Friday 23 July 2010

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Yesterday I talked about entering the forest of new ideas to start work on my scream at me in the middle of a night dream/idea.

So I strapped on my big girl panties to enter the scary part of the forest. I'm really a step into the forest heading down the yellow brick road of beginnings.

The thing about new ideas is that they are slippy little suckers.

You have a flash of an idea, maybe a rough plot, but it pretty much leaves you to sort out the details. It's like organising a party. You know what you want but the final product requires hard work, change and lots of compromise.

That's where the yellow brick road comes in.

Most roads aren't straight, there are twists, turns, curves, dead ends and crossroads. You may set off on one road but, before you know it, you can end up in a different direction. But the brick road of a beginning, is always under your feet.

I'm not quite sure where the path is going to take, but I'm following it anyway.

I hope you are all okay on your story brick road too. :)

17 comments:

WritingNut said...

What a great analogy!

I know what you mean about those new ideas. They don't usually give you much more to work with than a sudden, indescribable itch to get to that keyboard, but once you start, things begin falling in place.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Matthew MacNish said...

I hope you enjoy the journey! Just make sure you get this new one down before it starts to fade.

Laura S. said...

Great analogy! I totally hear ya. I'm currently planning a new novel, and it's the windiest and hilliest road ever. But, like you said, it's still beneath my feet. Eventually those uphills must become downhills!

Good luck on your journey!

Talli Roland said...

Love this analogy! That, and the big girl panties!

My story-brick road is going fine so far. But you're right: you never know what you might encounter!

Unknown said...

Me too! Loved the pants!

Amparo Ortiz said...

Your big girl panties better stay put, you hear me??? In case you haven't noticed, I'm freaking out over your new story!! So write it, no matter where it takes you.

Chances are it will be as awesome as this post.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I've got an idea like this, and as excited as I am to get started on it, I know once I put it down on paper it will not be as good as what's in my head! But that's how it goes, the long process of writing to get the idea out where it's actually GOOD.

Vicki Rocho said...

great analogy! I am so far away from the original idea that apart from the main characters still existing, you wouldn't recognize most of it.

Jaydee Morgan said...

The yellow brick road is a perfect analogy of the twists and turns of a new idea. Good luck with it!

Al said...

Great analogy. I hope you meet some characters as great as Lion, Scarecrow and Tinman along the way.

Stina said...

Love the analogue. I can't live without my road (outline).

Lydia Kang said...

Perfect analogy. And you will meet strange beasts, and those who wish you the best and things what will throw you off your path. Be prepared!

Susan Fields said...

I think it's actually a great thing when the road takes a twist and you end up somewhere you never intended to go - that's when things really get interesting. :)

Theresa Milstein said...

I've never been an outliner. Sometimes I have a rough idea of where I'm gong. Sometimes I don't.

Good luck following your yellow brick road!

Kimberly Franklin said...

I love your analogy. It couldn't be more perfect. I had a flash of an idea a few weeks ago, actually, I have those flashes all the time. They're wonderful and so annoying, all at the same time. :)

Unknown said...

That image fits perfectly. It reminds me of one of my favorite writing quotes...something about how writing is like driving in the dark with your headlights on--you can only see a little bit of the road at a time.

Anonymous said...

I know how it is with a new idea and being unsure of where it'll go. Great analogy.