One thing I absolutely love are tasks that knock out more than one priority. Health is as much a priority as writing. Not perfect health-- I have my vices and I'm not trying to be strict and miserable but I like to be functional for what I want from life. That being said, cleaning the fish tank, while not exactly fun, knocks out three distinct purposes: strength workout, fish care and writing process.
I chose the wording of the post with care. This isn't a 'how to' but a 'how I.' I'm going to set up this list then help illustrate my point.
- Unplug filter, heater and air pump
- Remove plants (even if they aren't dirty, they get in the way)
- Fill buckets with diluted bleach and soak plants
- (Optional-- every 6-8 weeks) remove filter components to soak and replace
- (Optional-- every four months) drain and dismantle filter for full clean
- (Optional, as needed) remove hood light and doors for cleaning, clean where those sit
- Gravel vacuum, draining into 5 gallon bucket (app. 2-5 buckets filled for a 25-50% water change) MOVE ROCKS WHILE CLEANING
- Thoroughly rinse plants
- (Optional) Dry hood and filter parts if cleaned.
- Place clean plants
- Use two two-gallon buckets to haul clean water
- Treat water before adding it to the tank
- On the last bucket, add necessary amount of aquarium salt.
- (Optional) Replace hood, light and then filter if removed.
- (Optional) load new cartridges into filter
- Plug in filter, heater and air pump.
- Close lids.
- Clean glass
- Put away any chemicals.
- Attach table skirt.
If this is TL;DR, it's really not that important for you to remember this. The point is simpler. These tasks are very much like the planning that goes into writing a story.
There are some tasks that I do every time-- unplug, plant removal and cleaning,vacuum, replacing water, cleaning glass. You can think of these as key plots. No matter how I tackle a story, I have to mind those every time. You need a beginning, middle and an end. You need to know what you want to accomplish in each. No matter whether I write in parts, chapters, or in one big block, the keys will be the same or there is no process.
What comes next? Sub plots. In my list you'll see a lot of things labeled optional that are still incredibly important if I begin that task. If I hit the optional need to clean the entire filter, then every step that involves that process becomes important. If I make a plot that establishes a certain character, I have to develop every aspect of that character fully or I might as well never have started.
Then you have the details. You'll notice there are a few steps that probably aren't that important. When writing a story, there are some elements like dialogue that aren't always going to be static. There are going to be some optional plots that you can still successfully tell the story without. For the fish tank, I don't really need to close the lids or clean the glass, really any of the last four steps but it's the polish in my process. I set up these methods over time to get the most satisfaction out of the hard work. As you develop as a writer, you will learn which of these extras enhances the stories you write and which parts are unnecessary or tedious.
I'll leave you all with that to ruminate on. Of course, inspiration comes from reality sometimes and I have the full list to conquer today. Here's the thing-- many writers beat themselves up because they don't have time to write or they don't have the quality of writing they expect. Find ways to combine priorities, even if the only satisfaction you get is crossing things off of a list. Mentally turn it into a legitimate writing exercise where you are practicing the elements of a story as I just did. Sharpen your brain on those dull menial tasks so you have good habits to take to your writing when the moment comes.
I'm not sure about bleach. Isn't it harmful to fish? Anyhow, I find your approach very interesting, because mental processes are mental processes, no matter what you apply them to. It reminds me a classic book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. As for writing, what usually happens to me, is contamination or an osmotic trasposition of ideas and notions from one field to another. That is, as you say, the finished story contains all the various elements (plot, subplots, structure, identification, etc) but the order in which they occur to me varies greatly from story to story. Sometimes, I begin wanting to write a story about a plumber and find the structure along the way, other times I decide to write a story with a clever structure and shop around for the characters to populate the story. On the other hand, I teach my student to build their stories in a certain order (argument, theme, metaphor, genre, tone, etc) and it usually works well for them, but the premise is that of a pedagogic exercise, meant to allow them to experience the usefullness of each tool. I think it is always interesting for a writer to analyze his method of work in order to improve it, and analogies are often illuminating. I look forward for further opinions.
ReplyDeleteIt's a common misconception that bleach would be harmful. To start a nitrogen cycle on a new tank you can actually accelerate the process with bleach. I use a powder called Seachem Safe to neutralize metals and remove chlorine before adding it. We always used diluted bleach to clean plants in the supply store where I worked. Testing is really important any time you introduce a new element whether it's a chemical or a new fish!
ReplyDeleteBecause of the points you brought up, I did see it necessary to put that this was based on my methods. Sometimes I plan, sometimes I don't. Story structure is one way to juggle difficult elements, but it can be a great launchpad if free-writing gets away from you. Also, the genre and length can play a huge part-- as you know, Im currently writing novel length fantasy. When I switched up to a short story piece, I used different methods and approaches. In serial stories, the only thing readers seem to agree on is that a smaller plot should conclude. Even in stories that continue and end in cliff hangers, readers tend to like clear development or conclusions, which is more episodic like writing a TV show.
I'm a bit of a rebel with my genre though. People seem chapter obsessed, but I focus on making my divisions natural to the story. While I did have fun naming chapters in my first series, I found it to be distracting and too telling in my current stories. As you've pointed out, sometimes we start one way and realize as writers that the story is better suited to other methods. Like my little to-do list, there's are quite a lot of options or considerations but I wouldn't consider anything a hard rule. Sometimes over structuring can be a setback. I often enjoy writing the basic story first then injecting ideas after I get a better feel for the direction. This lets me decide where to go with foreshadowing and character development more effectively. Then again, if my stories are moving around less than five characters, it's rare. I can go simpler when I'm not tracking what everyone is up to. Down to one or two characters makes a big difference!
Did it ever happen to you to blend characters together or shift their functions? There were these weird situation where I had to eliminate some characters to shorten a story or modify it, and I transferred their functions and scenes to other characters. The funny thing is, this process was quite productive and stimulating, resulting in some of the best scenes and dialogues. Sometimes I really feel like a story is a sort of a puzzle where one shifts the pieces around until one finds a perfect fit for everyone.
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