I’m reading On Writing at the moment. I think this is what you are referring to:
I lean more heavily on intuition, and have been able to do that because my books tend to be based on situation rather than story. Some of the ideas which have produced those books are more complex than others, but the majority start out with the stark simplicity of a department store window display or a waxwork tableau. I want to put a group of characters (perhaps a pair; perhaps even just one) in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free. My job isn’t to help them work their way free, or manipulate them to safety – those are jobs which require the noisy jackhammer of plot – but to watch what happens and then write it down.
Sounds right to me. I tend to use the idea of spotlight and floodlight. I like to watch things unfold with both, by turns, so I can get the big picture and also zoom in on something very personal.
I’m reading On Writing at the moment. I think this is what you are referring to:
I lean more heavily on intuition, and have been able to do that because my books tend to be based on situation rather than story. Some of the ideas which have produced those books are more complex than others, but the majority start out with the stark simplicity of a department store window display or a waxwork tableau. I want to put a group of characters (perhaps a pair; perhaps even just one) in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free. My job isn’t to help them work their way free, or manipulate them to safety – those are jobs which require the noisy jackhammer of plot – but to watch what happens and then write it down.
Hi Adam. Yes that quite nicely describes the bottom up approach I was talking about. I think it’s very powerful when it works
Sounds right to me. I tend to use the idea of spotlight and floodlight. I like to watch things unfold with both, by turns, so I can get the big picture and also zoom in on something very personal.
yes thats a nice way to think about it. My top down bottom up language isn't very elegant and probably betrays my analytical background