Recently I
took on two projects that required me to write outside of my box. My sturdy
little cardboard box’s contents are boringly predictable: I write memoir
pieces, creative non-fiction, menopausal rants—whatever you’d like to call
them. Snarky humor? Yes. Fiction? Not in my box. Romance? Definitely not…
Then when a
call out for stories about Bigfoot came along, I decided to try. Before I even
began, I knew I’d need an unconventional perspective. No
“we-saw-Bigfoot-and-it-was-horrifying” kind of story for me. Wondering what
Sasquatch feels and what his life must be like got me started. But that’s all I
had, a start.
However, as
I immersed myself in what I imagined was his routine, as I put myself in this
creature’s shoes (or in this case, his hairy feet), the story propelled
forward—on its own power. Bigfoot probably lives a solitary life, since if
there were tribes of them, there’d now be a reality television show about them.
What is it like to live life all by yourself? What sounds does he hear at
night, and what things does he see during the day? And what kind of existence
is it when you know if people caught
sight of you, they would instantly scream and run away?
My
wonderings took me to places I hadn’t even initially conceived. The story was
born…and now it had legs and was toddling around. With some nudging and
encouraging from my writing critique group and me, it matured…
Buoyed by
the joy of all the surprises that appear in an evolving story, when a call out
for submissions for a “Fifty Shades of Santa” anthology appeared, I jumped at
it. They wanted humor. I could do humor. They wanted a holiday story. I could
do Christmas. They wanted romance. Well, I thought
I could do that…
It turns
out I can’t write romance. That story was rejected, but it was such a hoot to
write, the joy of writing it took the sting out of the “no.” I wrote from the
perspective of a woman having an affair with Santa. Spinning that yarn took me
to all sorts of unexpected places. What does Santa wear during the off-season? How
would Mrs. Claus react if someone tried to take her man away from her? And who really wears the pants in that family?
It’s not
okay to leap into a family-sized bag of cookies and trust you’ll gain some
self-control somewhere in the middle. It’s not advisable to leap into a pair of
zebra-striped stretch pants just because some pencil-of-a-model wore them,
thinking it’ll be a good look for you. However, it is wise to step off your normal writing path and try a new trail.
And even if there aren’t any signs pointing to the final destination, the trip
might prove enlightening.Write it. Write the beginning, and the rest will come…
***
Sioux Roslawski is a third grade teacher and a freelance writer in St. Louis. In her spare time she blogs http://siouxspage.blogspot.com/), rescues Golden
Retrievers and dreams of someday retiring to southern France.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Sioux Roslawski is a third grade teacher and a freelance writer in St. Louis. In her spare time she blogs http://siouxspage.blogspot.com/), rescues Golden
Retrievers and dreams of someday retiring to southern France.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This post is such a great reminder to think - and write! - outside the box. You never know what you'll discover. (Hey, maybe zebra striped stretch pants will actually look good on me. Okay, no, that's turning the box inside out...) :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I don't like the thought of being stuck in one genre, so I have gone in different directions with my writing before, sometimes with complete failure. Other times, I liked the result (even if it doesn't win). But with each story I write, each time I push myself a little, I learn a lot about where I can possibly go.
ReplyDeleteJust what I needed! This is an encouraging word!
ReplyDeleteWhat a hoot! I have to read that anthology. It reminds me of the Daniel Clowes comic, "Sensual Santa."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great story and the reminder to stretch our writing muscles. :)
It's good try try different kinds of writing to see what really suits you best. Thanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteYou crack me up--and I know how creative you are, even if you don't write a lot of fiction. :) I think I'd like to read the affair with Santa story--sounds great! :)
ReplyDeleteI am working on a middle-grade novel mystery series this November and just yesterday all of my little children characters took over and did unexpected things. Love it when that happens! :)
Sometimes getting started is all you needed--I completely agree!
Duly noted. Perhaps I should take the road less traveled by. That could make all the difference.
ReplyDeleteI am reluctant to leave my current route. I can navigate it without even thinking, and arrive at my destination with no recollection of how I got there.
Madeline--Than you're a bigger woman than I am--or more likely, a SMALLER woman than I am. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteJulie--Thanks. You are completely right. Pushing ourselves is crucial.
Patricia--I'm glad I could help a little. As writers, we need all the encouragement we can get.
Angela--I will have to check out "Sensual Santa." THAT sounds like a hoot.
MP--Thank you for stopping by and listening to my ramblings. You're right. Finding what suits us is crucial.
Margo--I am seeing that more and more as the hellishness that is NaNo continues. Writing fiction ain't for cowards, that's for sure.
Val--You write such wonderful memoir, and some of it is twisted enough, it could pass for fiction.
What would it take to shove you off your road and onto a different path? People with size 11 feet want to know...
Madeline--Oops. I meant, "THEN you're better than I am," not "Than..." Sorry about the typo.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Sioux. And I SO want to read about that naughty Santa because I DO write romance! :)
ReplyDeleteI wrote a really long comment here a day or two ago and it showed up right away after I did the verification code. Then when I looked again...it's gone! Oh well, there's no way I can repeat all that I said....but it was really good....and funny! :)
ReplyDeleteLisa--I tried, but sadly, cannot.
ReplyDeleteBecky--Thanks. Isn't that a pain when blogger acts up?
Yeah, it is! Thanks, Sioux.
ReplyDeleteSioux, I loved this post. We do need to step out of our box and give things a try as you'll never know... or you will know (in some cases).
ReplyDeleteHi Sioux,
ReplyDeleteThis post is so YOU! I love your advice. How can I know if I can do something if I don't try?
Write on, Sioux!
Donna
What wonderful advice! I would be inspired even if I hadn't read some of your profoundly funny and profoundly thoughtful work....
ReplyDelete