Monday 21 October 2013

Knitting socks...and how it helps writing

I bet you're wondering how the heck I can combine knitting socks with writing? All will become clear... I hope!

I like knitting; I'm a pretty accomplished knitter. A few years ago, for a challenge, I taught myself to knit socks. They look fiendishly difficult, but are actually quite easy once you get the hang of where all the pins go. Most of the time, I knit on three pins - on a triangle, if you can imagine that - and except for the fiddly bit when I shape the heel, I'm basically knitting a continuous spiral. On three pins.

See what I mean about the triangle?

(This is where the link to writing comes in... but you don't have to be a knitter to understand it!)

It's this triangular aspect that's important to writing.

Y'see, I did an online self-editing course a little over twelve months ago, run by the Writer's Workshop. (Fab course - one's just about to start again, well worth the money and I guarantee you'll never look at your WIP in quite the same way again after doing it!)

In one of the early lessons, we were given an exercise; to write a maximum of 3 sentences per chapter of our WIP, describing what happens and how that moves the story along. Essentially - where did the scene start, what happens and how do the characters react, where do they end up as a result?

Remember I told you about the three pins? And knitting in a spiral? Well, my story-telling and knitting of socks just morphed into a knit-a-story analogy! Let me explain...

When I knit, I complete three pins worth of stitches to complete one circular row. Three pins - three stages in my chapter. So I can view one row knitted as another chapter completed. And then I do it all over again... I end up a little further along the sock/through the story as a result of this continuous circling; the sock grows, the story develops.

My current WIP, Ani's story, doesn't look like it is going to have chapters. Does that muck up this analogy of one round of three pins equals a chapter?

Not at all. I still use the same three stages (starting point, action, where d'you end up?) over and over again to develop my storyline - but they won't be defined by chapter breaks. If we think of it in knitting terms again, it's more a case of sussing out when the sock's long enough (without counting the rows) before I turn the heel. Or - as was the case with my last pair of socks, knitted from leftover sock wool - when does it feel right to change to a new colour?


Look what I ended up with when I used that method!

I just hope Ani's story ends up as colourful as my odd-bod socks... and that I've not stretched this analogy too far!

8 comments:

  1. Brilliant! I'm impressed with both your ability to knit socks and to find a writing analogy in there :-) Hope Ani's story is going well.

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    1. She's had a bit of a lull in terms of output, but the storyline is getting more solid, if you know what I mean?

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  2. Great socks, and a good use of odd bits of yarn. I like the analogy - I find knitting socks helps the mind wander and think round an idea. Good luck too with Ani's story.

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    1. Thanks Liz - thought you'd like this after seeing the pic of socks on your blog!

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  3. Love this! Rushing off to share elsewhere. x

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  4. I am also an avid knitter and have been knitting very slowly, writing very quickly and have felt burnt-out with the results. Perhaps more knitting is in order (especially of the brilliant and bright variety!) Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. I find my brain mulls things over when I'm able to knit something that doesn't take too much brainpower - like cables for example! You never know - knitting something easy might let you think things through so the writing comes easier when you do it? Thanks for dropping by.

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