I’m sure I’m not the first person who has likened the creation of a story to fishing, but hey, why mess with a good analogy?
What could be better than Spending a morning sunrise at the edge of the lake, no cars or honking horns. Just you, a rod, and a whole lot of time to wait for that bite. Okay, so maybe the writing process isn’t all that serene. We juggle schedules, deadlines, and our home life. But when you do find your place, the serenity comes and everything just clicks.
So let’s take a little trip to my pond o' readers and see if we can catch a bite.
Let’s see here . . . first we’re going to need:
Let’s see here . . . first we’re going to need:
The tools: This part is simple. A good story premise is key. Readers don’t need wordsmiths, they need story tellers.
Right. So we’re off and running with an idea. Let's get to it then.
The cast: Setting up that first scene should be quick and effective. It may take a little practice at first to find your finesse. You don’t want to shoot for the moon and end up on the other side of the lake, too far away from the story for it to make impact. You don’t want to throw in too hard either, you could loose your bait if your first hook is too harsh and overdone.
Wait for it…wait for it: Here comes the suspense. The tension. It builds over time and you have to filter in just enough to keep your reader going. I for one, am a patient fisherman, but a rather impatient reader. Keep the tension flowing, keep baiting that reader, then right when you least expect it, WAM!
The fight: This is the highest point in the book. You need to make sure you time your action, you can’t reel them in too soon, or the ending may come off as anticlimactic. AKA you could lose your line.
The release: This is when the all the secrets to the story are finally revealed and hopefully your reader will swim away somehow changed.
Though, I can speak from experience that this is not always the case with fish. I have actually caught the same fish twice. It was a 27-inch-long brown trout that I staked in the water. He managed to escape with the stake still attached. I caught him again an hour later.
It’s true…really…
It’s true…really…
What? You don’t believe me?
7 comments:
Is that what Hemingway did with "The Old Man and the Sea?"
Omg, poor fish being caught twice! :D
Yeap, it is difficult to find the right bait but you know what? We're writing. We're learning. The fish will come eventually. :)
Thanks for sharing fishing, I mean writing, tips. :P
Wonderful analogy. Yes, it's just like that!
And I caught the same fish twice when I was pretty young, fishing off a bridge. My line broke and when my mom brought me a new hook about an hour later, I caught him again and found my first hook in his fin!
Lesli
No problem Lynn. Thanks for the comment.
Rogue Mutt, I think Hemmingway is open to interpretation. You can spin him any which way, and like to many other dearly departed authors, He'll be smiling in his grave, because only he knows for sure.
I like the thought about readers wanting story tellers, not wordsmiths. I've read a few things that were supposedly beautifully written and bored me out of my mind.
Thanks Clancy for the comments. I'm glad you like it.
Lesli, there should be a metal or something for fishergirls with luck like that!
Great blog Krissee you're queen of the metaphor!
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