If you’ve heard of method acting then it shouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine method writing. I consider myself a method writer. I descend into the story world and try to write my tales from a street level. I’m living in two worlds right now–that of the Shadowrun Universe and my own Emil Torath. The reason I go deep down is to gain an understanding of how the world works for the average resident. I suppose this approach is a result of a micro-sociology background or maybe it is just the result of reading too many books about world shaping events. It is all well and good when what your characters do in a story shapes the future world, but lets not forget that everyone needs to stop for a beer and maybe use the restroom once in a while.
This is not an invitation to write bathroom scenes.
What is printed in a story must be of crucial relevance to character development, and pooping rarely is. On the other hand, descending into the mundane daily routine of a world’s characters reminds me of how a larger even can lead to the departure from the daily grind. For example, years back the world of Shadowrun tackled the idea of what would happen if the internet shut down. We chipped away at some of the street level tales, but mostly focused on the higher order stuff–what would the corps do and what not. Even our street level stories were about those who discovered extraordinary power or meaning through the event. When I descend into a story world it allows me to think about the doorman whose door lock shuts down during an event like the network crash before he can let an important resident into the building. That resident may decide to exact revenge on the doorman for not breaking down the front door. That resident may demand our doorman get fired. What is the ripple effect of that? What is the story that can be told there, and is it story worthy?
This is the sort of slice of life writing exercises that I feel allows a writer to gain a holistic understanding of the way their world works and the way that major events can effect people who are otherwise unaffected by the bickering of Gods.
Some Thoughts:
- Thanks refs. I’ve been hating for years, but that call to give the J-E-T-S a first down and 15 extra yards in overtime today was like rain in the desert. Jets for the win and one step closer to first place in the AFC East. Nice.
- May be looking at the first Fantasy Football loss of the year. I failed to get to the computer in time to start the receiver I wanted to start and the result will effect the outcome. Stay Tuned.