February 9, 2010

In Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, there is a chapter on plot. Lamott says, "Plot grows out of character... [it is] what people will up and do in spite of everything that tells them they shouldn't, everything that tells them that they should sit quietly on the couch and practice their Lamaze, or call their therapist, or eat until the urge to do that thing passes" (54, 55). Lamott warns against imposing plot on your characters. She says not to worry about the plot; that resolves itself when you know your characters.

Plot, then, is a history. It’s what you have done that shapes who you are into what you will choose to do. Which brings up a lot of questions for me.

What have I done? Are there patterns I can trace here and into tomorrow?

Can I deviate from this course?

And, what is my plot? What am I consistently choosing to do?

I’ve heard of a plot-driven novel and a character-driven novel. An example of a plot-driven novel (and shitty writing) is Ted DeKker. All his books end with an epic battle between good and evil. The only book of his I have kept is Blink because I like the main characters.

An example of a character-driven novel is The Wheel of Time series. I know, I know. I rave on and on about these books. But if you were inside my mind and could see how much I love some of the characters from those books you would understand. Robert Jordan is a god at creating believable people. I love Rand, Mat, and Min the most. From book 1 to book 12, you watch Rand grow from a scared, timid boy into a suffering, burdened man. You literally feel Rand change through the pages. It’s some of the best writing I’ve ever read. And it’s because I love those characters.

This got me to thinking about how I was raised at home and in church: Values were imposed. In Sunday school I was told not to have sex, to love God, to talk to other people about Christ, and to read my bible. I remember my mother threatening to kick me out of the house if I ever got a girl pregnant. Most of my religious education revolved around a lot of No’s.

Dallas Willard in The Divine Conspiracy said the Beautitudes were not about a list of things to do but about becoming the kind of person who could do them. This is character-driven living. The plot isn’t the purpose. We are why there is a purpose.

When I think of how I was raised, it was a plot-driven method. Morality was imposed instead of nurtured. I was told what to do, but rarely how to do it or why (unless you consider threats a “why”). The purpose was the plot and the rest of us were just along for the ride.

If you’re a Calvinist, you’re probably cool with this. But I am not so I need something a little more engaging (and dare I say, intelligent?).

I think God is telling a story through us. The plot evolves as we do. It isn’t that we are more important than the plot but rather that God loves the characters in the story more than he loves how the story evolves.Or, maybe a better way of putting it: God loves the way the story evolves because he loves the characters in the story.

As I was reading Lamott, I wondered what story God was writing in me. When I am sad, I don’t think the story will turn out well. But when my soul is quiet, I can feel a pattern unfolding in my life and I know God will wrap all the good and ugly into a story bright and beautiful. And I think it will be a good book.