If I had an idea, the idea would not be sufficient. It has to be bolstered by something from the unconscious, some kind of sympathy or connection, some sense of drama that's like a spark of identification. I wanted to write a novel, for instance, about a man who had been falsely accused of a crime and maybe went to prison. And his own children exonerated him, and they set out to redeem him. And that must have been an idea that was in my mind for years. But as I'm working on the novel now, and it's so different. I remember the genesis, and I couldn't be writing it without that genesis. But it's completely different now. And I don't understand these mysterious processes.
Research Challenge
Joyce Carol Oates describes the birth of a powerful idea for a story and how that idea stayed with her for a very long time before she started writing. As a novelist, she knew that the idea alone wasn't enough. She needed to have a "spark of identification" by which both she and the reader could connect emotionally and have the story become vital to people's lives.
A simple way to describe the story "The Ugly Duckling," is this: It's a story about a baby swan who gets mixed up with some ducks and later finds out that he is not a duck at all but a swan. However the description for the emotional landscape of this simple story is much more complex, involving being lost, being an outsider, being the brunt of hurtful teasing, finding out who you really are, personal identity and pride etc.
RESEARCH FOCUS
The Idea is Just the Beginning
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How can you identify the simple plot or story line of a novel?
Does the success of the novel depend on a really exciting story idea or the way that story is developed to connect emotionally to human experience?
What elements does the novelist use to build emotional connection?
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Select a familiar novel that you have read and enjoyed. Write a review of this novel describing the success of the basic story idea and the way the author developed that plot in ways that emotionally involved the reader.
Develop a classic tales chart that compares three fairy tales in terms of plot and the spark of identification they provide for the reader.
