Okay, so why was I asking about the spiral?
Because when I conceive of a story, in my mind it really has too main forms. The first is as a sphere that simultaneously expanding explosively from its nucleus and contracting in from the perimeter. The second is as a spiral. I have no idea how to even begin working with the first as a structure for writing. The spiral seems more attainable.
At first, it didn't seem doable either.
Then, as I was staring at picture after picture of spiral, this description popped in my head:
A line that starts at one point and then curls around itself without intersecting.
Suddenly, a spiral seemed like it might have a literary form, after all. It's a line, so it's linear -- it's just curled about. It still has a start and a finish and a progression. And if the rings are like electron shells, there's more energy and chaos in the outer shells. So the story passed through similar axes, but with greater distance and greater disorder on its way to an ending.
But I struggle with visual and spatial thinking, so I wanted to get some more input on what spirals are. If you missed it, please go read all the wonderful comments. You guys were amazing, no joke.
So here are some other things I gleaned from your comments, as I might apply them to writing in a spiral:
- There's a center point, an anchor, something that's always within sight from all positions of the story.
- It is winding path toward collapse.
- The direction can take you more tightly to the axis, or more loosely away from it.
- The start is nearer to the point than the end.
- There's a sense in which the direction of the story could go either way.
- Like a slinky, the story is subject to other external motions that can tip and topple it.
- It's not actually necessary that a story end.
- The story can be horizontal (social movement) or vertical (individual movement).
- Depending on if you're spiraling out or spiraling in, the motion may be expansive or constricting.
I think there's a lot of cool stuff there, and I think I begin to understand how to structure a story in a spiral way, and what that would mean.
What do you guys think? Anything in there strike you? Anything other lessons for writing from the spiral that I've overlooked?
Maybe it's just me, but I think this is really exciting!
.Nevets.
This is really exciting C.N. as I was reading your post it made me think of the spiral, and the further I read, the more it was making sense. I really like the points you have chosen and I think the one that stands out the most- specially from a story side would be this one
ReplyDelete"Depending on if you're spiraling out or spiraling in, the motion may be expansive or constricting"
This is the one that got me.
Yes - all good stuff, but the spiral has spatial limits, inwards as well as outwards. It is contained. So your freedom is constricted. Also, could it be a bit monotonous? Or perhaps I'm just being awkward...
ReplyDeleteWell, I think it's a really complicated way to look at it but intriguing. I think you could have a cool concept here.
ReplyDeleteI think in terms of story telling, a spiral is a perfect example because each scene is like a ring of the spiral. The scene starts out close to the center (near the main linear story line) but then works out into more energy (climax) and then finds itself back in the center (ties itself back to the main plot line).
Great job, CN.
CD
Okay, this could get a little confusing. The way I see it is . . . we all start out with a pin point idea when developing a story. Maybe we know how we'd like it to end as well. If we follow the spiral through its natural progression (the geometric way - slinky), we'll eventually get to the end we desired and hopefully it won't be linear writing.
ReplyDeleteBut if your spiral is more chaotic (tornado), your pin point idea may spiral out of control (no pun intended) until your story is nothing like you initially planned.
So, do you go with it? Or do you force your writing back on the linear path?(back to your earlier post about pleasing the masses).
BTW - Nevets, you're giving me a headache with all these deep thoughts!
This is exciting! Any new idea is like that. :)
ReplyDelete"The start is nearer to the point than the end"--I find that one the most intriguing! That would definitely be an interesting way of creating a story, with the ending less related than the beginning . . .
Anyone getting confused, feeling dizzy, or developing a headache as they try to understand this spiral thing -- now you know what I honestly feel like when I try to think about a linear structure. :)
ReplyDelete@Summer - One of the the things I think is most interesting about that point is that it really suggests just how strongly structure influences what we think of as the story itself.
@Frances - Yes, I think a spiral design would run the risk of getting monotonous if the writer wasn't careful with how distance and entropy were employed.
@Clarissa - I'm glad you think it's an interesting way to look at it. For me this is far less complicated than linear sequence which makes very little sense to my pea brain.
@Lori - Ah, that's the thing! :) I don't conceive stories that way. I conceive them more or less as a dynamic whole. If you read the first structure I talk about in my post, that's really how they come about in my mind. So I have a beginning, an end, a "heart," and a sense of the energy that drives the story. The writing part is all filling in the stupid details. lol
@G'Eagle - Glad you share my excitement at new ideas! And that point may be in some ways the the thing that hit me the most, too.
"Like a slinky, the story is subject to other external motions that can tip and topple it." This one resonated with me.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting way of looking at story structure.
C.N.~
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you at my blog- you don't have to use it or take it but I wanted to recognize you anyway. :)
For me spirals are all about repetition, and good writing is repetition done well. I did a whole post about this on the Lit Lab. You can read it here: http://literarylab.blogspot.com/2009/07/art-of-repetition.html
ReplyDelete@Michelle - As a chaos theory guy, your use of fractals strikes me not only as apt, but also powerful. Cool stuff. More to think about. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, totally cool, eh? I can't take full credit for it, though. :)
ReplyDeleteNo, but you can take credit for writing it up and linking me to it so that I *can* think about it. :)
ReplyDeleteHehe, okay :D
ReplyDeleteA wise woman once said we should take credit for what we're doing. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah... :)
ReplyDelete