Saturday, May 29, 2010

Changes in the Plot

By Keith N Fisher

As a young man in high school, I learned to be loyal, punctual, and do a day’s work for a day’s wages. I learned the rewards of hard work. I admit, I’d rather do easy work, but I’m not afraid of hard work. (Darn, I just used a series of repetitious words, but I don’t have time to edit.)

I learned to be loyal to the company, and they would be loyal to me. Because of that belief, many of my friends went to work for the steel mill, thinking they were set for life. We should’ve known better.

When did the world change? There seems to be a climate of disloyalty in the workplace today. Everyone is looking for a golden parachute instead of investing time into a business. Experience and hard work seem to have no value. Companies stay in business long enough for executives to rake a profit, then the company disappears, like pollen in the wind, with no regard for loyal employees.

I’d like to know when did greed become the paramount concern in the world? I once listened to a young man, fresh out college, and making more money than me, ask, “What I want to know is, when do I start making the really big money?”

What does this have to do with writing you ask? Well, I planned to write about how adjusting to changes in our life often force us to change our writing habits. I guess I had some penned up frustrations forcing their way to the surface.

I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately. Who hasn’t right? The stress of life has been cutting into my writing time and I’ve noticed a serious dent in my creativity. But then I start writing and the juices begin to flow.

Writers have been given a terrific blessing. No matter what happens, life is better when we get into the zone of creation. I learned something about that during critique group this week. Two of our members were having trouble with their plots, so we put our heads together and offered suggestions. I love to plot, and brainstorming felt great.

Like my friends did with their stories, sometimes the plot in our lives takes a strange twist. We can’t seem to make the story flow. Like the books we write, sometimes it helps to think it through. Go back to a point when the plot made sense and work it forward again.

In the meantime, writing is a blessing for writers. Carve time from your granite schedule and do what you’ve dreamed of doing.

Good luck with your writing---see you next week.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I feel that same way about the workforce. My father taught me to work hard and be honest and I've always strived to do just that. I wish everyone felt that way too.

On that note, I think loyalty in writing is an important thing too. Loyalty to the work ethic, loyalty to your characters, loyalty to your writing community--all good things to practice, right?

Kimberly Job said...

And sometimes life just seems to be flowing in the perfect direction, everything is easier than it was before. Then something gets in the way to change the course. It's good too, just different. You can always look back longingly at the path and focus on the blessings that you've been allowed to bring with you.