I believe, and I am not alone in this, that limitations can be great tools to unleash your creativity. My argument here, is that when we allow ourselves too much liberty in our art, it becomes very hard to begin writing. For me, the hardest question to answer when I first start a new project is: what do I write?
This is because my mind wanders off to all sorts of genres, styles, character arcs etc..., and there are hundreds if not thousands of these. Personally, I need very strict limitations in order to start writing. In my view, even arbitrary limitations (for example: the story must not have more than two characters) are better than no limitations.
This view of art was first presented to me through the Dogme 95 film movement, of which Lars von Trier was a proponent. Some of the rules of Dogme 95 films were the following:
1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot.)
3.The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera.)
The most obvious example of a limitation, is of course a genre convention. If you are writing a murder mystery, the story must be about a murder and the mystery surrounding it.
Another common type of limitation, is the structural limiration often found in poetry. Once the poet decides on a particular metre, they tend to stick to it, only breaking that rule when it is completely justified.
Some limits I have decided to put on myself for my next book are the following:
1. All descriptions of objects must be presented through the perspective and opinion of the POV character, and all description must hold some relevance to the plot or character development.
2. Every scene must advance the plot or develop character. It always does so through conflict.
3. No dialogue can be purely expositional. There must be no dialogue where character A tells character B something they both know.
4. The entirety of the novel must take place within three days.
5. No two characters hold the same viewpoints on the main problem of the story.
6. The story must never deviate from the main premise. Subplots are only there as a tool to provide an alternative view of the premise.
7. Backstory is never told, only implied. Have faith that the reader will pick up on your clues and figure out the backstory for themselves.
Those are my limits for this particular book. I actually want even more, and I will keep adding to this list.
Do you ever place strict limitations on your stories? Any arbitrary limitation?
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Originally Posted by ironpony
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