The Writing Game:
Overcoming creative writer’s block by introducing limitations.
The imagination is a limitless place of infinite potential for creation, but also infinite potential to become lost. Many times we sit down to write and our minds turn as blank as the page in front of us. Some people suggest writing words as a stream of consciousness and to keep writing until something coherent appears. Others suggest taking a break and hoping the story coalesces out of the back of the subconscious like a sudden inspiration. Another school of thought says you should write what you know, so observe your life and apply that template to your writings. I’m going to suggest a different approach based on the blueprint of a narrative, an element of chance, and the guidance of limitations.
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself how many types of stories exist? Surprisingly, although there are infinite ways to tell a story, there are a few archetypes which are nearly impossible to escape; only seven according to The Seven Basic Plots, a 2008 book by Christopher Booker. These are known as overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, comedy, tragedy, and rebirth. Many of these story archetypes share features. The difference between comedy and tragedy is only a matter of perspective for instance, and a rebirth can be a part of any story. Skilled authors sometimes use elements from all of these archetypes to some degree, and their ability to overlap in places allows the author to subvert expectations; telling one story while appearing to tell another.
Every story needs a protagonist, and for that we can go to the Jungian archetypes. There are twelve total archetypes, and every person is made up of them all to varying degrees. A strong protagonist will possess one or more dominant archetypal traits because these archetypes are relatable and the traits of these archetypes become a factor in the story. Nobody writes about a middle aged person with no hopes or dreams, unless they’re about to subject that character through circumstances which will give their lives new meaning. The process of giving this character’s life meaning is called the Hero’s Journey, and results in converting them into an archetype.
So now that we have a field of play and rules of engagement, there must be an objective. Classically this is called the “MacGuffin.” Alfred Hitchcock coined the term MacGuffin in 1935. He defined it as, “an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.” The fact that there are no lions in the Highlands is an indicator that it doesn’t matter what the MacGuffin is in reality. If you have a problem in a story, you need a MacGuffin to fix it. The MacGuffin must fit the narrative, but there are a few classic characteristics of MacGuffins which can change the very nature of a story. Sometimes a MacGuffin is actually an anti-MacGuffin, or a hot potato that nobody wants to be caught holding. It can be magical or mundane. The author may use an attention diverting Red Herring or include multiple MacGuffins to fool the reader as well. Sometimes it isn’t a thing to be chased or passed off. The Big Damn Object is a MacGuffin representing a problem to be solved, something undeniable and often inexplicable. When the Big Damn Object enters a story it symbolizes the iconic elephant in the room. Sometimes the MacGuffin is so impenetrable as to become a schmilblick, a nonsense word coined by French humorist Pierre Dac during the 1950s. A schmilblick is an inexplicable object which is never explained by the narrative. This is often symbolic of a question that cannot be answered, or a mystery of the universe. If the author wishes to cultivate an atmosphere of confusion or absurdity, the MacGuffin may take on the form of “Alien Space Bats,” a thing so weird that it breaks believability. This is quite a risk, but if done well can blow the reader’s mind wide open to absurd new possibilities of thought.
Once we have chosen a protagonist and we know the trajectory of their story, we need a genre. The genre category is less more flexible than the others. There are dozens of genres of fiction, with new ones being invented every day. If you hope to brave a new frontier of storytelling, this is where you should aim. You can combine, transcend, or subvert any of the popular genres; or if you’re extremely creative you might invent a new one. Never tie yourself to a single genre of writing, and always consider if a different genre might make your writing more interesting. Sometimes a story may take on its own life and demand that your romance become horror, or your adventure become tragedy. Genre drift should be the last concern in a writer’s mind, but starting out with a genre in mind helps set the mood and determine which aspects of the story to stress to the reader.
Finally, like extra spice sometimes twists and symbolism can change or enhance the experience and take it to a new level, or they can ruin everything. Like spices, there are a wide variety of available twists. There’s the sudden realization, the unreliable narrator, reverse chronology, non-linear narrative, reversal of circumstances, flashbacks, a false protagonist, cliffhangers, and the tricky and oft maligned Deus ex Machina. Foreshadowing and descriptions with retroactively different meanings can set up the expectations of the reader in order to deepen the wounds when you twist that knife. Do not be merciful to your characters or readers. Your portrayal of their suffering, growth and catharsis are the measures by which the quality of your work will ultimately be measured.
Symbolism is the secret ingredient in all great literature. It is a language which bypasses the ego of the receiver, and sometimes even the sender to touch a place deep in their subconscious and activate an emotional response. Symbols are always an attempt to capture the essence of an idea in a way that words alone cannot. The symbols I put on this page are not the symbols that you manifest in your mind as the reader. You construct an approximation of my meaning through your imagination, experience, and wisdom. Symbols can shortcut descriptions, and personalize meanings for the reader where simple words would provide a poor substitute. I will not attempt to list the infinite range of symbolism a person could employ, but a dream interpretation guide can prove invaluable to a writer of fiction.
Joseph Campbell once said, “Dream is the personalized myth, myth the depersonalized dream; both myth and dream are symbolic in the same general way of the dynamic of the psyche. But in the dream the forms are quirked by the peculiar troubles of the dreamer, whereas in myth the problems and solutions sown are directly valid for all mankind.”
The great myths persist for thousands of years because they speak to the archetypal forces at work in every individual’s psyche. When a myth no longer reflects the minds of the audience, it is no longer repeated and shared. If you write a story based on a myth that teaches a lesson which still torments the world, then your story will have an audience. Often new paradigms of thought can reveal the flaws in old myths, and your narrative can modify and elevate the old lessons to a higher understanding than before. You can inspire your viewers to reach for new levels of personal development, or fear for the fate of their souls. This is the most powerful gift of the writer. Use it with care. Readers have had the entire course of their lives diverted by a powerful and resonant narrative, and not always for the good.
Knowing these factors allows us to look at the construction of a story like a game. If we’re willing to give up a little control, we can use these concepts to mold our projects, and expand our imaginations into new areas of creation we might never have considered. Just like a game, the conditions and rules of the situation will generate a series of steps. These steps will become the geometry of your next project. At the end of this article is a list of suggested terms. Write these on note cards or small pieces of folded paper and mix them up. Draw at least one label from each category and write them down. You may choose multiple cards from a category or redraw if you feel like you can’t write a good story given your scenario. Try to conceptualize every draw, even if you’re not tempted to write the narrative. Some of the scenarios can be quite challenging and every attempt will make you a better writer.
As a demonstration, I have drawn two examples. My first draw is already a story I never would have conceived of without help. The Caregiver, or one who helps others and resists selfishness must go on a Voyage and Return due to a Big Damned Object in a Fantasy setting told as a Flashback. From the requirements listed, I can already see that I will have to begin with a Caregiver who has been through a transformative experience so I am met with the choice of introducing a Caregiver who hates people as a result of their journey, or one who has become a Caregiver as a result of their experience. Either way, the character at the beginning must be a shadow of the character at the end of the story. This is a fantasy setting so the Caregiver might be a selfish and brutal vagabond who is forced to go to on a journey with pirates after attempting to steal from their ship and becoming a castaway, finding family in the outcasts and devoting his life to easing their suffering; the Big Damned Object being the unwilling voyage which he cannot escape or a huge central event which occurs on the voyage.
The second example is more enticing to me. This story revolves around a Quest, but rather than a prize, there is an Anti-McGuffin, or a “Hot Potato.” Told through an Unreliable Narrator, this is a Mystery revolving around a Ruler and an Explorer. This has such great potential as a comedy of circumstances. Perhaps the throne itself is the anti-MacGuffin. The King takes flight into the world of the explorer while entrapping the Explorer in the world of the throne. Both would be in a fish out of water scenario and the mystery might be what might cause the King to abdicate or the Explorer to rule. Who is the narrator? It could be the King, the Explorer, or a third party witness to the event. Either way, the story invites the audience to attempt to unravel the mysteries, and learn along with the characters.
This is a general guide which you may feel free to alter. If you write any stories based on this method please link them back to this post so I can see them. The embedded table will be updated as I refine this approach to writing, and I welcome comments which add depth to the game.
