How Connecting Dots Moves A Story Forward
Did you enjoy connect-the-dots coloring pages as a kid? I did.
I use this research technique to connect the dots, discover facts, and learn details for writing a story.
My rough draft is an outline or framework that provides the basics for the story but needs more flow from beginning to end. Connecting the dots usually occurs during my editing when I ask myself specific questions to move through my story.
I am in the early stages of writing a short story that is not about a car. However, researching a car helps find details to build a scene in the story. My first draft had unanswered gaps or holes like a piece of Swiss cheese. For example, a woman has a heart attack, falls to the floor, and is found by her husband. Then, he picks her up, puts her in the backseat of his car, and drives her to the emergency room.
A sampling of questions: How much did this woman weigh? How could her husband lift a dead weight, carry her to the car, hold her up while opening the car door, and lay her in the back seat? What kind of car did he drive? What could he afford, and how long ago had he purchased the vehicle?
For this one “dot” of the story, I spent several hours researching, went down a few “rabbit holes,” and came up with thoughts, descriptions, patterns, facts, and details to solve an issue.
I concluded that my character’s husband had purchased a Plymouth Plaza (made by Chrysler) in 1955. Why? It was affordable and sold for under $5000. Here are specific details about the Plaza; for example, it had “thick foam rubber cushioned seats,” which is helpful since he was laying his wife down in the back seat. It was an automatic v-8 engine, had a push button trunk latch, and the dashboard was symmetrical, making the ashtray a reach for him. It was a smooth ride, and he could accelerate 0-60 in 12 seconds, which would be necessary to get her to the hospital less than a mile away. These “dots” helped me understand how to create circumstances for the husband with his wife’s dire condition.
How much information will I use in my description? I do not know yet, but I will keep writing to move the story forward. Plymouth Plaza was ironically advertised as “Motion Design the Forward Look” to portray moving forward even when parked. Motor Trend described “it as having a soft ride and easy to drive.” Essential details to build on a story idea. Hmmm? If it was easy to drive, did he teach his wife to drive, and would he regret it if not?
If our brains crave patterns and connections, then the idea of the car, designed to move forward, was symbolic for me to move forward with this story.
What “connect the dots” do you experience in your craft, practice, daily living, and mental health? Please share your comments. I would love to hear from you.
