Monday, May 8, 2023

Finding the Write Fit

You may or may not recognize the actor Burt Reynolds who was a celebrity icon in the 20th century. If Smokey and the Bandit rings any bells, then you probably remember Burt Reynolds.

A former high school and college football player, Burt often did his own stunts while making a movie. During the filming of City Heat, Burt was hit in the jaw with a metal chair while filming a fight scene. The stuntman who played the assailant grabbed the metal chair instead of grabbing the breakaway chair. Burt spent the next two years in agony with constant vertigo and difficulty chewing food. Searching for a diagnosis and cure, he saw forty doctors.

He was diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder (aka TMJ dysfunction) which can cause pain in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement. The problem was figuring out how to fix it.


Not much was known about the issue then, but basically he needed extensive reconstructive jaw surgery. Finding a doctor willing to undertake the surgery wasn’t easy, but he found one and the surgery was a success.


What stuck with me was Burt Reynold’s perseverance in his search for an answer to his problem and a doctor willing to accept the challenge.


Burt was looking for a path to success.


Now you might wonder how this anecdote has anything to do with writing.


It’s probably a stretch, but maybe not.


Burt Reynolds was given all sorts of different advice for the treatment of his problem. Much of that advice didn’t help. But he persevered until he not only found a solution, but also found a doctor willing to try and repair the damage.


Now, think about all the how-to writing paths available to writers. Save the Cat, the Snowflake Method, W Plot Technique, Story Grid, Dramatica, and the list goes on. Then, of course, there are videos, online courses, and blogs filled with writing advice (including this one!).

Image of typewriter keys

I started writing short stories B.T.I. (Before The Internet) and relied primarily on the library, bookstores, a creative writing class, and writing magazines to learn how to write. I seldom lived in large cities, but I eventually discovered writing conferences. I remember going to one way back when. It was an exhilarating experience until I attended a workshop by a published author who read a selection from his latest novel. I’ve never really figured out why reading an excerpt from a novel is a selling point. Probably because I’m not an auditory learner. Read listening is not my strong point. I tend to daydream too easily.


After his reading, this author proceeded to describe his writing process and pretty much told us his way was the only successful route to writing a novel.


His ego astounded me.


Based on all the how-to writing methods, there is obviously more than one way to arrive at a well-written story. It may take you a few tries (hopefully, not forty) to figure out your individual path to writing a story.


Or you could follow Stephen King’s thoughts on how to be a writer:


“You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this (On Writing) or any other book on writing… You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”


Whatever path you follow, just be sure to find the write fit for you.