grows up, but makes different decisions. I guess kind of like Bizzaro Superman or Shadow Link or the two Prophecies from the Belgariad/Mallorean. Then the two face off somehow. Hmm…
That sounds like a good place to start!
I am in the middle of writing my novel (28k words so far!). My protagonist is a 12 year old boy , Tyler Colton. He lives in rural Missouri along Interstate 70 with his dad and grandmother. We don’t know much about his mother except that he’s been told she died when he was very young. They live next to an abandon Stuckey’s and an Adult Bookstore and Arcade (These have popped up along our interstates in recent years).
The character I need to unearth is the antagonist. All we know about him right now is the rumor that a vagrant might be squatting in the old Stuckey’s building. Tyler and his friend Jack broke into the Stuckeys early in the story, but shortly afterward, they started discovering what they think are messages left from someone. The story unfolds as the boys try to figure out who is leaving these messages. They have four “suspects;” the vagrant, a new stranger in town, his dad, or Mr. Farley who owns the Pleasure Pit Adult Bookstore.
I have determined the vagrant is the true suspect and he is out to take revenge on Tyler because he feels Tyler is responsible for his daughter’s tragic death. At one time he had been an employee at the Pleasure Pit along with Tyler’s mom. The daughter was Tyler’s babysitter and she died trying to save him. Tyler hasn’t been told this about his past. The vagrant ended up with a nervous breakdown and became homeless. Tyler doesn’t know this man exists but I’m pretty sure that Tyler’s dad and grandmother do and they occasionally help him out by leaving him food and cash. Somehow the vagrant will end up holding Tyler either captive or will grab him or attack him in an act of vengeance.
What I don’t know is his name, where he spends his day (perhaps in the Pleasure Pit or the nearby woods), how he gets around (is he stealth to the community or does everyone in the community help him out but keep his very existence from Tyler?) I’m trying to paint the family and the community in corporate denial. No one talks about events of the past. No one deals with their pain and hurts until this event, where Tyler is either killed or put in harm’s way.
It sounds like the true antagonist is the inability to grieve, to be vulnerable. The vagrant is just an outward manifestation of that inner inability. Lack of vulnerability turns to shame and shame turns to desire for revenge.
I do think you’ve got something very interesting here though Tom. I hope you’ll continue to unearth it.
I’d read it! I agree with Joe — I think a mysterious vagrant is a fantastic symbol of the many stories, events, and people communities choose to ignore.
Thanks Joe and Brynna for the encouragement. I loved your insight. It has really inspired me to continue unearthing this story.
Great point, Brynna. Or is it Brynna Lynnea? Second names confuse me; I’m a Californian living in the South.
Lynea’s my middle name. I went by “Brynna Lynea” for music and carried it over to writing, but Brynna is just fine for friends. 🙂
But how did the mother die? That’s got to be the beig thing at the end right? And is there forgiveness and redemption? Was the vagrant wrong all along that it was Tyler’s fault. I can see this story becoming really interesting Tom Dub.
I am in the middle of writing my novel (28k words so far!). My protagonist is a 12 year old boy , Tyler Colton. He lives in rural Missouri along Interstate 70 with his dad and grandmother. We don’t know much about his mother except that he’s been told she died when he was very young. They live next to an abandon Stuckey’s and an Adult Bookstore and Arcade (These have popped up along our interstates in recent years).
The character I need to unearth is the antagonist. All we know about him right now is the rumor that a vagrant might be squatting in the old Stuckey’s building. Tyler and his friend Jack broke into the Stuckeys early in the story, but shortly afterward, they started discovering what they think are messages left from someone. The story unfolds as the boys try to figure out who is leaving these messages. They have four “suspects;” the vagrant, a new stranger in town, his dad, or Mr. Farley who owns the Pleasure Pit Adult Bookstore.
I have determined the vagrant is the true suspect and he is out to take revenge on Tyler because he feels Tyler is responsible for his daughter’s tragic death. At one time he had been an employee at the Pleasure Pit along with Tyler’s mom. The daughter was Tyler’s babysitter and she died trying to save him. Tyler hasn’t been told this about his past. The vagrant ended up with a nervous breakdown and became homeless. Tyler doesn’t know this man exists but I’m pretty sure that Tyler’s dad and grandmother do and they occasionally help him out by leaving him food and cash. Somehow the vagrant will end up holding Tyler either captive or will grab him or attack him in an act of vengeance.
What I don’t know is his name, where he spends his day (perhaps in the Pleasure Pit or the nearby woods), how he gets around (is he stealth to the community or does everyone in the community help him out but keep his very existence from Tyler?) I’m trying to paint the family and the community in corporate denial. No one talks about events of the past. No one deals with their pain and hurts until this event, where Tyler is either killed or put in harm’s way.
It sounds like the true antagonist is the inability to grieve, to be vulnerable. The vagrant is just an outward manifestation of that inner inability. Lack of vulnerability turns to shame and shame turns to desire for revenge.
I do think you’ve got something very interesting here though Tom. I hope you’ll continue to unearth it.
I’d read it! I agree with Joe — I think a mysterious vagrant is a fantastic symbol of the many stories, events, and people communities choose to ignore.
Thanks Joe and Brynna for the encouragement. I loved your insight. It has really inspired me to continue unearthing this story.
Great point, Brynna. Or is it Brynna Lynnea? Second names confuse me; I’m a Californian living in the South.
Lynea’s my middle name. I went by “Brynna Lynea” for music and carried it over to writing, but Brynna is just fine for friends. 🙂
But how did the mother die? That’s got to be the beig thing at the end right? And is there forgiveness and redemption? Was the vagrant wrong all along that it was Tyler’s fault. I can see this story becoming really interesting Tom Dub.
“You do not create your story. You unearth it. Allow it to be itself, but take the dirt off of it. Get rid of the bad stuff, and make the good stuff shiny.”
Such rich and vivid language. I needed to read this today.
Thank you Bethany 🙂
“You do not create your story. You unearth it. Allow it to be itself, but take the dirt off of it. Get rid of the bad stuff, and make the good stuff shiny.”
Such rich and vivid language. I needed to read this today.
Thank you Bethany 🙂
I found the tagline for my writing blog in this wonderful post of yours….thanks! The blog is about writing from the soul and the tag I arrived at after reading your blog post is….unearthing and discovering stories from within. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ooo wow. Cool. I like that.
I found the tagline for my writing blog in this wonderful post of yours….thanks! The blog is about writing from the soul and the tag I arrived at after reading your blog post is….unearthing and discovering stories from within. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ooo wow. Cool. I like that.
I have been kicking around a story about identity theft and the victim turns the tables on the terrorist network that is behind it. I think I have the “bones” of the story, but the question for me is how (specifically) does the victim turn the tables on the terrorist network? The protagonist is going rogue for the most part as the FBI and local police are a joke. The main character is getting some assistance from a hacker that he met at a conference, but the hacker is just a hired gun mainly in it for the paycheck. Perhaps I just need to work on the first portion of the book and maybe in doing so it will guide me to what the resolution will be.
I have been kicking around a story about identity theft and the victim turns the tables on the terrorist network that is behind it. I think I have the “bones” of the story, but the question for me is how (specifically) does the victim turn the tables on the terrorist network? The protagonist is going rogue for the most part as the FBI and local police are a joke. The main character is getting some assistance from a hacker that he met at a conference, but the hacker is just a hired gun mainly in it for the paycheck. Perhaps I just need to work on the first portion of the book and maybe in doing so it will guide me to what the resolution will be.
There’s this one dude. He’s okay. He has a problem. He doesn’t talk much okay. And he’s weird. Like super weird. People avoid him.
Of course there’s a girl. There’s always a girl. She’s kind of a bitch. She likes to ‘correct’ people and set them on the ‘right’ path. Whatever that is. No one likes her. Even her friends.
Okay screw the first dude, he’ll be used later.
There’s this other dude. He’s quiet, he’s shy. Your typical nerd. He’s bullied and socially awkward. But dun dun dun he’s nice. He likes helping people, he doesn’t know why. So there’s this old lady or old dude that is getting beat up. He’s already beat up by his ‘buddies’ at school, you know a little schoolboy rough housing. But he sees this poor old lady being mistreated by these assholes and he couldn’t help but help. He gets the worst ass whooping his poor miserable life has ever had. Thankfully the old lady scampered away while he was taking a fist to the face.
Okay there’s a girl. She’s kind of fat. Not kinda, she’s humongous. She’s fat. And you know how people are today with their dietary concerns. So her classmates keep offering helpful tips on weight management and dose her daily with body size advice. She fucking hates herself. She hates herself more for eating and eating and what the fuck why are pizza burgers so delicious?
The bitchy girl, she’s his friend, sort of. They got stuck together well ‘cause he’s nice and she doesn’t really have anyone. But she’s still kind of a bitch to him. They do things together and slowly they’re getting to be better friends. She starts to like him. Too much. She does something to him which is a really big no-no and it’s over.
One rich dude is jealous of him. So he tries doing what he does. He buys all the expensive gadgets to match up with him. But they’re super heavy and clunky and what is with all that armor? He gets humiliated. But he doesn’t give up. He removes the unnecessary baggage and rolls with it.
Yeah the dude who got beat up survived, somehow. He meets up with the fat girl. He makes fun of her in a friendly way. Then problems happen and she ends up helping him and they become buddies.
Quiet dude becomes a gigantic asshole. He starts treating everyone like shit. His first victim is the bitchy girl and he calls her all sorts of names you wouldn’t want your mother to hear.