IT TAKES GUTS TO BE A WRITER
I read most books with an open mind regardless of the genre. Sometimes it can be hit and miss but I always see them to the end no matter what. Some years back I began reading Stephen King’s novel, Misery. Half way through I discovered something very important about myself and my future as a writer. In this post I would like to reveal what that something is, because I have a feeling I don’t walk alone.
Before I go any further I wish to remind everyone of the fairytale, The Gingerbread Man. We all know the story — the gingerbread man gets made by the farmers wife, he comes to life then darts off the plate and makes a run for it outside. As he races along he yells out to everyone he passes, ‘Run, Run as you can, You can’t catch me I am the gingerbread man.’ Full of his own self importance and pride he thinks he is invincible. Sadly for him he is not. He eventually comes across a Fox and ends up being eaten.
To tell you the truth I hadn’t given this fairytale much thought over the years until a few weeks back when I discovered the book sitting on a children’s library shelf. Naturally I decided to take a look. It was the pictures that set me off. In all my life I have never seen a happier Gingerbread Man making his escape. Sure he was somewhat cocky, but in my opinion there is nothing wrong with having confidence in one’s own abilities. Far be it from me to change the moral of a children’s classic, but on this occasion I really couldn’t help myself.
Story retold by Janet Brown/Illustrations by Ken Morton
Imagine now if the Gingerbread Man saw the fox for being the conniving monster he really was. Imagine if made the decision to run between the fox’s legs causing him to trip over his feet, crash to ground, bang his head on a rock (that happened to be lying there) and die. The last scene of course would be of the Gingerbread Man skipping off into the sunset thinking to himself ‘Hey, that was a close call.’
But could this ending really be a considered suitable?
This takes me once again back to the book, Misery, by King. More sinister than the Gingerbread Man, King’s Misery draws us into a chilling plot.
The protagonist Paul Sheldon is in a car wreck, and is saved by the antagonist Annie Wilks. Soon after we discover Annie is stark raving mad, and a threat to Paul’s life. The things that Annie does to Paul are super disturbing — his body parts being chopped off, his leg set on fire, and the emotional abuse, let’s not forget that.
Now I liked Paul, I developed a relationship with him, I did not want to see him come to harm. And yet bad things kept happening and happening to him like a mudslide of horribleness. I remember the horror I felt at the time, I remember putting the book down and walking away from it, unsure if I would be able to finish it or not. How could you Stephen King, how could you?
Yes I know it wasn’t real, that Paul Sheldon did not in fact exist, but still, as I said before I developed a relationship with the guy.
It takes guts to be a writer. Not only does it takes guts to put yourself out there and open yourself up to ridicule and criticism, but it also takes guts to write awful things to beloved characters. King had the guts to do it…the big question now is do I.
No one wants to write a story with a weak plot, a weak storyline, not to mention weak characters tossed in. I know I don’t, but at the same time, can I write a script where my characters end up critically injured or worse still, dead?
As a reader, I have read plenty of tragedies in books. The Harry Potter series for one. J K Rowling had characters dropping dead all over the place, especially in the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but I guess they weren’t the central characters so it wasn’t so bad. J D Salinger gave Holden Caulfield a rocky ride but somehow the young man managed to survive. So yes I am not a stranger to tragedy but that scene when Annie Wilkes chops off Paul Sheldon’s foot with an ax really got to me.
But I did learn something from Misery. Have you heard of Deus Ex Machina?
Definition — an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel.
Some people say that Deus Ex Machina is used by lazy writers who can’t figure their way out of tight story plot, so they make something silly up to explain it.
Example — In my version of the Gingerbread Man, is the Gingerbread Man really going to outsmart the fox. They don’t call fox’s sly for nothing you know. Also, how convenient to have a rock lying on the ground just waiting for the Fox to crack his head on and then die. Is my version of the Gingerbread Man an extreme case of Deus Ex Machina. Am I in fact a lazy writer looking for an easy option?
If you have not read Stephen King’s Misery please do. The book is filled with writing tips told through the eyes of the protagonist Paul Sheldon. Deus Ex Machina is a strong theme throughout the novel, and is written so well that you don’t even realize that you are in the grips of what could be a creative writing lesson.
So that is what I discovered about myself halfway through Misery, I am a writer who likes a happy ending, a writer who is afraid to give her characters what they need for the story to sound convincing. But I am also a writer who knows this about herself and is on the path to make change.
To help me with this I have decided to extend my skills by taking part in a writing course. Over the next 12 months I would like to keep an online journal and report my experiences with Hob life readers. So please stay tuned, I’ll be back.
