Think Again - a Big Think Podcast 235. Neil Gaiman (Jason Plays Favorites #7) – and then it gets darker
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Mar 22, 2020 AI Snips
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Follow The Story Even When It Surprises You
- If you want to write, follow projects to the end even when characters take you off course; the story will reveal itself.
- Gaiman compares writing to planting a seed and tending it, urging writers to discover where their story wants to grow rather than abandoning it midcourse.
Let Plot Emerge Naturally
- Gaiman expects plot to emerge rather than be fully planned; the completed story should feel inevitable in retrospect.
- He likens writing a novel to hitchhiking cross-country: you know the general shape but the incidents appear en route and form patterns later.
Unexpected Murder Forced A Rewrite
- While writing a Nancy Boys story, Gaiman unexpectedly had one character murder another and stopped for months to rethink the book.
- That unplanned murder forced him to re-evaluate tone and plot, producing a stronger, darker narrative.