Christmas Angles
By the time this goes out the "big day" will be behind us, but I thought I'd examine favourite angles to the Christmas story. It’s hard to say which is my favourite here but little details are inspiring.
The classic is the simple statement “there was no room at the inn”. We’re not told of the despair Mary and Joseph felt on hearing that but we can imagine it. Both would have been exhausted and the donkey too would’ve been looking forward to getting its head down for a while!
It also reminds me of my favourite school nativity story where, on a Scottish island which was proud of its hospitality, the lad playing the innkeeper wasn’t happy at having to turn Mary and Joseph away. The lad was told he must do it and, star that he was, he obliged but nobody expected the stage whisper of “Come back and see me later and I’ll see what I can do!”.
Now that story always makes me laugh but thinking about it further, well why not?
I wonder what the innkeeper made of the strange visitors to the stables (he must’ve spotted something) to say nothing of that star! The Bible rightly doesn’t consider that the main point of the story but there’s nothing to stop us using our imaginations here. I admire those who can re-tell Bible stories especially for children as that’s not an easy area of writing to get right.
For me, inspiration here comes from looking at what was considered vital to record. I take that same approach with my flash fiction. Nothing but the facts though the facts are what information is needed to craft what I hope will be an entertaining story.
So then the graft is in deciding what is the crucial information. I know I never get this right on a first draft. To be fair, that’s not the purpose of a first draft. I see that as getting the basic story down and subsequent drafts are to “fine tune” it. I never edit as I go. I have to separate writing and editing. I do the same with my non-fiction, including my posts here.
Accepting the first draft is just that removes the pressure. I can “play with words” and that in itself helps me discover what I need for my story to work. There will be something I find I don't need and further ideas for what will. I've found it is almost as if I have to write something out before getting those better thoughts. Irritating? Maybe. But for me it is how the writing process works.
I know where my story will end up and how it starts but I don’t know all of the twists my tale will take. It is fun finding out though. Concentrating on deducing what the crucial information is stops me going off on unhelpful tangents.
What are the crucial details you need for your tale?
Think about why you need them. It’s a good way of judging whether they are that important.
I hope you had a happy Christmas and may I wish you all the best for the New Year. Happy writing (and rewriting!).
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| Rest at last including for the donkey. Pixabay |
The classic is the simple statement “there was no room at the inn”. We’re not told of the despair Mary and Joseph felt on hearing that but we can imagine it. Both would have been exhausted and the donkey too would’ve been looking forward to getting its head down for a while!
 |
| The Holy Family. Pixabay |
It also reminds me of my favourite school nativity story where, on a Scottish island which was proud of its hospitality, the lad playing the innkeeper wasn’t happy at having to turn Mary and Joseph away. The lad was told he must do it and, star that he was, he obliged but nobody expected the stage whisper of “Come back and see me later and I’ll see what I can do!”.
Now that story always makes me laugh but thinking about it further, well why not?
 |
| How did the innkeeper feel on realising he could only offer Mary and Joseph a stable? Pixabay |
I wonder what the innkeeper made of the strange visitors to the stables (he must’ve spotted something) to say nothing of that star! The Bible rightly doesn’t consider that the main point of the story but there’s nothing to stop us using our imaginations here. I admire those who can re-tell Bible stories especially for children as that’s not an easy area of writing to get right.
 |
| The innkeeper must surely have spotted that star! Pixabay |
For me, inspiration here comes from looking at what was considered vital to record. I take that same approach with my flash fiction. Nothing but the facts though the facts are what information is needed to craft what I hope will be an entertaining story.
So then the graft is in deciding what is the crucial information. I know I never get this right on a first draft. To be fair, that’s not the purpose of a first draft. I see that as getting the basic story down and subsequent drafts are to “fine tune” it. I never edit as I go. I have to separate writing and editing. I do the same with my non-fiction, including my posts here.
 |
| I never find ALL of my crucial information on the first draft but that's fine. Pixabay |
Accepting the first draft is just that removes the pressure. I can “play with words” and that in itself helps me discover what I need for my story to work. There will be something I find I don't need and further ideas for what will. I've found it is almost as if I have to write something out before getting those better thoughts. Irritating? Maybe. But for me it is how the writing process works.
I know where my story will end up and how it starts but I don’t know all of the twists my tale will take. It is fun finding out though. Concentrating on deducing what the crucial information is stops me going off on unhelpful tangents.
 |
| Well, what is it then? Pixabay |
What are the crucial details you need for your tale?
Think about why you need them. It’s a good way of judging whether they are that important.
I hope you had a happy Christmas and may I wish you all the best for the New Year. Happy writing (and rewriting!).
Loving it! Thank you Allison.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right about selecting the vital details. It's a tough process, though, having to score out whole paragraphs or even whole chapters! But it has to be done. Brutally. Ruthlessly. Accompanied by chocolate or wine to ease the pain.
ReplyDelete