Thursday, February 21, 2013

Fiction Fossils: Uncovering The Deeper Story in Your WIP


What's the big deal about a bunch of dried of bones? Why do they matter, anyway?

Well, because when it comes to archeology, they're the very things that tell the story.

Fossils, when given enough study and when put in the proper order, come alive. They tell us untold stories about a version of the world we never knew.

Today I want to talk about the fossils of novels: how we can discover, develop, and breathe into them to find the larger story we're writing.

Discovering Fossils

If you're anything like me, you love a book with beautifully written layers. Rachel Hauck's The Wedding Dress is a great example of this for me. (By the way, if you haven't read The Wedding Dress, you need to stop what you're doing right now and buy it. Rachel's racking up all kinds of awards for it, and I can tell you that personally it's made my favorite books of all time list.) She does an incredible job of combining a catching plot, colorful characters, and beautifully written, lyrical prose with the depth of a metaphor.

Usually, when I read a book and finish the story feeling unsatisfied, it's because that book has failed to register with me on a deeper, emotional level. I may have liked the characters and been interested in the plot, but my heart just didn't connect with it. Have you ever had this experience? It's unfulfilling at best and frustrating at worst. 

So let's talk about finding the bones of our stories. First of all, fossils are not easy to find. They aren't just lying around on the sidewalk. They are buried beneath layers and layers of soil, and they take a lot of toil and effort, time and energy, to unearth. The same is true of fiction. Many writers skip past the digging it takes to create a truly amazing, layered story because doing so is both tiring and overwhelming. Sometimes we feel like giving up. Sometimes the dust of the soil burns our eyes, and our arms grow tired from all the digging. 

If that's you, keep on keeping on. The deeper structure--the heart of your story--is worth the effort it takes to find.

Developing Fossils

I don't know much about archeology, but I do know that dinosaur bones don't look the way they do in museums when they're first found. Some of the bones might be broken from time. Some may not seem to fit. They are fragile and in need of preservation before being displayed.

The same holds true for your novel. Once you start to find the deeper pieces of your characters' struggles and the deeper motifs you want to work with, it's easy to get excited by your discoveries. But before long, you start to get frustrated. The bones seem to be falling apart. You may have a hard time fitting them together. Yet in the end, this is all part of the process.

So how can you develop the bones of your story? Well, for starters, look for moments that shine and sparkle. Do you use figurative imagery--maybe even accidentally-- that can be expanded and developed throughout? Perhaps even as a metaphor? Does the character have a deeper flaw or secret you've yet to reveal (or maybe even admit to yourself)? It all starts with recognition.

Once you find a gem buried in your story, spend time investing in it. Think through how you might be able to challenge your characters with that image or idea. Think of all the possibilities it offers for your plot. How might you expand that metaphor or deeper character arc by developing it further throughout the entire story? Could other characters get involved in the same issue or usher your main characters along?

Breathing into Fossils

Ezekiel 37:1-10:


Some days, it's tempting to believe all my ideas and stories are nothing more than a pile of dry bones lying in a valley. Can you relate? At best, God has commanded me to prophesy to the bones, and I have, and miraculously, they've come together: bones, sinews, flesh. This makes me excited. But then I realize something's still missing. Something very important. 


Ultimately, only God can breathe life. This passage, however, demonstrates a beautiful concept: sometimes He uses us to do that very thing.

Maybe you have a story. Maybe you've even found the deeper bones of it. Maybe you've done the work to dig them up and polish them, and maybe you've carefully pieced them together.

Maybe, like me, you're looking at your novel and asking, "What's missing? I've found the bones. I've prophesied to them. They've come together. Why aren't they standing? Why aren't they going anywhere?"

If that's you, it's time to heed the word of the Lord. It's time to prophesy to those bones again. It's time to declare words of life over your ministry and calling. It's time 
to believe, to really believe, that these bones will live-- and not only live, but produce a great army, taking back what the enemy has stolen, for the fulfillment and enrichment of the hearts and souls of the children of God. 

It's time to declare an army of beautifully written stories to arise from the very dust where they were left behind.

I want to challenge you today to not only dig deeper into your story, but to also dig deeper into yourself. Have you given up on the life of your story, counting its bones forever dry? Have you lost sight and faith in the life-giving power of the spoken word of God in your heart, your ministry, your life? You don't have to settle for lifeless work any longer. I believe God is saying He wants to do something fresh in our lives and writing, but we must rise up and speak His words of life into these valleys. 

How can we put these principles into action in our everyday writing routines and lives so that we keep from growing dry?




Karen Schravemade said...

Love this so much, Ashley. Feeling very convicted by what you wrote. My book is very much looking like a pile of dry bones right now, but I need to speak life over it instead of the negative confessions I've been making. Thank you so much for reminding us of the power of the spoken word. I needed this.

Amy Leigh Simpson said...

Great post, Ash! So much depth here. I love it when I am digging through my story, plodding along and God drops this beautiful hidden message right on the page. So often they can be buried deep, bit we refine, we polish, and we dig deeper to expose that beautiful relic God had there all along :)

Mary Vee said...

Recently I was assigned to work with someone. She seemingly ripped my story apart. But in doing so, unearthed a beautiful story hiding underneath. I don't know how she did it at this point, but I am keeping notes and fully plan to rip my next story apart in the same way to find the rich story hiding underneath.

Thanks, Ashley:)

Ashley Clark said...

Karen, I know what you mean-- I felt the same way when I was writing it! Thanks for sharing that!

Ashley Clark said...

Amy, love how you phrased that! Definitely true--so often the gems of the story are buried deep down and take some work to find and polish!

Ashley Clark said...

Mary, I know what you mean! It can be so hard to get that criticism, but in the end, sometimes it's what makes the different between a good story and one that's really great!

Ruth Douthitt said...

Very inspirational! It helps me remember to use my writing for a greater purpose. I'll have to read The Wedding Dress. I tend to read more non fiction. But author Laura Hildebrand does a fantastic job of revealing layers in her book Unbroken. She takes a true story and adds depth to it. My goal is to do that in my fiction. Not easy but worth it!

Ashley Clark said...

Ruth, I haven't heard of that one-- I'll have to look it up. You'll love The Wedding Dress... Rachel is a fabulous storyteller. Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

Sorry I'm so late. I didn't get to reading blogs yesterday because the day was jam packed until I crawled into bed at 9 pm! I was pooped. :)

But Ashley, this was a beautiful post. I love the idea of our stories being dry bones until we...inspired by the calling God has given us...breath new life in them. What a beautiful picture of the stories God gives us. Thank you for that reminder.